Guimarães – a cicade berço – the cradle of the Portuguese nation. A city steeped in culture and history. That’s where I’m heading on this stage of my solo cycle tour – 58 km from Porto on a mix of tarmac, cobblestones and rough tracks. With tea and pastries to fortify me and unexpected finds around each corner.
I’m not a hardcore bikepacking fanatic — just an ordinary, easygoing guy who loves cycling and loves Portugal. So I decided to combine both passions into a 14-stage solo cycle tour through central and northern Portugal — riding on bike paths (Ciclopistas) wherever possible, because this is truly Ciclopista Heaven! 🇵🇹🚴♂️
If you enjoy cycling adventures, travel vlogs, or you are planning your own bike trip in Portugal or simply curious how it went, then join me on this journey and subscribe to @CiclopistaHeaven to see how my tour unfolds!
👉 Next up: stage 10 – Guimarães to Cerva: https://youtu.be/pxTn1I-keao
📍 Route: Porto → Guimarães (58 km)
🎥 Series Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-MZJApvh-LPG7P6YPNglotBw1IrA6Fjj&si=-uLyhvG7Ks-HxWQp
#bikepackingportugal #cyclingportugal #ciclopistaheaven #solocycling #portugaltravel #adventurecycling #porto #exploreportugal #TravelVlog #greenway #guimarães
Links:
My YouTube channel: @cyclopistaheaven
🎼:Music:
The following royalty-free track was sourced from YouTube Audio Library:
Birds – Corbyn Kites
If you were in Porto in springtime with time for yourself and you love cycling, what would you do? The answer’s obvious, isn’t it? You’d hire a trekking bike and set off on a solo bike tour. That’s just what I did. Planning each stage a few days up front. Off I went on a cycling discovery journey through Portugal. On this channel, I’m sharing my experiences with highs like the wonderful echopisha da and lows like this waterlog path that forced me to turn back and search for another track. So far, I’ve completed eight stages and explored some fantastic paths through central Portugal. Have you been to any of these places? Or are you planning something similar? Check out the videos on my channel and leave me a comment. It will be great to hear from you. And now I want to give you a sneak preview of where I’ll be going on the rest of my journey. It’s off to the north with this stage taking me to Gimares, then traveling east to the little village of Serva and then on to Villa Puka Aguar. From there I’ll follow the equipista delinoro to shave close to the Spanish border. Then I’ll return southwards along the toal. And in the grand finale I’ll cycle down to the doro at pesoa before taking the train back to Porto. I’ve just woken up to a sunny day in Porto. I’m staying in Campa, not far from the railway station. Before I hit the road, I took a quick look at the surroundings, a quiet and unassuming area away from the tourist hotspots, and it also had a lovely park. But now it’s time to get going. And today I’ll be cycling around 60 km to Gimares, known as the Sedar de Beru, the birthplace city of Portugal. Not much cycle way today, so there’ll be some climbing to do. The tour started just a stones throw from FC Porto Stadium. My path took me through Porto’s northeastern suburbs of Riotinto and Aramisinda. Rio Tinto had a short section of cycle track, the only one I would see today. I took a quick break at this pretty bridge. From here on, the landscape got more rural until I reached the town of Stotsu. I was following Google Maps and found myself on some paths that were too steep and rough to cycle, but still somehow typical for the region. Rough dry stone walls bordering vineyards and eucalyptus groves. More than 10% of today’s tour was over cobblestone surface. You can imagine how that felt. After all those cobblestones, it’s time for some refreshment. Wow, those pastries look so inviting. This is where I crossed the Rio A and the Porto Gimares railway line. Yes, I could have put the bike on the train in Campa and arrived in Kim an hour later, but I would have missed so much. Like these ivy covered trees that look like arms and sleepy villages where everyone seemed to drive old cars which are eventually put out to graze. Ever seen a photographer’s shop inside a bus stop? Mogga has it. At Coilya, there’s a Cristo Ray statue with a more rural view than its more famous counterpart overlooking Lisbon. And now approaching Gimme, the first sight of the impressive medieval castle, beautifully preserved and well worth a visit. I stayed at this very comfortable guest house and kept my trusty bike with me before setting out for some sightseeing. The city center is a world heritage site. I particularly recommend a walk along the city wall with spectacular views. After a tasty petishkush dinner, I took a final stroll to the city’s main square. If you’ve enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel. Thanks very much.