Henry em Lagos

[in4]

Without anthropomorphising too much, a photo of Henry, my MK2 Nomad. I covered circa 1500kms between  Chester UK and Lagos PT. Henry was a delight to ride, more so when loaded. Through a mix of weather and surface conditions it was a sure, comfortable ride. I must admit to a bit of bike envy as the lightweight bike packing crew were quicker and more agile than Henry. That said comparing a Nomad to say a gravel bike would not be a fair comparison.
Some might notice I used a Sella Trek SMP saddle; the one with the dropped nose and cut-out. I found it comfortable, when well adjusted,  for most of my day rides. A bit hard around the 75km mark (using either padded Lycra or Corrine Dennis padded under crackers)
Apart from the comfort dimension not having to cover it in case of rain was a small but appreciated advantage.
Lastly you can use a sinewave to charge your gps whilst cycling.
I’ll save further comments on gps usefulness for another day.
Bom dia meus amigos.

[PH]

Lovely photo and  an epic ride.
I know saddles are personal, but I'm a Brooks Cambium C17 fan, since converting I've reduced my reliance on padded clothing to the point where I hardly ever use it, not once this year with several rides over 200km.

[John Saxby]

Oi, Ian -- muito bom e parabens!

I saw "Lagos" in the heading, and thought, "Surely he's not in Nigeria?  It can be done, I know -- I've even read a blog about cycling there, but..."  Then I checked the map and photos of the Lagos in Portugal, and was greatly relieved.  It looks like a vastly more manageable place. 👍

[Tiberius]

Bom dia in4

Anthropomorphising' - Took me to my first Google of the day 

A lovely photo of a lovely place and bike. I have visited that coast twice this year (non bike) and really took to it. So much cleaner than our coastal towns (I live in one) lovely weather and such nice people.The  thought of cycling around there crossed my mind many times.

I would be interested to know your route and any advice that you may have specific to cycling in Portugal?

Obrigado.

[in4]

I had a challenging relationship with my gps but we succeeded in staying in Europe. Lagos (pronounced Lagoosh) is always a pleasure to visit. I’d also mention the Algarve train service that retains a ‘freight’ carriage that  is ideal for transporting a bicycle  across The Algarve; from Lagos through to the Spanish border.

I’m not anticipating cycling to the other Lagos any time soon but Henry’s ‘Where next Dad?’ cries are quite deafening. Wonder if there’s a Lagos in Asia?!
Obrigado

[in4]

I took the Santander Ferry from Plymouth, which was fine.
In a nutshell I headed south west through Spain. I found the roads and Via Verde of a high standard. Heading through Palencia, Valladolid into Salamanca was a great ride. I used campsites, Wild sites and bike friendly hostels. Salamanca is well worth a stop-over.
Guarda was quite horrible and I’d avoid it because the cycle route (marked in blue) was steep and tough riding a laden tourer. The redeeming plus for me was the mostly free-wheeling ride down to a great campsite at https://maps.app.goo.gl/aofZ7gs4Ex9Qep62A?g_st=ic

Down through Évora and heading towards Silves before turning west to Lagos. Lots of similar routes possible but I wanted to stay on sealed roads and not some of the cobbled, donkey tracks suggested by my gps, Google maps and komoot.

Reflecting back,  perhaps my standout experience was sleeping out on the hillside near https://maps.app.goo.gl/2nEKqb2EYgiKxHbG8?g_st=ic
 Nothing between me and a star studded sky on the nearby site of an old fort, it   
 was quite magical. I do suspect however the fort’s previous residents were not too far away!

[John Saxby]

Something about a hillside camp, for sure, Ian.  Camped on the south shore of the Gaspé Peninsula in early August, 2010, this is what greeted me when I crawled out of my tent to pee at 04h17.  (We were in the last part of a clockwise circuit of the Gaspé.)

Cheers, John

[Tiberius]

in4 - Many thanks for posting the feedback, much appreciated.

Just to add that, anyone over 65 years of age gets half price travel on trains in Portugal - just flash your passport/ID when buying your tickets.

[Matt2matt2002]

Great to hear about your trip.
Re train travel; I'm in New Jersey USA at the moment and a similar discount applies here for us oldies. No extra discount for traveling on your 70th birthday though, but I did ask 😉.

Best

Matt

[Tiberius]

Re train travel; I'm in New Jersey USA at the moment and a similar discount applies here for us oldies.

Do you know if that discount would apply to oldies of all nationalities?

I'm British, but the Portugese were happy to give me a discount on production of ID (passport) There isn't a cat in hell's chance of that generosity being reciprocated in the UK. For me (British - 66) to get a discount in the UK, I have to buy a 'Senior rail card' which gets me 1/3 off the cost of rail journeys. The rail card costs £30.00/year or £70.00/three years. These cards are available TO BUY for non Brit' oldies but they would have to be on one long tour to make it worthwhile.

Obrigado Portugal.

[in4]

Many happy returns Matt, from an utterly sodden Paris to I hope a more agreeable New Jersey.

[Andre Jute]

Here in the Republic of Ireland older people are presented with a "bus pass", which includes the trains too, which is just an entry on a new "public service card", which also holds your tax number. A friend, a multi-millionaire who worked as a printer all his days, owned inner city property by the block. He was outraged when his bus pass arrived in the post!

There's probably a reciprocal arrangement for British citizens, though I don't know whether it survived Brexit, and there almost certainly is a reciprocal arrangement for people who live in Northern Ireland, who're regarded as honorary Irishmen. It's probably worth enquiring as bus journeys into the countryside and especially intercity train tickets can be expensive.

Also of interest, a bus driver can take your bike within his discretion if the luggage compartment isn't full, and apparently his discretion extends to charging you extra for the bicycle; I can't tell you how much because I've never been charged for the bike.

Many happy returns, Matt.

[Matt2matt2002]

Hi Tiberius; here in New Jersey the discount for train travel was for any nationality over 65. I was disappointed (😉) they didn't ask for proof. I guess I look my age, if not always act it.

Matt

[Matt2matt2002]

Many happy returns Matt, from an utterly sodden Paris to I hope a more agreeable New Jersey.

Many thanks.
Weather here in central New Jersey is dry and warm.
We keep an eye on our home weather, Aberdeen Scotland, and it's wet n windy.

We're staying near Aberdeen, Matawan.
So it's a case of,from Aberdeen to Aberdeen.

Last night I met up with the local geocaching group for beer and meal. Great company. I find American folks very friendly and open.

Best Matt