After yesterday’s 7 hour journey it was with some trepidation I prepared for today ,we had to go over hills to get to the West Atlantic coast and we couldnot agree on a route.In the end I downloaded my komoot app which I had let lapse and checked which way road cyclists went, route decided.Once we had gone through endless roundabouts to get out of Lagos it was uphill to Bensafrim but not very much traffic and a few local cyclists on the route.Bensafrim greeted us with a cafe and as it was market day there were some fruit and veggies for sale.I decided not to weigh myself down and skipped any extra fruit purchases.Tim did buy the obligatory Portuguese tart with our drinks of course.

After Bensafrim it was slight downhills but continually heading upwards, however nothing too steep and no serious hairpins like the previous hills we had gone over to Seville.The hills were covered in cork and olive trees and with all the wildflowers out it was a really beautiful ride.Most of the time we had a decent emergency lane to cycle in.As we started to go downhill we would still have another uphill section but you had enough speed to get up it so no worry about flattening our batterys today, we were hardly using any battery on this section.We gradually glided down into Aljezur.

We were on the lookout for a lunch spot and crossed the road to go into a cafe, which turned out to be a vegan cafe.I had the best beetroot and blackbean salad I have had since we starting travelling.Portugese salads tend to be lettuce and tomatoes!Tim went for a very thick vegetable soup.They also did a very nice Bombay chai tea, excellent.The cafe was quiet when we entered but maybe our bikes parked out the front started to attract plenty of customers.I think the cafe was feeling a bit overwhelmed.Even a Canadian elderly couple came in, they were very interested in our cycling journey.The gentleman said he cycled 8000 kms last year around Ottawa.Tim managed on a small bench seat and I ended up almost squatting on a small stool, good for the hips after all the cycling.The Canadians said they’d give us a toot when they passed us later, and yes they did.Aljiezur had a quaint small river running through it plus the usual fortified castle sitting on top of the hill.

It was great cycling now almost along a flat plain but it was slightly downhill and the wind was behind us for once.There was a small village we were peddling through and a truck tooted me several times, I understood he couldn’t get past me so I pulled off the road and got 3 small toots as a thank you, very sweet.We passed a big yard which was selling cart wheels, milk churns, old scooters you name it it was in the yard.It looked like he only had one customer.

We turned off early towards Odeceixe which was lucky as this route led us into this quaint town from above so we could look down on it.We also came in past their 18th century windmill which they still use to grind corn and wheat.The village is bordered by the Seixe River, and so this village forms the northern most border of the Algave.In the 70s many hippies lived here and it still has a casual charm about it with yoga classes and a surf school, for the beach 1.5kms away.The beach is one of Portugal’s few naturist beaches.The coastal walk called the Portugese Fisherman’s trail starts 4 days north of here so the town has a constant stream of walkers from March onwards.It used to be a wine growing area and it has a wine museum dedicated to this (not open) but it no longer produces wine.Odeceixe was affected by a bushfire last September, all of its local beehives were burnt and they are still trying to revegetate the hills surrounding the town.

The river Seixe is so important to the village that many guest houses use the same name, including ours!So the first door we knocked on the hostel owner showed us up the steep stairs to a patio where we could put our bikes and we were wondering how on earth we would carry our bikes up there. Then she checked our booking we weren’t booked in there.I thought I hadn’t booked a hostel.She was lovely and explained we were probably booked into the Seixe guesthouse just past the church.We found ourselves in front of villaseixe.I was just getting my local sim card phone out to phone up as there was no sign of life, when the manager of the hostel drove past us and said we had gone past the guest house and to go back round the corner.Finally we found it, we have a small room with wooden shutters overlooking roof tops.Very quaint.We can park our bikes in the small alley at the back, it’s cloudy we are hoping it doesn’t rain! We receive a welcome drink and unpack.

Later we walk around the cobbled streets and decide we will try and cycle out in the morning past the beach, rather than fit a walk in now.Restaurants here open at 6pm we are able to get a meal at a reasonable hour and I think due to all the walkers here the food is big and hearty, wonderful.Three decent meals in one day amazing.

Our only hope tonight is that the church bell which is ringing in every hour and every half an hour by our bedroom windows will stop at 10pm!