Whilst our kids sleep in, my wife and I start bright and early on our trip to southern Portugal. Today we will push the southernmost point TW560 has been in Europe from 38°19’52.4″N to 37°00’05.4″N. (Fun fact: The closest TW560 has been to the equator was: 11°23’41.9″N during WAVE2011’s transfer to India)
We’re planning on sticking to the coast as closely as possible and avoid any major roads for a full day of TWIKE Nirvana.
In the interest of time well spent, we decide to cross the river via Lisbon’s iconic instead of adding another 30+km driving around it.
It was a real treat driving across the 25th April bridge as the views are magnificent and we were (except for the very few cycling events where the bridge was car-free) we were definitely the first to pedal across it in full traffic!
Just after the bridge, we leave the motorway again and head to the Caparica coast and start our trip for real.
The road stayed hilly as it was during my drive from Porto to Lisbon.
We are always amazed by how high the hills themselves are! We easily can climb a few hundred metres from seal level to just recuperate the same amount back down to the sea again just after the hill was crossed!
Lucky us, that our TWIKE can recuperate up to 410V and therefore we were able to get all kinetic energy back into the batteries from the beginning.
Thanks to the European Union, most of the larger roads we took were very good.
Finally, we were in TWIKE Nirvana – driving from beach to beach and village to village with cruise control engaged.
Every time we crossed another hill, we were treated to another stunning view of the sea. This never grows old! What a beautiful country!
We agree with our kids – catching-up quickly in our Volvo after sleeping-in and enjoying a nice breakfast in Lisbon – to meet up at Sagres for a drink.
The Vicentina Coast is incredibly beautiful and not completely over-run by tourists. Given the wind and long beaches, the main sport here is surfing and kite-surfing. We drive through a few laid-back villages catering to surfers and see the odd converted van housing young people living on a shoestring.
Eventually, after many hills, more beautiful views, we slowly approach Sagres, the southernmost town in Portugal.
And just like that, we arrive in Sagres and it feels perfect. A beach bar with lots of surfers and us parking as close as we can possibly get to the sea. A perfect picture with a sense of accomplishment.
Just a quarter of an hour later our youngsters arrive and we are ready for some drinks before our last leg to our villa we’ve rented for the next few days which is between Albufeira and Faro.
After a late lunch and some drinks, we’re all ready to head onward.
Before we in the TWIKE can go back to the coastal road towards Faro, we have to drive to the real southernmost point in Portugal. Sagres Fort and the small loop of road there.
Just a few hundred metres further, we have definitely made it! The southernmost point of Portugal – Sagres Fort. (in theory we could have ventured into the Fort by TWIKE, but this has to wait for a next time, when I’m here without my wife 🙂 )
The views of the coast are stunning and remain stunning all the way to our place we’re staying for the next few days.
90 minutes later, we arrive at our villa, plug in our TWIKE for a very long and slow charge.
Our kids who have already been shopping and know exactly what we need greet us with a Gin & Tonic – our R&R can start for real! It’s grand to have adult children!
We’ll be staying 5 days here before my wife and kids head back to Switzerland. I shall remain in Portugal for some more R&R before driving back to Lisbon for some remote working and meeting people from our Portugal-based team.
Here come the stats for today’s drive:
