King João V of Portugal had a great deal of Brazilian gold and a vow to keep, and the result is the Royal Building of Mafra, a palace, basilica and monastery so large that it seems to belong to a different scale of town altogether. Construction began in 1717, reportedly in thanks for the birth of an heir, and the project absorbed enormous resources and tens of thousands of workers. The facade stretches for some two hundred and twenty metres, with the basilica in the centre and the royal apartments in the wings, the king's at one end and the queen's at the other, a long walk apart.
Inside, the highlights are the basilica, built in pale marble, with six historic organs designed to be played together, and two carillons in the towers, among the largest in the world. The library is the real treasure: a long baroque hall with a patterned marble floor and tens of thousands of leather-bound books, protected, famously, by a colony of small bats that come out at night and eat the insects that would otherwise damage the volumes. The building was listed by UNESCO in 2019, along with the Tapada Nacional de Mafra, the walled royal hunting park next door, where deer and wild boar still roam among the cork oaks.
Mafra is a town of twelve thousand people in the hills north-west of Lisbon, and it makes a good base for exploring the coast. Ericeira, eight kilometres away, is a fishing town turned surfing capital, with white houses on the cliffs and seafood restaurants overlooking the beach; its coastline is a recognised world surfing reserve. The roads between Mafra, Ericeira and Sintra wind through hills, pine woods and farmland, with good curves and views of the Atlantic, though traffic can be heavy on weekends and in summer.
South of Mafra, the Sintra hills rise up, covered in forest and topped with palaces, a wonderful but busy area. The road up to the Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe, is a classic ride, with a strong wind from the ocean. The Atlantic weather can be changeable, with fog in summer mornings and showers in spring.
Fuel, food and coffee are easy in Mafra. Try pão de Mafra, the local bread, with chouriço, or a plate of grilled fish in Ericeira. And in the basilica square, look up at the facade and try to imagine what it took to build.