Portugal & Spain 2008

Tuesday - Stray dogs

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Tuesday 17th June

I woke up at some time during the night to the sounds of heavy footsteps outside in the corridor, it was pitch black in our room and I wondered who could be wandering around at this hour of the night. I drifted off to sleep again only to be woken again with more heavy foot steps in the corridor, 'This must be the noisiest hotel we've ever stayed in' I thought, and tried to get back to sleep again, but I just couldn't sleep anymore, and it was still as black as night in our room, this felt really weird. More noise outside, I said out loud to Patto, 'what on earth's going on out there!' Patto said 'its probably the hotel staff'. 'What time is it' I asked... 'errrr... 9:15' mumbled Patto, 'What! 9:15!!! its pitch black!' I said, 'The shutters are down' said Patto. Light dawned, as it had outside our room around three hours earlier. Crikey, we'd better get a move on!

I went downstairs to see if there was any breakfast and met the cleaner in the dining room, there was no sign of any breakfast laid out, and attempts to communicate, even in comedy mime failed completely. So, I went in to the bar for a coffee while waiting for the others to come down. At the end of the bar was a glass case stuffed with pastries and croissants, Ahhh, now I get it ! I ordered a coffee with milk and a croissant, the waitress warmed up the croissant in a mini oven and served it up with butter and strawberry jam, then poured coffee, et Voila! breakfast is served! and very nice it was too! (look at the clock! and the floor! we didn't make that mess, honest.. :-)

N41 30 10.2 W5 00 21.2 (Google map)

10:21 After loading the bikes we set off, but it's a good job the guys didn't immediately follow me, I rode straight on to the roundabout outside the hostel and started going around it the wrong way, Eeek! Correcting this minor error I tried again.

N41 30 10.2 W5 00 21.2 (Google map)

We still had 150 miles to get to our starting point in the Serra de Estrela National Park.  We rode on to the A62 motorway and continued on from where we'd left off yesterday. It was a lovely bright morning, if a little cool at 16c. The road side scenery was pretty good and included tall nesting posts erected for Storks along the side of the motorway. I'm not that familiar with these birds, but they do build huge nests often much bigger than the place they're perched on, how they stay up there is a mystery.

Sticking to our plan we stopped a couple of times along the way to top up with fuel but never came across a shortage anywhere, I had a feeling this practice was going to die a natural death pretty soon.

12:16 - 126 miles after setting off we finally crossed the boarder in to Portugal. Surprisingly, this boarder crossing is still actively patrolled by gun toting Portuguese customs men. We slowed right down ready to stop, but they waved us straight through. Whatever they were interested in, it wasn't four English bikers. Thirty miles later we arrived at the starting point of our tour around Serra de Estrela National Park. Just south of Guarda on the N18-1. (N40 30 19.7 W7 16 49.2 (Google map)). We didn't stop to celebrate the moment with a photograph, but continued on toward Valhelhas. then headed West toward Manteigas on the N232.

14:12 I'd been looking forward to riding the N232 since I saw it in the Michelin map back home. Below us is Manteigas, where we've just come up from. We were just stood here taking in this splendid view and snapping pictures when a van came around the corner made to look like a dog! It was just like the one in the opening scenes of Dumb & Dumber, well ok, it wasn't quite that good, but it was definitely a dog with big floppy ears. We couldn't believe it either, they tooted their horn and waved, we waved back, crazy!

N40 24 37.0 W7 31 24.7 (Google map)

Dave and John chasing shadows on the N232.

N40 24 33.0 W7 31 51.3 (Google map)

15:31 We're quite near the top now and you can now see part of the winding road we've just ridden up.

N40 24 56.5 W7 31 35.2 (Google map)

15:00 Riding on we stopped for this view, it's just before our turn off on to the N339-1

N40 25 19.6 W7 37 00.0 (Google map)

Ummm... this is a little embarrassing because I don't know exactly where this was taken, one of the other guys took it, but unless their camera is synchronised to Lucy's time and they're with me, I can't place it accurately. But never mind, its a great shot (two actually, stitched together) and it's up there somewhere...

But hey, rather than disappoint you, this is my best guess :-) N40 20 49.4 W7 39 00.7 (Google map)

15:33 After turning right off the main road, we finally rolled in to Torre, and had our first meeting with the dogs of Portugal. The dogs came over to see us as soon as we got off the bikes, very cautiously they came closer hoping for something to eat, but not so close as someone might be able to get a sly boot in, these dogs have seen it all before. I have never seen such wacky mongrels, like the dog by the rear wheel of that white car, what on earth is that! It looks like some mad professor has made him up from the front end of one animal and the rear of another. It's just a shame we didn't have anything for them, after a while they grew bored and wandered off again to await the next vehicle arriving.

N40 19 18.5 W7 36 49.4 (Google map)

But anyway... this is Torre, allegedly the highest point in Portugal at 6538ft. Up here there are three towers, two like the one in the picture which I take to be a disused radar dome, and a third which appears to be an old stone watch tower. After parking up we went looking for refreshments in the shop, Ho! what an experience... As soon as I stepped in to the shop (which was stuffed floor to ceiling with cheeses and dried meat (and smelling rather ripe) one of the ladies behind the counter jumped on me, 'try the cheese' was the message she was trying to get across in Portuguese, she handed me a small piece on the end of her knife, actually it was quite nice, I do like cheeses, and not expensive at 2 euros a block, I just didn't think it would survive the journey home. Exploring a little further upstairs we found the coffee but no seating, just an espresso machine on a counter amongst the floor to ceiling tat, rather disappointing, and as we were the only customers in the whole place, rather intimidating as everyone was eying us up as the only customers, we beat a hasty retreat.

N40 19 18.5 W7 36 49.4 (Google map)

To be honest, I think Torre is a great opportunity missed by the Portuguese, up here their should be at least a small hotel, bar and cafe/restaurant, unless we missed them... After taking in the view, we got back on the bikes and picked up our route again, the N339 road heading down to Covilha.

16:03 We've only just left Torre, but had to stop for this one because there's something about roads passing through short tunnels like this that's just so appealing, I'd like to believe the road builders have bikers in mind when they build roads like this, after all, just a few more stick of dynamite, and that rock arch would be gone.

N40 19 15.4 W7 35 37.1 (Google map)

16:03 This picture was taken from the same place as the picture above, but just look at that view! It's a terrific road, the best we've seen up here.

N40 19 15.4 W7 35 37.1 (Google map)

We rode down in to Covilha with the idea that if we saw someplace that looked decent for the the night, that's where we'd stay, but all we found was fuel, so after filling up we kept on going. I felt sure we'd pass some nice little place where we could get cleaned up and sit outside enjoying a few beers, but no, it just wasn't going to be that easy today. In all, we travelled an incredible 80 miles further before we found somewhere for the night. So it was much, much later, and with great relief, we finally turned in to the little town of Seia. As we rode up the hill toward the town we saw a big sign for a hotel, after negotiating the one way system (twice for me) we finally made it in, what - a - relief!

18:22 The Eurosol Seia-Camelo hotel, Ok, it doesn't look much, but just like the Tardis, its much bigger inside, and rather nice too.

N40 25 05.9 W7 42 16.1 (Google map)

Our room, what a relief it was to dump the bags and have a shower, sheer bliss!

A little later in the bar and we're all still smiling, it's a miracle after today's extended ride. See the little sign hanging on the right 'Dick Turpin Inn' wonder where they found that!

The guy behind the bar recommended the restaurant 'Borges' for our evening meal, so after light refreshments, that's where we went. But I'm afraid It wasn't a great success. The main problem with the Borges was the menu, which we didn't understand, and the waiter who plainly had good English just didn't seem inclined to explain. Eventually food was ordered, and when it came it was ok, but deep down, I just can't bring myself to recommend the place, If you find yourself in Seia one day you might want to try somewhere else, but I'll leave that up to you.

And the rest of the evening was spent back at the hotel enjoying a beer while watching football on the big TV, then Hugh Laurie in that American series 'House' (good series that, Patto and I got quite hooked on it during this trip). Then things got even better when I found the barman could arrange a pot of tea, most excellent sir!

And I suppose if there's one virtue to today's extended ride, its put us in a much better place to start tomorrows tour of the Rio Duro vineyards... keep smiling :-)

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This is our route in yellow, 292 miles travelled.

Detail of our route around the Serra de Estrela National Park

Today elevation graph, the flattish bit on the left is the motorway in to Portugal and the lumpy bits on the right are the Serra de Estrela National Park.

Today's temperature graph, for some reason some of the data was lost and that's compressed the graph up, so basically, that big temperature drop you see in the middle of the graph was when we rode up to Torre, and I certainly remember how warm it was later when we came back down again!

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