September 24, 2016

We know we are going to be in for a difficult day again today as we are heading inland again.  The route has to skirt round a large inlet – we’ll be cycling about 20 kilometres around the lagoon even though we can see the village we are heading for only about a kilometre away across the water.  We navigate entirely by intuition and don’t make too bad a job of it.  It is not particularly relaxing though, firstly, because we are expecting to find out that we are on the wrong road at any moment and secondly, because we are riding up and down really short, steep hills that sap the strength very quickly.

On our way around the inlet we ride through a fair sized town and spot a MacDonalds sign.  Yipee – I can upload the last five days worth of photos.  I really don’t understand why every place we have stayed in has WiFi, but whether it has been four star upmarket or two star basic, not one has been capable of uploading a photo.  Still, MacDonalds to the rescue again.

Every day since we started the tour we have had similar weather; the day starts with varying degrees of sea mist, from thick fog to a misty haze.  Later on, hot sunshine burns away the mist.  By the evening the mist returns again bringing a chill to the air.  Today is no exception, the sun gets warmer as the day wears on.  We can’t believe what luck we are having with the weather so far.  We’ve reached the coast again after our short foray inland – it feels like meeting an old friend.  Under the bright sunlight the ocean is a brilliant blue.

We have only a short to reach Peniche, our destination for the night.  I don’t know why but it sounds sophisticated and I was expecting something very upmarket.  It isn’t at all, in fact, I don’t find it particularly attractive.  The setting is dramatic, standing out on a peninsula with a spectacular rocky coastline, but the town itself is soulless.  It is another place with a real mixture of architecture thrown together.  Quaint farmhouses with dry stone walling next to blocks of holiday flats.  Our accommodation for the night is pretty soulless too, still, we’re too tired to care much.