MANCHESTER, UK, July 19, 2018 – A hefty clump of the summer of 2018 lingers on the horizon before autumn leaves start to fall. This means plenty of time still to bicycle in Europe this season.
When it comes to food, wine and beaches, Portugal is the in place to vacation this year, says Steven Rittey of Freewheel Holidays, specialists in self-guided, European biking vacations. Portugal was recently voted as Travel+ Leisure’s destination of the year.
“Portugal’s youth are creating a rich and vibrant cultural scene that visitors are desperate to see,” says Rittey. “Portugal is also more accessible thanks to discount air fares. Freewheel Holidays offers an excellent range of cycling holidays in the sought-after Algarve region of Portugal.”
Following are eight-day, self-guided itineraries that include accommodations (with breakfasts) reflecting regional culture and history, bike rentals, luggage transfers, airport transfers, detailed maps and route notes. Electric bikes or E-Bikes come with a supplemental fee, but the enjoyment outweighs the extra cost. Using a power-assisted bike helps smooth out inclines or longer days in the saddle.
Lisbon to the Algarve whisks visitors from the capital to Sesimbra where the bike route leads to limestone cliffs in the Nature Park of Arrábida looking out to the Troia Peninsula in the Atlantic. Skirting in and out of agricultural lands, oranges, lemons, vineyards and cork oak trees abound, all the ingredients for civilized living. (Cork trees that are harvested for their cork store up to five times more carbon than unharvested trees. Good reason to keep that corkscrew handy!) The destination is Cabo St. Vicente in the Algarve. History buffs can tune into stories about Prince Henry the Navigator (15th century) whose playground was this coastline. The per person double rate is from £979. www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-portugal/lisbon-to-algarve
Algarve Coast to Coastcapitalizes on Portugal’s expanding bicycle-friendly infrastructure. This itinerary is along the Ecovia do Litoral (bike path) that links Vila Real de Santo António on the Spanish border with Cabo de São Vicente (Sagres) in the west, spanning nearly the whole of the southern Algarve coastline. This route combines trails in nature protection areas with stunning coastal views, linking stretches on traffic-calmed or car-free routes. Fishing villages dating to Roman times, Moorish architecture, a bird sanctuary and time on the beach combine with heady ocean breezes. The per person double rate is from £779. www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-portugal/algarve-coast-to-coast
Eastern Algarve originates near the Spanish border in eastern Portugal, dipping on and off of the Algarve coast, through fishing villages and past resorts, onto the cobblestone streets of market towns in farming regions and a one-time Moorish capital, Silves, home to the best-preserved castle in the Algarve. A nature park encompassing a lagoon is a prime setting for birds that migrate seasonally between northern Europe and Africa. The per person double rate is from £839. www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-portugal/eastern-algarve
Western Algarve begins in Silves (near the airport in Faro), once a stronghold of the Moors, and follows the southern coast of the Algarve westward, picking up the Ecovia do Litoral, the dedicated cycle route that runs along the Algarve coast from Cape St. Vincent northwards. After the sybaritic delights of the historic beach town of Lagos, bikes are at rest in Sagres (just before reaching the cape) as travellers surf, windsurf, relax on the beach or explore the old fortress. Leaving the coast reveals the Serra de Monchique, a thickly wooded mountain range separating the Algarve from the vineyards of the Alentejo. The per person double rate is from £909. www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-portugal/western-algarve
For details see www.freewheelholidays.co.uk/cycling-holidays-portugal/
To check trip availability, make reservations, or to find out more about Freewheel Holidays’ leisure cycling tours call +44 (0) 161 703 5823, email info@freewheelholidays.com or visit www.freewheelholidays.com.
About Freewheel Holidays – A division of Sports Tours International, Freewheel Holidays specializes in self-guided, expertly supported European cycling holidays that strike the perfect balance between leisure pedaling and immersive sightseeing. The company offers easy to moderate cycling programs designed with special appeal to European and North American travelers. Guests cycle on their own, with enroute assistance and distinctive accommodations expertly chosen and secured by the company. A portfolio of over 50 established European holidays offers riders of all levels a freedom of choice. The company features a range of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9-night itineraries to 12 European countries including the UK, Austria, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The majority of tours are self-guided with the exception of a few fully-guided vacation packages in Croatia, France, Italy and Prague to Vienna. The company also offers family-focused, coastal, wine lover and solo traveler holidays plus the option of adding E-Bikes.
