What's your idea of a perfect holiday?

[Pumpy]

Enjoying this. Thoughts of 'how would I get my bike out of here in the event of....' stop me from enjoying a holiday like this. Great to watch others from my armchair though.

Thank you, GrinningGSer!

'How you would get your bike out of there' is not so much of a problem when you are in a group - we are all in this together, nobody gets left behind, we all carry tow straps and enough tools and knowledge between us to perform a complete engine rebuild by the trailside.

Just do it, you only live once! And if you organise the trip yourself you can even choose the people you're riding with...

 

[patrick]

Even though I was there, one forgets little details .
It's nice to re live it through your writing, thanks for taking the time to do this. It's like doing it twice...,

 

[GFJ]

Pumpy - enjoyed reading this. Thanks for taking the time to write up with your subtle humour!

 

[doyle]

Great report.
I was wondering how the trailer was made secure? Was it chained to the car for extra security? Also were the bikes on it chained and locked up while travelling.

it is one thing that would concern me if transporting the bikes like this.I have thought of doing something similar.

cheers
doyle

 

[Pumpy]

Even though I was there, one forgets little details .
It's nice to re live it through your writing, thanks for taking the time to do this. It's like doing it twice...,

Thanks, Patrick, your photos are a great help to remember those little details.

Pumpy - enjoyed reading this. Thanks for taking the time to write up with your subtle humour!

Muito obrigada, Gareth, especially for granting a German a sense of humour...

I was wondering how the trailer was made secure? Was it chained to the car for extra security? Also were the bikes on it chained and locked up while travelling.

The trailer was indeed chained to the car, but that's a legal requirement, I believe (so it can't go AWOL while you're driving along the road).

During the journey from Didcot to Portsmouth, on the ferry and from Santander to Chaves the bikes were secured with an extra D-lock on the trailer:

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

When not in use, bikes and trailer were kept in the locked courtyard of the hotel:

My main concern would be overnight parking; so I always make sure that the place I stay also provides secure accommodation for my bike (and trailer if necessary).

 

[Pumpy]

Day 5 - We're having an easy day...

After the Roman Road we still had a few different tracks around Chaves to choose from. Dr JM and Berin had done a short-ish loop of 125 km the day before but thought we might find it too easy...

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

No probs, I'm easy too, said Rob

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

Yeah right - our first trail out of Chaves was a steep climb into the hills that went on and on and on...

Not sure who stopped first for a breather...

... but deep inside we were all grateful when Ade admitted that he'd run out of lungs

This short break certainly invigorated VTwins4me

Berin followed by Patrick, whose new 300 EXC predestines him for the tail-ender position...

Once we had reached the crest of the hill, the line of the trail became a bit ambiguous in places

Good that Martin and Jane knew the route already...

Shepherd Possu counting his flock

Yep, we are still all here

The lanes were just beautiful, leading through forests, fields, hills, the occasional ford

And still, Steve couldn't get rid of us...

He tried though by taking us for an extra loop on a particularly steep hill

But only Dr JM and Berin took the hint

(Photo courtesy of Dr JM)

... and used the time to make contact with the locals

(Photo courtesy of Dr JM)

We others followed the leader up the mountain...

Who needs a rest this time? Can't be Ade - I can see him

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

Time to admire the open-air exhibition

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

Re-grouping at the top

Martin and Jane must be somewhere down there...

A bit further on our spiritual leader tried to outwit MuddyMatt's track log and find another route to get across a deep ravine. Well, the Sensible Ones knew how this would end and carried on following the marked trail. Waiting at the bottom we could hear some telling noises up on the hillside, and a short while later, the explorers finally caught up with us.

Look, Mum, no hands

No feet...

... and that's just showing off, Patrick!

Come on, you two, are we here to trail-ride?

VTwins4me up and running - for a change...

On various occasions during the day, Rob's bike had just died at random - apparently due to fuel pump problems (or so he said...). He tried various techniques but most reliably it helped if I went into the bushes and, of course, as soon as I'd pulled my trousers down, the Berg's engine would spring to life. I was happy to oblige but there are only so many times you can apply this remedy...

Here we ̶g̶o̶ stop again...

I'm not going into the bushes this time...

... I'm busy enjoying the views

Rob was getting more and more embarrassed every time we had to wait for him to sort out his bike - but in a spot like this we didn't really mind

Well, we may have to leave you behind, Rob, if your Berg doesn't behave...

Fortunately for Rob, the way point labelled 'Great Restaurant' by Matt wasn't far away and so we headed for Vilela do Tâmega. Full of with raised expectations, we felt a little bemused by the way our orders were taken: after four people had asked for sandwiches, the landlady went off into the kitchen to prepare those, served them and only then took orders for drinks. After they were handed over, the next batch of four was handled in a similar manner; only we got our drinks first. Not the most efficient method but maybe I'm just too German - especially when I'm hungry...

Waiting for the sandwiches...

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

You really think your bike is faster than mine?

(Photo courtesy of Sirfalloffalot)

You can't take him anywhere, thought Jane for the umpteenth time on this holiday...

(Photo courtesy of Sirfalloffalot)

Anyway, when they finally arrived, drinks and food were up to the usual Portuguese standard and some members of our group even went for seconds.

Charles and Duncan, who, after taking care of the bill for all of us, shall be known forthwith as 'Sir Falloffnotquitesomuchandbuyslunch' (quote nicked from Rob's report in the Oxford TRF newsletter)

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

Strengthened and refreshed we were looking forward to the afternoon of our 'easy' day...


To be continued

 

[Pumpy]

Day 5 - Afternoon of our 'Easy Day'

The next waypoint after lunch was called 'Great Stone Slab Crossing' and I - having seen pictures of Matt traversing various rivers in various regions of Portugal - was fearing the worst...

Would it be something like this?

(Photo courtesy of MuddyMatt)

... or this?

(Photo courtesy of MuddyMatt)

... or even something like our own 'bridge' in Chaves?

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

C'mon, the suspense is killing us!

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

Don't you worry - it's all pretty civil

(Photo courtesy of Berin)

... and a perfectly suitable way to cross the Rio Tâmega on a motorbike

(Photo courtesy of Berin)

The route on the other side of the river was not always clear-cut, some trial and error was involved in places but we all helped each other out and got back on track in the end. That's what I love about trail riding in a group!

(Photo courtesy of Berin)

At one point Charles left me awestruck when he single-handedly lifted my bike over a little stone wall - with me still sitting on it!

Oh dear, I think Rob's Berg is sulking again...

(Photo courtesy of Berin)

... but we didn't mind another break - it was our 'easy day' after all!

Dr JM - still in good spirits at this point...

Rob got his bike running again and we were already on the home stretch, when Matt's track log suddenly diverted from the wide forest road, leading up a steep hillside. Possu led the way and one after the other we made our ascent. Blindly trusting in the superior riding skills of my direct predecessors Ade and Charles, I just set off from the bottom without checking if my dear friends had actually cleared the run. They hadn't...

Yes, I know what you're thinking, I could have used Ade and his bike for traction - but I quite like him and thus dismounted elegantly just before reaching the scene

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

Patrick took the rare opportunity to test ride a CRF230F (muito obrigada, Patrick

) and with the help of Sirfalloffnotsooftenanymore, Ade made it up the hill as well

Although it still took a little while...

Duncan then needed a hand himself

... or four rather...

Give it some throttle!

Eventually he even let the clutch out...

Then it was Dr JM's turn - and we were all well impressed by her speed and determination!

But then a rock deflected the 350's course off route!

Jane, are you alright?

Three knights in shiny armour were busy rescuing the damsel and her steed

While Jane scrambled up the hill, Possu looked after her bike

After his wife had been taken care of by other gentlemen, the slope was finally clear for Berin

... who delivered the most elegant and seemingly effortless ascent of the day

We rested a while on the hill top to give Jane time to recover

... and then carried on over the next hill

(Photo courtesy of Patrick)

While I waited for Berin and Dr JM to catch up, I overheard Jane mentioning that she wanted to get straight back to the road. The others were already gone, the weather was closing in, I was cold and needed a wee, and so I drew the wrong conclusion and just set off without confirming with Martin and Jane what they were actually going to do. Big mistake, as a First Aider at work I should really know better... So when I reached the others and sheepishly admitted that I was not sure if Berin and Dr JM were still on the mountain, Possu and Patrick set off immediately to fetch them. A few minutes later we were all reunited and Janey felt ok-ish, thank God - I'm really sorry that I acted so inconsiderately.

Without further ado we headed back to Chaves, where my dad - also on a Portugal trip with two of his friends - was already waiting for me

(Photo courtesy of Bernhard)

Showered and changed, we all met at 'O Abade'' next door: Ela, Bernhard, Inge, Johannes and Steve

(Photo courtesy of Johannes)

... and then went over the road to the Hotel-cum-Restaurant Katia for dinner

You really can't fault the Portuguese cuisine - or the portions!

On the following day, our last in Chaves, we would all go our separate ways - some would do some sight-seeing in town, others would just chill out and a few still hadn't had enough of the superb trails in the area.

Now, would we all get back in one piece and gather around the dinner table in the evening?

Don't miss the next episode...

 

[Possu]

Day 6 - And then there were four...

After a hard 5 days of riding (and eating…), we reached the last day on the bikes. From the initial group of ten, our numbers were diminished: Bill decided not to ride because of his hand, Duncan’s Asthma was taking its toll, Jane wisely opted to listen to her bruised ribs from her epic crash on the hill on the previous day and not ride, Martin then decided to nurse Jane and finally, Ela spent the day with her Dad sightseeing in Chaves.

This left just the five of us: Patrick, Ade, Charles, Rob and me. After checking the route on the GPS and having taken into account how the route interacted with the contour lines of the topography, we decided on how to tackle the day’s riding. After fuelling up, we hit the first trail within a couple of road miles but after 2-3 miles of trail, Rob also decided to call it a day as hands were numb due to vibes from the ‘bars on his 570 Berg.

(All photos courtesy of Patrick)

The remaining four of us had an excellent day’s riding that seemed to include all the best of the differing types of terrain and scenery that Northern Portugal has to offer.

One minute we were surrounded by conifers riding uphill trails on firm sand whilst sliding the back end out of the bends before finding ourselves atop hills with moss covered deciduous trees which, as the altitude increased, gave way to gorse and heather and rocky trails.

At one point Ade’s tool roll fell off his bike but it was spotted and soon strapped back in place but within an hour or so, it fell off again, this time snapping the number plate mount off in the process. Somehow Patrick managed to find all of the parts with a few minutes. Ade also led the group for most of the day, his first attempt at leading using a GPS on unknown trails, he did an excellent job and maintained a good pace.

There were a couple of “offs” during the day including me coming off whilst riding muddy ruts, something I should be used to riding living in the UK...

After a few problems with the helmet cam during the previous few days, I was again filming and having reversed the direction of the camera, I was able to film Patrick “Showboat” Robinson riding his 300EXC behind me whilst swerving all over the track to avoid the stones thrown up by my rear tyre. (Click on image for video to start)



We also found ourselves at the bottom of the Descent of Death, Patrick had a valiant but doomed to fail attempt at riding up it whilst I made a half-hearted attempt to follow him but only managed to get stuck in a trench I’d dug with my rear wheel.

Our route took us over the Spanish border a couple of times, once to refuel in Feces de Abaixo but only after we’d stumbled across an excellent restaurant in Vila Verde da Raia on the Portuguese side of the border. Day 6 was 1st May and a national holiday in Portugal, the restaurant Manager seemed not to keen on dealing with a group of grubby British bikers as he was already very busy but he eventually directed us to a small table in the corner. He could only offer us a “meat sandwich” and coffee which we accepted. Within 10 minutes a couple of plates of large rolls were placed in front of us, filled with excellent hot beef steak and topped with a mustard dressing. Along with the fresh coffee, this was exactly what we needed and devoured the lot sharpish. At 5 Euros a head for the food and coffee, it would have been rude to refuse. Unfortunately no pictures exist of these rolls as we were too busy filling our faces…

Back on the trails, the weather closed in a bit and we once again found ourselves riding narrow trails strewn with small rocks through what could have been moorland in Scotland or Ireland. At this point we were on the homeward leg of the ride which was just as well as Ade was suffering from arm cramp.

We managed to find a small, dimly lit café in the first village we encountered and as the weather had warmed slightly, we enjoyed a break and another fresh coffee outside. Not sure what I’m doing here, it’s either a bit of “Dad” dancing or I’m impersonating a Maori doing the Haka…..

Once rested, we rode the last of the trails followed by 15-20km of exceptional twisty tarmac practically devoid of other traffic. Once back in Chaves, Charles and myself headed to the LeClerc supermarket to wash our bikes off before returning to the hotel to meet up with rest.

As you can imagine from this report, we are big fans of Portugal, its scenery, the way of life and the people. Everybody we met during our stay were courteous and welcoming, the food and service in the cafes and restaurants was first class as was the hotel and its staff.

I’d like to thank the rest of the group for making the effort to come along and for their companionship, it made a great holiday even better, especially Ela for her language skills and for pre-booking the hotel. I must mention that several of our group had never ridden trails for more than two days in succession and this trip was a big step for them, so well done to all of them.

Best photo of the week is Charles attempt at using his nostrils as a ploughing device…..

The urge for a return trip to ride the Roman Road in reverse was strong ever since we got back, and this Friday we are setting off again...