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spooking the flock, our worst ' traffic jam ' of the day! Back on the tarmac, we paused at Chico’ s Bar near a long bridge over the Douro River, where we met more German bikers. Straddling the Portugal-Spain border in the Douro valley, we were treated to stunning mountain views as we followed the track’ s winding loop. Another coffee at 11:40am, a fill-up, and a chat with a friendly local man followed. Skipping lunch proved a mistake, as good food was scarce later in the day. Despite this, the remote riding was lovely, and by the time we reached our hotel at 6pm, it may have been for the best. Kelvin had a minor off on a sandy corner in a burnt-out area, the front end washing out unexpectedly, but fortunately neither bike nor rider suffered serious harm. The scars of recent fires were visible throughout the day ' s ride, a sobering sight.
We came upon a closed road due to construction, but a local farmer waved us across his field, an adventure in itself. We descended onto freshly laid tarmac, the first to drive on it, which felt like a privilege.
By 3:30pm, exhaustion was setting in. We stopped for coffee and booked a night at Alojamento Santa Clara, a welcome and affordable option. Despite my waning concentration, the scenery remained spectacular, and I tried to appreciate it as much as possible.
We reached the end of the Day Two ACT track at Vale Rossim, a beautiful lake with accommodation options, albeit pricey and lacking decent dining. Happy with our choice, we headed back to town, parked the bikes securely, and found a pizzeria for dinner. The pizza was delicious, and after a steady walk back, we turned in early, completely spent.
Still tired on waking, a fantastic breakfast at Alojamento Santa Clara lifted my spirits, excellent scrambled eggs, tasty yoghurt, and a generous spread, capped off by Pastel de Nata
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