Why this ride
From Mafra it runs 341 km to Mafra; allow about 4 h 35 of riding. The stops in between: Monastery of Alcobaça, Convent of Christ in Tomar and back through Monastery of Alcobaça. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Royal Building of Mafra - Palace and Convent of Christ in Tomar
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 341 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 35
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Royal Building of Mafra - Palace
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.
Read the complete Royal Building of Mafra - Palace write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Royal Building of Mafra - Palace is where the day begins. Next is Monastery of Alcobaça.
2. Monastery of Alcobaça
In 1153, Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, gave a vast estate to the Cistercian monks of Bernard of Clairvaux, and they built here one of the greatest monasteries of medieval Europe. The church of Alcobaça, with its long, soaring nave of pale stone, is austere and beautiful in the Cistercian manner, and the cloisters, dormitory, chapter house and refectory survive almost intact. The kitchen is enormous, with a huge chimney and a stream diverted through it so the monks could catch fish directly. UNESCO listed the monastery in 1989. But the main reason most visitors come is a love story.
Read the complete Monastery of Alcobaça write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Monastery of Alcobaça comes up about 107 km into the recorded legs. Next is Convent of Christ in Tomar.
3. Convent of Christ in Tomar
The Knights Templar chose the hill above Tomar in the twelfth century, building a castle to defend the new kingdom of Portugal against the Moors, and at its heart they raised a round church, the Charola, modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. When the Templars were suppressed in the fourteenth century, the Portuguese king transferred their property to a new order, the Order of Christ, which went on to finance much of Portugal's maritime expansion; Henry the Navigator was its governor. Over the centuries, the order added cloisters, chapels and dormitories, and the Convent of Christ became one of the great monuments of Portugal, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1983.
Read the complete Convent of Christ in Tomar write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 172 km into the recorded legs you reach Convent of Christ in Tomar. Next is back through Monastery of Alcobaça.
4. back through Monastery of Alcobaça
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Monastery of Alcobaça write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Monastery of Alcobaça, late in the day. Next is Royal Building of Mafra - Palace.
5. Royal Building of Mafra - Palace
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Royal Building of Mafra - Palace write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Royal Building of Mafra - Palace. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Royal Building of Mafra - Palace to Monastery of Alcobaça
Royal Building of Mafra - Palace → Monastery of Alcobaça is 107 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Monastery of Alcobaça to Convent of Christ in Tomar
Monastery of Alcobaça → Convent of Christ in Tomar is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Convent of Christ in Tomar to back through Monastery of Alcobaça
Convent of Christ in Tomar → back through Monastery of Alcobaça is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Monastery of Alcobaça to Royal Building of Mafra - Palace
back through Monastery of Alcobaça → Royal Building of Mafra - Palace is 106 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
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