CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Lamego it runs 418 km to Lamego; allow about 5 h 52 of riding. It goes by way of Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo, Historic Centre of Oporto, back through Historic Centre of Oporto and back through Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 97 km this is Douro Valley N222, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
The Douro river has been carving a gorge through the north of Portugal for millions of years, and for about two thousand years people have been planting vines on its slopes. The terraces, held up by stone walls, climb steeply from the water and rise through schist and slate in rows, and the effect, in the right season, is of a vast green staircase. The Alto Douro was the first wine region in the world to be officially demarcated, by the Marquis of Pombal in 1756, and UNESCO listed it in 2001. Port wine, the sweet fortified red that made the region famous, is still made here.
Read the complete Alto Douro Wine Region write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Alto Douro Wine Region is where the day begins. Next is Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo.
Aqui nasceu Portugal, says the slogan painted on an old section of the town wall: Portugal was born here. Guimarães claims to be the cradle of the nation because Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, is said to have been born here, and in 1128 he won the battle of São Mamede nearby, against his mother's forces, a key step towards independence. The castle on the hill, a compact fortress with a tall keep, and the small Romanesque church beside it, where he is said to have been baptised, are the symbols of that story.
Read the complete Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo comes up about 97 km into the recorded legs. Next is Historic Centre of Oporto.
Porto is a city built on a granite slope above the Douro, and for a rider that means two things immediately: the views are wonderful, and the streets are steep, narrow and paved with stone that turns slippery as soap in the rain. Tram rails cross the old centre, cobbles are everywhere, and traffic is dense, so the best plan is to park the bike once and walk. The historic centre, from the riverside quarter of Ribeira up to the cathedral and the Clérigos Tower, was listed by UNESCO in 1996.
Read the complete Historic Centre of Oporto write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 154 km into the recorded legs you reach Historic Centre of Oporto.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo, about halfway. Next is back through Historic Centre of Oporto.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historic Centre of Oporto write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Historic Centre of Oporto sits at 256 km, about halfway. Next is back through Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo comes up about 321 km into the recorded legs. Next is Alto Douro Wine Region.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Alto Douro Wine Region write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Alto Douro Wine Region closes the day.
Alto Douro Wine Region → Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo is 97 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo → Historic Centre of Oporto is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Historic Centre of Oporto → Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo → back through Historic Centre of Oporto is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Historic Centre of Oporto → back through Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo → Alto Douro Wine Region is 96 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.