Home
Travel StoriesSome Iberian Mountains
Excellence In Its Own Way
Ride Date 21 September 2024
By Ren Withnell
Our view as we awake.
When John "Jack" Swigert said "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here" he was in a tin can 210,000 miles from Earth and heading in the wrong direction. His problem was nothing compared to my own this morning. We are running low on tea bags.
Blummin' foreigners. In the shop in Vimioso yesterday we could get blasted hippy teas and poncy teas (lemon, chai, earl grey etc) but not real proper tea. There's tea on reception here at the campsite but again, same problem. I need "te negro" - black tea aka breakfast tea or English tea. You can keep your silly pretentious nonsense, it's just not tea. Pffffft. I ration Sharon to one brew and re-use her teabag in my own cup. This is serious. I've been worried about tyres and brake pads and oil leaks and bearings, I should have been freaking out about tea bags.
While I am filled with fear as well as blood in my teastream it is obvious we need a plan for the day. We are staying here another night as the lodgings and price are acceptable. There are mountains hereabout and that seems to be the obvious place to go. They're called "The Serra da Estrela" and I know estrela means star. Beyond that I know nothing and in the interest of managing expectations I'm not expecting much. There are however some very wiggly roads on the map so it might not be all that bad.
In her infinite wisdom Madame Parker will be lounging lazily on the back seat of my 500 while I do all the hard work. I have my phone working as Sat-Nav and clipped just behind the screen. It is set to lead us to somewhere that may hopefully be pretty and interesting. We set out bravely into the great yonder, Sharon prods me as I'm on the correct/wrong side of the road. Again.
Hmmmmm. How do I feel? Once beyond Seia the road opens out most pleasantly. We are definitely in the hills and we are definitely climbing. The landscape started out as undulations with sweeping open curves with dry spikey grasses, we rise up and up into what must now be mountains. As we rise the views become ever more expansive, looking across flatlands from our vantage point.
We are definitely up in them there hills now.
The road is a hoot too. A seemingly endless string of corners of all kinds keep on coming at us, sharp to shallow, sweeping to angular and the surface, while not perfect seems mostly good. As my ears pop I face enviable choices of focusing on the road and enjoying the bends versus enjoying the scenery by slowing down.
The scenery is worth looking at but in the interest of balance I will state it is beautiful, though not *quite* as beautiful as The Picos. The scenery is slightly less dramatic, it's softer and less angular. Less angular, unlike the roads. If you are a fan of tight bends then you'll be in for a treat especial in The Serra da Estrela. We're not talking real switchbacks, more like acute 2nd gear twisting around a rocky outcrop bends.
Weigh up the bend, drop down the gears and brake, tip in and try my best to see through solid rock, pray the road is there and the corner doesn't tighten even more, it does so ease off, tap the rear brake, await the exit and power through. Aha, an open section, faster and more fluid then another blind wrap around a bluff. I'm excited, slightly scared, buzzing and wired.
We stop for a piccy then continue to climb and it is hard to believe it's possible to go up so much. The highest road in the UK is The Cairnwell Pass at 670 metres across The Cairngorms. As we rise ever more into some thick mist I pull over and open "My Elevation" on my phone - 1472 meters!! That'll be 4829 feet, Ben Nevis is 1345 meters or 4412 feet, we're higher than the highest mountain in the UK and we're still not at the top. I can't be sure but this is likely the highest I've ever been. No, I've never been on a jet plane.
Cor blimey! That's a long way upwards apparently.
The mists are blocking the bigger picture.
A few more miles and the scenery is changing. The drama is coming with steep rocky projections and vast valleys stretching away. The road surface is mostly good although not guaranteed which keeps me from going all out silly, probably a good thing.
Yeah, it's a problem, but a good problem to have. We both know we have a thing about mountains and being here right now cements and reinforces our feelings about them. There's the amazing corners and bends bringing the thrills of 2 wheels to a crescendo, then there's the awe and fascination of the visual impact we're enjoying. The problem? We don't get to see these things as much as we'd like. It's Sharon's fault for not being stinkingly rich.
What's not to like?
Sharon seems happy enough with the surroundings.
Twisty bits.
Big valleys.
We climb a little further into the mist once more, then we fortunately drop down out of it which returns our views and dries out the roads. Down, down and down we go, a few more bends and a long straight that heads endlessly down. It seems impossible and yet here it is, forever downhill. You could charge a Tesla I'm sure of it.
Just south of Manteigas we spot a cafe and I park up. Somehow someway between my limited Portuguese and Spanglish the girls in the cafe manage to show me the tea on offer. Blummin pretentious tea, no real tea, I'll have a "Cola". Sharon orders a Latte but something is lost in translation and she gets a tiny espresso. Sharon likes coffee but this is so strong and so bitter even with sugar and milk it is undrinkable. The thimbleful of nastiness gets poured under the table (we are outside).
The CB500X is having a rest too.
Now that's a new thing - I'm slightly deaf. I'm quite used to my ears popping when gaining elevation but clearly I've never been high enough then dropped down quickly enough to feel my ears "bunged up". It feels like I have cotton wool in my ears. I know it'll clear soon enough, I know it can happen to people when flying, but this is the first time I've experienced it myself.
Sat-Nav leads us a merry dance through the steep village of Manteigas. It seems a nice enough place but the road markings have worn away due to the torque of wheels braking or climbing and I've no idea what I'm doing. Then it gets silly - look at the image below
WOW! So many bends.
I honestly couldn't tell you how we got through or how many of the bends we navigate, but it is A LOT. It is thrilling, then scary, then difficult, then funny. I'm dizzy, Sat-Nav is spinning around, Sharon is hanging on for dear life, and I'm buzzing. Wow! I didn't know it was possible to put so many corners into such a small space. It's kind of like being on a go-kart track on the side of a steep hill.
We're climbing again when I spot some kind of odd bazaar perched on the corner of another bend. We pull in and join a couple of UK riders also enjoying The Serra da Estrela. They're buzzing like us, talking of the ridiculous roads and the scenery. Speaking of which it's different again here - obviously a boulder field from the ice age. Sharon and I did learn something at school after all.
A most peculiar place for market stalls.
A boulder field for sure.
I never thought I'd say this - but by the time we get back to Seia I am all cornered out! We stop by Lidl and I search the aisles like a junkie looking for his next hit. Tea! Oh poop. Blummin Foreigners. Why oh why oh why... How deeply uncivilised. Of course, Earl Grey and Lemon and some flower thing but nothing of any use.
We spend the evening chatting, we make our own meal tonight, we wander the campsite, and I drink tea sparingly, recycling the bags, eking out the dwindling rations. We have mixed feelings about this site. It certainly is not your posh mown lawns and marble flooring kind of place. It has character, the thing with character is it can be fascinating and interesting but not all aspects of character are good. Still, with hindsight we'd be happy to come back again.
As we finish our wanderings a fit lean medium sized dog sniffs around us curiously, yet politely. The owner approaches, he's probably our age, maybe a little more and his appearance is that of a Rastafarian come hippy. Much like his dog he is fit and lean and curious yet polite. With a thick London Rastafarian accent he tells many a tale, we're not sure how much is true.
He's lived and loved and worked here there and everywhere. He's "acquired" a patch of land down in the valley yonder. He thinks nothing of the 15km walk into town. He tells of forest fires and conspiracy theories, government nonsense and the state of the world. He's entirely lucid yet on another plain. A true character that only reinforces my feelings about where we are. He's certainly living by his own rules.
As for The Serra da Estrela? It's complex
From a riding perspective if you like fast open sweeping bends and racetrack tarmac then you'll struggle. If you like tight bends and are happy to deal with changeable surfaces then you're on to a winner. From a scenery perspective you will not be disappointed but... I will say there are prettier places, but not by much. This, well this might actually be an advantage.
Because The Serra da Estrela are not *THE* singularly *BEST* mountains ever - they're less popular. Sure we met other riders but we noticed it is quieter here than The Picos or The Alps or The Highlands. I think the location is just that bit harder to reach for most Europeans which keeps the numbers down too. Not just bikers, we've encountered little traffic in the area which is bliss.
A splendid sunset to end a good day.
To bed! We have everything on charge in preparation for our departure tomorrow. We're half way through our time on The Iberian Peninsula, tomorrow we start the return leg. With time on our side we can hopefully keep the return ride as interesting as the outward ride has been so far.
Advertise here - contact ren@bikesandtravels.com
Prologue - Some Iberian Mountains
Organising a simple 2 week bike tour should be easy peasy. Watch Ren make this simple task as difficult as possible.
Easing Into The Trip
After plenty of flapping and fretting Ren can calm down and start to enjoy the ride. It's a simple journey today with no purpose other than getting closer to the forthcoming ferry.
Onto The Ferry
Ren takes a simple short trip and turns it into an unnecessarily arduous ride to the ferry. Then all the Dynamic Muppets have to do is get on the ferry. Should be easy - right?
Off The Ferry And Into The Affray
It's all waiting and chaos, confusion and queueing - and that's just getting off the ferry. Despite being in Spain the evening has a very English feel with an English friend.
The Wonder That Is Riano
What started out as a good day turns into a really good day. There is of course a mishap and some moaning, otherwise so far so good. What's the catch, there's gotta be a catch.
Feeling Lucky In Riano
Gird your loins dear readers - Sharon and Ren are accidentally having another "really good day". There's a glitch in The Matrix, buy a lottery ticket, this is a one time only special deal. Normal misery will return soon surely.
Same Peninsula Different Language
It's time to leave the beauty of Riano and head into the "Yellow Country". There's potholes and Ren making an ass of himself. Nothing new then.
Dull Roads And Strange Accommodation
There's plenty of scenery but the ride is not so interesting today. The accommodation is unexpected in both good and bad ways.
Excellence In Its Own Way
More Mountains! The Serra da Estrela provides a wiggly squiggly experience that's similar yet different to many other mountainous regions. The Dynamic Muppets get to ride and relish around.
Dams And Delights
As the Dynamic Muppets start their return leg Portugal has more scenic delights in store. Ren is still facing going cold turkey without tea - poor poor Ren.
Reader's Comments
nab301 said :-
The roads and scenery look great, did the altitude affect the performance of the bike ?.
Or ,were you really there Ren and did you just stay at home and fit some fancy curtains to the garden shed!
Nigel
04/02/2025 12:51:14 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I did not notice a drop in performance... Then I realised the bike wasn't quite as punchy out the corners, it felt just a tiny teeny bit sluggish. My initial thoughts were "oh crapola, something's wrong, bad fuel, failing coils" and all the usual panicking I'm so good at. Fortunately the panic only lasted a few moments then the penny dropped.
I stopped flapping and got on with the ride. I only noticed again once back out of the highest peaks that the performance had returned.
It wasn't huge, it wasn't all that noticeable but there's definitely a difference. Considering I was only at 1500m above sea level I can now easily appreciate that it could be a real problem if I were truly high up.
It wasn't my garden shed nab301, far too clean for me. It was my mate's shed. Sorry, it's all a lie.
04/02/2025 16:49:51 UTC
Bogger said :-
Err, are you implying that the performance dropped because there was a lot of extra weight on the back?
How rude.
Bogger
05/02/2025 08:47:23 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Bends you've gotta love em, until they drive you around the bend of course.
Or if you're diving and not riding.
Or.....
I was thinking, yes I know I shouldn't, that we may have been near there, but, then I thought again. I think we've probably been through Fundão enroute to Guadalajara on The BeaST.
I feel I must take issue with you pair, no tea! No blummin tea? Call ya'selves Englishmen...women abroad. What on earth do you carry in all them bags and pockets if not a few blummin tiny light tea bags. You've gone down in my estimation Ed me lad. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail, don't ya know?
Pffffffftttttt.
Nice pictures, nice write up, nice shed, but........
This is how wars start, think back to Boston.
Upt.
05/02/2025 12:40:21 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Bogger - I was very careful to ensure I DID NOT imply the lack of performance was due to Sharon's additional mass. You are just being annoying. I would never suggest Sharon is overweight because I value my wellbeing.
Upt' - according to Google Maps the Fundão area is a little south of The Serra da Estrela, but only a little south. You've certainly been nearby if not through.
I took with me a tub packed solid with proper tea bags. With the "cups of tea per day" rate that I run at I planned to purchase more while on the road. However I failed to realise just how poor access to tea is in Portugal, I mistakenly presumed we were in a civilised country.
Portugal has laws and government, schools and colleges, industry and agriculture, and all the other trappings of contemporary first world life. To all external appearance it is a very good example of a modern and decent country, a country the Portuguese folks should be proud of. Despite all this they lack one thing. TEA. Real, decent, tasty, life enhancing, wonderful, civilised TEA.
05/02/2025 13:08:44 UTC
Name
Comment
Add a RELEVANT link (not required)
Upload an image (not required) -
Uploading...
Home
Travel StoriesSome Iberian Mountains