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 Braga it runs 153 km to Braga; allow about 2 h 33 of riding. The stops in between: Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo, Historic Centre of Oporto and back through Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
There are 577 steps up to Bom Jesus do Monte, and a good many pilgrims still climb them on their knees. The sanctuary hangs on a wooded hillside above Braga, in the green Minho of northern Portugal, and what makes it extraordinary is the staircase. It zigzags up the slope in a series of baroque landings, each with its own fountain, chapel or statues, and each telling a different part of the story, from the five senses to the three virtues. Work began in the early eighteenth century and went on for decades, and the white church at the top, with its twin towers, was finished later, in neoclassical style. UNESCO listed the whole ensemble in 2019.
Read the complete Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga 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 20 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 77 km into the recorded legs you reach Historic Centre of Oporto. 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, late in the day. Next is Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Back at Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga. That is the ride.
Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga → Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zo is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
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 → 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 → Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.