Cycling into the historic, fortified hilltop village of Óbidos was an absolute highlight of riding the Portuguese coast! To get there, I had to battle brutal uphill cobbles and navigate intense tourist crowds, but stepping inside the Igreja de Santa Maria—perhaps the most beautiful church in Portugal—made every single pedal stroke worth it.
Day 67 of this year’s nine-year bicycle touring journey started with packing away a soaked tent in the pouring rain. From there, I rode through Nazaré’s wild, windy headlands to check out the traditional Dutch azulejos inside the cathedral. After warming up in Óbidos with a traditional Ginja cherry drink served in a chocolate shot cup, I pushed along the flat coastal roads to Peniche. I finished the day with amazing Warm Showers hosts Tim and Annie—fellow Vivente bike owners! We enjoyed a beautiful rooftop sunset alongside a cawing peacock, right before some incredibly aggressive local seagulls forced us to flee inside.
Massive thank you to Sally for buying me a coffee on the app! If you enjoy my travel vlogs, blogs, and photogs, please consider supporting the expedition here:
👉 https://www.patreon.com/helsonwheels?fan_landing=true
👉 https://helsonwheels.bio.link
⏮️ Watch the last vlog here: https://youtu.be/wZuB0eo34MA?is=YfL7Jm2FqvD8-HS1
Timestamps
0:00 – Packing up a wet tent in the rain
0:50 – Meeting local cyclists on the road
1:25 – Nazaré Cathedral & fighting headland winds
2:28 – Constant weather changes & tough coastal climbs
3:23 – Scenic ridges & old Portuguese windmills
4:20 – Thank you Sally! (Buy Me A Coffee shoutout)
4:54 – Entering Óbidos: Steep cobbled hike-a-bike
5:43 – Is this Portugal’s most beautiful church?
6:53 – Trying traditional Ginja cherry liqueur in a chocolate cup
7:30 – Direct road sprint to Peniche
7:55 – Meeting Warm Showers hosts & finding Vivente bike twins!
8:16 – Rooftop sunset, a cawing peacock & aggressive seagulls
#CyclingPortugal #Obidos #BicycleTouring #TravelVlog #HelsOnWheels #Nazare #Peniche #Bikepacking #PortugalTravel #WarmShowers #AdventureTravel #ViventeBikes
5 Comments
Óbidos absolutely blew me away, even with the crowds! Huge thanks to Sally for the coffee and to Tim and Annie for being such incredible hosts (and saving me from those seagulls!). Would you have braved those steep cobbles for a taste of Ginja? Let me know below! 👇
Yay, glad you visited Óbidos and liked it – isn't it a lovely place? I was having a nightmare ride in Portugal when I toured there but that place was definitely the highlight for me – I loved it!
Makes me happy seeing you enjoying my country ❤
Hi Helen, have you given me a shout-out yet, for patreon don't know if it's gone through
I think that I might actually have been to Obidos the same day as you. I was there in the morning though, making a break, while transporting a group of people from Lisbon to Porto.