Porto is the closest airport to the start of your tour and it is from here we will pick you up and make the 90 minute transfer to the first hotel set on a plateau on the Douro River. Tonight we stay in a hotel on a perfect spot to start our journey up the river.

After building bikes (assistance will be on hand) we’ll settle in for the evening and dine in the hotel together. Over dinner you will have the opportunity to chat with your Skedaddle guides about the week ahead.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,450 Metres Approx.

Once considered the most beautiful road of Portugal, the N222 is the road for all of our first day. Riding upstream we tackle the crossing of several tributary rivers on dozens of climbs and descents, some short, some long, some steep and some gradual, going through dozens of villages scattered along the slopes. Finally we leave the N222 and start climbing to the historical town of Lamego, and the views of the Douro are breathtaking as we get higher above the river.

The hotel tonight is a wine production farm, a very comfortable and relaxing spot to recover from a hard first day.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,550 Metres Approx.

We start the day riding on narrow roads through small villages and visiting the Ucanha Bridge, which was tolled in medieval times, and the convent of Salzedas before we come to Armamar, a town hanging over the River Douro, and the capital of apple farming in the country. After Armamar we drop down to meet the town of Régua, the centre of the Douro Valley wine production. Passing on to the other side we tackle the longest climb of the day, followed by an exhilarating steep descent back to the river. The last 10km of the day are ridden along the Douro River, first on its north bank, then after crossing the river on a dam, on the south bank reaching the tiny village of Folgosa where our hotel is located.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,200 Metres Approx.

Today is our longest day and almost all fully ridden on the amazing N222 road. We start with a flat first section along the river followed by a long but somewhat gentle climb that takes us to Sao Joao da Pesqueira, a town high up on the plateau above. Following the N222 to its end near the historical village of Almendra we ride on undulated landscapes interrupted by the deep River Coa Valley where the road meanders down to cross the bridge, and up on the under-side to get back to the plateau. After Almendra the terrain becomes less rugged as we approach the end in Almeida, a walled town which in history has particular relevance during the French invasions of the Iberian Peninsula. The comfortable hotel inside the walls is a welcome spot after a long but amazing day on the saddle.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,000 Metres Approx.

Today is possibly the easiest riding day of the tour. For the most part of the day we will be riding on the plateau, where the terrain is characterised by gentle undulations on open landscapes and where the granite is dominant, and oak forests complement the scene.

We start on a fast flat road which soon sees us descending to the village of Castelo Bom. From here we take a secondary road heading south, passing small villages from where we can see Freineda, once the residence of Lord Wellington during his campaign, helping to defeat Napoleon’s troops in the beginning of the 19th century.

On the final part of the day we will be riding north and following a narrow country side road that undulates along the Coa Valley.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,650 Metres Approx.

After a well deserved ‘easier’ day yesterday we set off on a more challenging day today that takes us to the Serra da Estrela mountains in the centre of Portugal. Today we finish our cycling at an altitude of 1,500 metres.

The Serra da Estrela have the highest peaks of continental Portugal, and at 2,000 metres sits its highest point, Torre. Serra da Estrela is an area of rare landscape beauty, with striking mountain drops, where you can immerse yourself in the silence of the heights. Take advantage of those moments to absorb into your mind the diversity of plants and birds and the flocks of sheep herded by Estrela dogs, the breed of dog named after the mountain range.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,150 Metres Approx.

Our last day is ridden entirely inside the Serra da Estrela Natural Park and it will be a day to remember!

We start by riding down a very winding and twisting road dropping down to the village of Sabugueiro where our big climb begins. This is the climb of the tour, and it will take us 17km to reach Torre, the 2,000m mark. On the first part, right after the village, the road ascends steeply towards the Lagoa Comprida reservoir, mid-way to the top. Here is a place to stop for a rest and the cafe by the side of the road. This is where things get more challenging – the climb becomes steeper but the grandiosity of the mountain shadows any of our feelings of tiredness. We gain altitude very quickly and soon we are able to see the summit, 5 more kilometres of road see us to Torre where a photo is mandatory to commemorate the achievement.

All that is left now is a long descent to the hotel, taking 22km to drop 1,500m, surrounded by amazing high mountain scenery, rocky peaks, small lakes, mountain huts and never ending forests.

The cherry on top of the cake, the hotel is one of the best hotels in Portugal boasting invigorating thermal waters in its spa area. The hotel cuisine is also outstanding and perfect for our celebratory dinner!

• Meals: Breakfast

Following breakfast in the hotel, we make our way to Lisbon airport for your return flights, leaving behind a week fulfilled with moments of pure pleasure of cycling on the remote ‘yet-to-be-discovered’ mountainous interior of Portugal, amidst grandiose and varied landscapes, 8 days filled with new experiences in an unforgettable cycling tour.