Mountain biking in Portugal is about Serra de Sintra
next to Lisbon or Monquique at the Algarve. But how to talk about
mountain biking and not mention Serra da Estrela, what houses the highest peak of the country. Overdue to
discover! I already tried twice to conquer the summit of Portugal.
Both times stopped by heavy rain and freezing temperatures. Not this time: Cloudy and sunny, 25°. Best bike weather is calling!
Curious
and with high expectations I get on to the train to adventure. From
Lisbon it´s a 4-hours direct ride to Covilha. (Bike transportation
is for free, but limited to only one bike. So, if you go between two
or more, be prepared to disassemble your bike and some discussions!)
Covilha train station is located in the fertile valley of Rio Zezere,
but already the old town of Covilha leading up into Serra da Estrela.
The dusty old town obviously provides several coffees and shops, but
also a quite recommendable bike shop (oxygen bikes, next to the
university).
New
tires on the wheels, I switch on the GPS and be out on the road. As
in almost all villages around Serra da Estrela, also Covilhas main
road leads up Serra da Estrela in a steep zig-zag course. After a
while riding trough pine forests we arrive Penhas da Saude (1550m), a
great starting point for further excursions in all directions. The
touristic village is already located in the vegetation of the higher
mountain. Big gray rocks surrounded by lower bushes and dry grass.
Along the road we find several hotels and a youth hostel. West side
of the road we find a authentic but modern restaurant called
Verandaestrala. A little behind the village we find roads down to
Unhais da Serra in the west and Manteigas in the east of the
mountain. Meanwhile the road continues to Torre, the 1993m high peak
of Portugal, before it splits up to Seia in the north.
I
decide to spend the first night up in the mountains and defined my
rhythm for the next days. Downhills in the morning and back up again
in the afternoon. That made me carry all my food up the mountain
every day, but it enables me to spend the nights under the stars
between mountain lakes and peaks. A favorable side effect is that I
could do the downhill with full strength and attention and the
uphills until exhaustion. For the first riding day I had more than
enough. I look up for a sheltered place between the rocks and fall in
sleep even before sunset behind the peaks.
The
second day I decide to go down to Manteigas. The road sneaks down
along the upper reaches of Rio Zezere, but soon I find a forest road
along the left mountain crest. The road become a worse estate step by
step. I follow the indicated way what slightly transforms into a
hiking trail to Manteigas. Slightly I got a feeling for the area:
steep ups and downs, big rocks with good grip and deep sand form wide
parts of the trails. It feels just awesome to ride down a 1000m
downhill after so long! Arrived in Manteigas I sit down for a coffee
in one of the public gardens almost every village along my way got.
Manteigas is a bit hidden between the mountains and forests. So that
we don´t find the usual but ugly industrial zones here. Life is way
less busy then in the other cities around. Beside of a few hiking
tourists agriculture and craft domain public life. The region around
Manteigas is probably the best indicated and best accessible zones
for biking in the national park. Beside of the village we only find a
few mountain refuges, but a plenty of indicated hike- and bike trails
and several freshwater sources. In medium altitude we find the
indication for „Grand Rota do Zezere“. A nice mix between forest
roads and single trails without too many uphills leads us to Vale de
Amoreira and further on to Covilha. Up to the mountain we find
several trails on the south side of the river. Meanwhile the trails I
found north of the river has been to blocked for uphills and quite
technical on the downhill.
The
end of this day finally brings me up to the summit. I observed the
south side of the peak during the last days but I can´t find a trail
up. So my only option is the road again. After the obligatory
excursion to Torre, the roof of the country, I use the ski slope for
the first downhill. Unfortunately the ski area is so small that I
found the lower end only a few hundred meters later. Fortunately I
right there are located some breathtaking lakes, what I just reach
for sunset. The lonesome lakes between the rocks captivate me
immediately, so that I choose them as my sleeping place not only for
this, but also for the following nights.
For
the next day I got the trail of Seia Epic XCM race on my GPS. But
even this can´t provide the yearned off road downhill from the top
to the bottom. After a while on the summit plateau I decide to leave
the road and define my own line. The
terrain - and with Lagoa Comprida also the target – is well
visible, vegetation is low. Due to the late summer season it´s all
dry. Long outstanding rocks between the bushes invite to ride them.
Seems to be perfect to ride on my own! Honestly that went along with
exhausting hikes with the bike on my shoulders, for the first, but
indeed not for the last time! The 1,5 distance took me a long while
and a lot of energy, but riding the grippe rocks with partly more
than 35% of decline are compensation enough. Back on the road I found
the GPSS-track which meanwhile also left the road. The north zone of
the mountains is more urban but the indicated trail brings me down on
a nice but easy trail.
Seia, is the behind Covilha the second biggest town in the area.
Needless to say that there are more then enough facilities to recover
everything you need, including a bike shop (ProCiclar, Av. Bombeiros
Voluntarios). The way up starts technical easy but steep but turns
into an adventure quite fast. I still wonder how is realized a race
on this course! Singletrails bordered by abysses on both sides and
rock climbing sections makes a competition quite dangerous. Alone and
without pressure it´s just amazing nice to ride. Suffered hard
uphills to 1500m and then back to the road again. If even the guys of
Seia BTT Club doesn´t find a trail up, how should I? So back on
asphalt and back to the lake right for sunset.
The
next day brings me down to Covilha again. The amazing view and the
nice serpentines from the peak to Penha de Saude almost compensate
the missing trails on mountains top level.
Once
arrived the village, I leave the road on the left and the right but
I´m always back on the road quickly. Only below 1200m suddenly a
plenty of white powdered single- and doubletrails appear. I don´t
know where to go, but in case of doubt I go down and reach Covilha
after a while. This finally are trails as I´m used them from
Portugal: Where is a way in, is a way out. Covilha is sleepy in the
heat of the midday, so I have a coffee, do some shopping and leave
the city before I got infected. I even haven´t went down to the
lower part of the city, but leave the road through the outskirts in
the east along the mountain. I start to climb again and leave the
asphalt behind after a few kilometer. Grapes, figs, chestnuts and
blackberries and millions of flies escort my way. A solid forest road
climbs up in the wished and already known direction to Penha de
Saude. But suddenly I face a burned down mountain crest. The road
ends - as so many times this days - not in a hiking path, but in the
nowhere. Meanwhile I should know better, but I decide to go on my own
again. Somewhere behind the rocks I should find the bike and hiking
pathes I already know. Unless to say: I don´t. So I carry the bike
meter by meter, try to ride a view meters to carry and push the back
again. Deadly tired, sooty and black all over I finally reach the
1650m high south end of the middle high plateau. The rough way back
to the street needs my last energy. Exhausted to the limit I decide
to have a beer night and I´m more than happy arriving at the
VerandaEstrela once again.
Back
to my principle question: Five days obviously only can give me a
small impression of all the bike possibilities in Serra da Estrela.
Serra da Estrela, worthy to go? Or better to say: Worthy to return?
On
the one hand I missed climbing up to a real mountain so hard that I
enjoyed perfectly. Nature indeed is great! Rough peaks and high
plateaus give a feeling of mountaineering as nowhere else within the
country. Sunsets over the mountain lakes are more than memorable. Sky
and silence are a class of it´s own!
On
the other hand I like other regions better for biking. Trails are
quite rarely indicated and hard to find. Most of the not indicated
ways end up in the middle of nowhere, what makes it hard to discover
on your own. The lack of trails in the high zone limit the downhills
effectively to only a 1000m. Not to forget that the season up in the
north is short and weather is unsure. Geres for example is better
indicated and cultural more of interest. Monquique or Serra de Sintra
are favorable in therms of weather conditions and „trail-density“
much faster to reach. So my point of view: If you visit Portugal by
bike there are better places to go. If you are here and feel a miss
of mountains just catch a train and go for it!
