Full Biking Itinerary

7 Day Cycling

Route grades:

Easy-moderate on a mixture of good forest tracks, small country lanes and gravel roads.

The off road is moderate not flat, with a good chance to improve your off-road biking skills. Jonathan has a good understanding and skill for helping you to improve through out the week.

No prior experience of Off-road biking is required.

Day 1 Meet at the accommodation near Sagres, a single transfer is provided from Faro Airport.

Your holiday begins at the group's rural guesthouse/villa accommodation just north of Sagres on the very southern tip of the Algarve. A single transfer is provided from Faro Airport. There will be a late buffet lunch at the lodge before exploring the delightful property and surroundings, including its fresh water lake. There will be plenty of time to pick up our bikes, have them fitted, and to try them out on the local trails. There will be a pre-trip briefing with our guide in the evening before we settle down for the first of our delicious home cooked dinners on the veranda overlooking the surrounding cork forest.

• Accommodation: Lodge
• Meals: lunch & dinner

Day 2 An introductory loop ride to the coast at Carrapateira. Afternoon at the beach.

After breakfast at our accommodation, we set off on our bikes to Vilarinha a small-whitewashed Portuguese hamlet, passing through rolling fields where cattle and horses graze. Beyond Vilarinha, we reach the small Carrapateira River and follow this through a pretty valley with a mix of pine and eucalyptus forest and farmland. Heading down to the coast, we cross the river several times before reaching the small coastal village of Carrapateira, where we get our first glimpses of the Atlantic and the long white beaches that are a feature of this coast. At the mouth of the river is Bordeira Beach and here we pick up the small coast road and follow it southwards for 5 kilometres to Amado Beach where we take a break and have lunch. This is a popular surfing beach and we can watch the surfers as we eat our picnic. Taking a dip in the cool Atlantic Ocean can also be a popular option if it's sunny. The ride after lunch takes us off the beaches and up a valley with switchbacks, which offer views back to the sea. We reach a high point and have a great decent into Pedralva was abandoned until 2006 when a group of people from Lisbon bought most of the village and turned it into a lovely resort of quaint cottages and traditional restaurants set amongst exquisite scenery. We stop at a café for a drink and a rest in the sun before completing our ride back to our eco-lodge accommodation.  Option afternoon at the beach with a chance to swim or do a water course and body boarding. We will have plenty of time to chill; kick back in a hammock and read or relax over a coffee in the lounge.

• Accommodation: Lodge
• Ascent: 325m
• Distance: 22km
• Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner
• Descent: 325m
• Time: 4 hrs cycling
• Swim – body board option

Day 3 Rural ride via Raposeira to Figueira. Late afternoon at the beach.

This morning we will leave the base via forest tracks, climb out of the valley, passing through cork oaks forest. Arriving at the majestic wind turbines, whilst keeping a look out for soaring birds of prey. The morning cycling is on small country gravel roads. Moderate-medium grade. From Raposiera head to the coast via Ingrina & Zavial beaches. A stop at Ingrina beach bar for much needed refreshments. The last portion of the trail follows asphalt roads into a region of unspoiled farmland, stopping at a suitably picturesque spot for lunch in Figueira. Cycle to Boca de Rio, a chance of a swim, and see an important Roman port excavation site only discovered in the last couple of years. Once again we have plenty of time to chill out on our return to the lodge and to prepare for our trip to Lagos.

• Accommodation: Lodge
• Ascent: 425m
• Distance: 28km
• Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner
• Descent: 425m
• Time: 4 hrs cycling
• Swim option

Day 4 Cycle to Lagos. Afternoon explore the town and evening dinner at a typically Portuguese restaurant.

There's no great rush this morning as we have a straightforward ride eastwards to the town of Lagos on Portugal's south coast. The route follows a good gravel forest road past the Pedralva wind farm and involves a little more than 100 meters of ascent within the first 5 or 6 kilometres. We reach a crest and from there we can enjoy an undulating and largely descending ride to Baroa de S. Joao. This is a good place to take a break and there is a quaint restaurant here where we can have an early lunch; try the fresh juice or a piece of Portuguese sweet potato cake, or just a cold coca cola. The onward ride to Lagos is on a quiet country road through typically Portuguese farmland and villages and on the final downhill stretch to Lagos we have views of the town, its port and beaches. We will check in at our hotel and have the remainder of the afternoon free to do some exploring on foot. Lagos has a picturesque historic center (old town), which is surrounded by ancient Moorish walls dating from the 13th century. Fishing and tourism are important to Lagos and there is both a small fishing port and a marina for pleasure boats. The town also has several white-sand beaches, some of the backed by cliffs. In the evening we will go out to dinner in a traditional Portuguese restaurant.

• Accommodation: Hotel
• Ascent: 300m
• Distance: 26km
• Meals: breakfast & lunch
• Descent: 350m
• Time: 3 - 4 hrs cycling
• Swim option

Day 5 Free day to chill-out, explore independently or try an optional outdoor activity.

Today is free to relax at Lagos. It has a picturesque historic center (old town), which is surrounded by ancient Moorish walls dating from the 13th century. Fishing and tourism are important to Lagos and there is both a small fishing port and a marina for pleasure boats. The town also has several white-sand beaches, some of the backed by cliffs. Take a walk or train or do a boat-Kayak trip to visit the Ponta de Piedad. 

• Accommodation: Hotel
• Meals: breakfast
  
• Swim option

Day 6 Cycle back to Pedralva, exploring the beautiful south coast along the way. Evening trip to Amado Beach for the sunset.

Setting off on today's super ride along the coast and back to our base near Pedralva, we'll firstly cycle out to Lagos. From here, we follow the little-used coast road, which runs above the cliffs to the small town and laid-back seaside resort of Luz, which is a good place for a café stop. As we continue westwards on this minor road we pass scattered houses and small villages with farmland on our right side and spectacular coastal vistas on the left. We'll have lunch at Cabanas Beach and then heading inland now to Budens, we pick up a good forest road, which will take us directly back to Pedralva, with the sting in the tail of a final hill, which we need to overcome before dropping down to Pedralva and our welcoming lodge base. We will have plenty of time to chill; kick back in a hammock and read or relax over a coffee in the lounge. In the evening we'll have a reasonably early dinner, before driving out to Amado Beach to watch the dramatic sunset.

• Accommodation: Lodge
• Ascent: 500m
• Distance: 31km
• Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner
• Descent: 450m
• Time: 4 hrs cycling

Day 7 Cycle to Cabo Sao Vincente and Sagres.

On this final cycling day of the holiday, we follow a small country road from Pedralva to Vila do Bispo, climbing out of the Pedralva Valley via a series of sharp switchbacks and gaining around 150 meters in the process. Once we've left the valley behind it's flat and there's quite often a tail-wind as we continue to Vila do Bispo which is a regional market town and typically Portuguese. We can stop for a coffee here and then continue on a section of cycling that is a highlight of the holiday. Leaving Vila, there's a short sharp climb to a viewpoint inside the Cabo Sao Vincente National Park. We can look ahead to the cape where the south and west coasts join. There are great coastal views as we cycle through this nature reserve which is carpeted with wild flowers in the spring. Arriving at the point with its impressive red-roofed lighthouse we will stop again for a drink and a spot of exploring. It's just a short ride from here along the south coast to Sagres, a world-famous surf town with a 15th century fort on a promontory which was built to protect the region from North African raiders. We'll take our lunch here before cycling back to Vila do Bispo via a different route and then on to our base beyond Pedralva. In the evening, back at the lodge, we will celebrate with a delicious dinner freshly prepared by our hosts and accompanied by good wine and good company.

• Accommodation: Lodge
• Ascent: 450m
• Distance: 41km
• Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner
• Descent: 450m
• Time: 5 hrs cycling

Day 8 Your holiday ends after breakfast. A single transfer to Faro Airport is provided.

Your holiday ends after breakfast. A single transfer to Faro Airport is provided.

• Meals: breakfast