In Vila Real starts a former railway line along the Corgo river, which was converted into an Ecopista. The colors of the hills this time of the year were amazing!
The route starts from an old train station on the outskirts of Vila Real (41.312678, -7.718249) There are no signs and it is just a path without tarmac for the first 14 km. We parked on the old rails behind the train station. This spot would also be suitable for a night (41.311852, -7.719034) More about this Ecopista can be found on a german page: www.bahntrassenradwege.de
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| Parking on the rails |
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| Valley of the Corgo river |
Old buildings made of rocks fascinate us. Everything is gone, just the solid construction is still standing. We saw these stone buildings everywhere in northern Portugal. Some were still in use or even renovated, but most of them are abandoned.
We had turned around short after we had reached the part with tarmac as dark clouds came closer and closer. And again we managed to be back just before the first drops fell.
The abundance of colours was really special on this tour. Heather in pink and broom in yellow and white were spread over the hills. We were soaking in the colours while cycling through this valley. A truly recommendable tour at this time of the year!
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| A different flower of that day |