Porto is the closest airport to the start of your tour and a 45 minute transfer will take us to our first hotel south of the city of Porto. Our accommodation for this evening is a nice modern boutique hotel on the ocean front, opposite the lovely beach of Furadouro and is the perfect spot to begin our journey along the coast of Portugal. After building bikes (assistance will be on hand) we’ll dine together at the hotel. After dinner your Skedaddle guides will chat with you about the journey ahead.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 605 Metres Approx.

Coming out of Furadouro we follow a flat road that borders the ‘Ria de Aveiro’ lagoon for many miles. Once at St Jacinto we take the ferry across the channel to get to Aveiro on the other side. We are soon following the ‘Ria’ on its south part with the first big village on the west bank Costa Nova where we make a pit-stop at a local café. The lagoon is now in sight all the way to Praia da Mira where the pine tree forests begin. The roads through the forest will lead us to Serra da Boa Viagem and the first hill to tackle today – a 4km long climb with a few steep sections between its switchbacks. At the summit we finally get the first view of the coastline and notably the Bay of Figueira da Foz with its vast beach. The ride ends today as we enter the city by riding along a bike path beside the bay.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,420 Metres Approx.

After crossing the River Mondego we are soon amongst small rural villages. With a few gentle short climbs here and there, the scenery changes as we enter the big eucalyptus and pine tree forests that run along the coast. Our first village of note is Praia da Vieira. This is one of the last remaining places in Portugal where the traditional way of fishing continues, with the catch sold at the village market. Sao Pedro de Moel and Sitio follow before we reach Nazare – the most famous fishing village of the west where nearby sits one of the best surf beaches in Portugal and is where surfer Garret McNamara created a world record by surfing a 33 metre high wave. After Nazare the route finally starts ascending and descending for the remainder of the day, with St Martinho do Porto Bay and the Obidos lagoon amongst the highlights.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,370 Metres Approx.

The flatter part of the tour is definitely behind us now and the day starts by taking us back to the coast to the lovely beach Praia da Areia Branca before we reach Santa Cruz.

Today will be a long day in the saddle and for some the most challenging of the tour as there are many climbs to deal with along the way.

Due to the numerous rivers and streams in this region the route will meander around these natural barriers with lots of ups and downs to get your teeth into. Today’s ride ends in the historic village and World Heritage Site of Sintra where we‘re perfectly placed to explore its highlights.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 750 Metres Approx.

We start the day by climbing through the village on a very winding road through lush vegetation, as we make our way to the coast near Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of continental Europe, compromising a rocky cape 150 metres above sea level that has simply breathtaking views of the Azure Ocean.

From this point to the end of our ride today we closely follow the shoreline taking in the charming village of Cascais before taking the ‘Marginal’ past wealthy Estoril with its Hollywood style villas and hotels, the surf beach of Carcavelos, Oeiras and Paco de Arcos, before finally entering Lisbon at Belem.

From here we’ll jump in the van for a quick transfer into the city, to avoid riding on the busier roads through the centre. Time to relax and enjoy your evening in Lisbon.

• Meals: Breakfast

Lisbon is an outstanding city that constantly surprises you by its warm, genuine and friendly welcome. Having a rest day here provides us with the opportunity to explore the city and visit some of its numerous sites and of course to recover a little from the last few days on the bike.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,230 Metres Approx.

We start the day with a 15 minutes transfer to Belem, where we take the ferry across the river. Our challenge today lies in the mountains ahead in the distance – the Serra da Arrabida, a mountain chain that clings to the ocean and shades the city of Setubal on the other side. Before we reach them, we take in Cabo Espichel, with its beautiful views over to Lisbon and the Sintra Mountains.

Time now to get ready for the big climb of the day, a long and steep ascent up the Arrabida mountains. Once up at the ridge we get to enjoy one of the most astonishing views of the tour, as we admire the river estuary below and the Troia peninsula with its stunning sandy beaches. If it’s a clear day you will be in awe of the view outstretched ahead, the entire 110km you’ll be cycling tomorrow! The descent that follows is a fantastic experience as we seem to be dropping right onto the ocean following a fast steep descent. The last few kms through dense forest will take us to our destination for today, Setubal.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 980 Metres Approx.

We start the day taking the ferry from Setubal to Troia and we have a very easy and relaxing cycling day as we roll towards the end of the tour on a series of very quiet and flat roads. The scenery during the first part of the day is composed of sandy dunes, rice fields and pine and cork trees as we close in on Santiago do Cacem and from here we take a quiet winding road on a cork tree forested ridge.

The last part of the day takes us on an undulating route on our approach to today’s destination, Vila Nova de Milfontes, a fishing village in on the estuary of the River Mira.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,155 Metres Approx.

Although we are cycling along the coast today we won’t see the ocean as much as in previous days. Our cycling takes us on quiet roads through farmland as we eat up the miles towards the Algarve.

A small bridge over a stream near Odeceixe marks our entrance into the Algarve and we are soon tackling a few ups and downs as we head towards the Odeceixe Valley. The village of Aljezur topped by its ruined castle is reached after 15kms. A long descent with a couple of switchbacks finally takes us back to the shoreline as we enter the village of Carrapateira, before a long but gentle climb takes us up to the plateau. This is the last climb of our tour and soon we are able to see Sagres in the distance and the vast Azure Ocean.

Our goal is now in sight and an open flat road invites us to speed towards the finish. Sagres is a mythical place with the 60m vertical rocky cliffs around the village extending all the way around the south and the west coast. On arrival at the lighthouse of Cape St. Vincent, we’ve reached the most south-westerly point of continental Europe and sadly the end of our ride. Obligatory group pictures taken, we make our way to our hotel in Sagres.

Overlooking the harbour, the hotel is superb with its magnificent views a fitting end to this tour. Time to contemplate your achievements whilst gazing over the blue waters of the ocean and reflecting on your time in Portugal.

• Meals: Breakfast

Following breakfast at the hotel, we make our way to Faro airport for return flights / onward connections.