2020 · The first trip
My daughters' first trip of this kind: Marta was 14. We rode with no fixed destination, from Porto ever northwards. Reaching Melgaço in the rain, we decided to head for Vila Real via Gerês and Alvão. Unforgettable.
Pedais do Pai
Dad's Pedals: cycling to stay close.
Some parents take their children to the beach. Some take them to hotels. I take my daughters, Marta and Maria, cycling.
Since 2020, every year we set aside a week to drop off the map. We load the bikes, pick a direction and go. We have ridden along the Portuguese coast, the Alentejo coast, Asturias, the Ways of St James, Galicia, Gerês, Alvão and the roads and trails of Trás-os-Montes.
But this project was never about geography. Nor about sport. Not even about bikes. It is about time. Real time, without distractions. Time to talk on a climb, to fix a mechanical problem, to look for somewhere to sleep, to face rain, heat, wind or tiredness. Time to find out that hardship usually teaches more than comfort.
"A bike is fast enough to take us far, but slow enough to let us look around."
We smell a forest, hear a village, watch the landscape change, taste a meal well earned after hours in the saddle. In a car everything rushes by. On foot everything takes too long. The bike is right in the middle: the perfect pace to discover the world. And perhaps to discover who we are.
Over these years we have crossed mountains, valleys, beaches, cities, villages, historic routes and places no guidebook will ever mention. We have met extraordinary people. We have slept in campsites, guesthouses, unlikely hotels and places that were never in the plan. We changed route. We changed our minds. We made mistakes. We learned. We set off again.
In the end this project has one goal: to stay close to my daughters while they grow up. To make memories that don't fit in a phone. To teach independence without lecturing. To show that the world is bigger than our daily routine. And to enjoy the privilege of still riding side by side.
One week a year
- 2020 · 16 to 25 AugustPorto → Melgaço → Vila RealMy daughters' first trip of this kind: Marta was 14. We rode with no fixed destination, from Porto ever northwards. Reaching Melgaço in the rain, we decided to head for Vila Real via Gerês and Alvão. Unforgettable.
- 2021 · 15 to 22 AugustVila Nova de Milfontes → Vila do Bispo → Vila Nova de MilfontesThe Alentejo coast is a fresh surprise: plenty of trails on all kinds of surfaces, even sand, sea views, lovely beaches, good food and few people. A great e-bike loop.
- 2022 · 9 to 16 AugustAsturias: the Costa Verde and the Cantabrian coast, camping at Playa de Vega, RibadesellaAn intense return to our favourite camping holiday spot, Playa de Vega. On e-bikes we explored the deep green of meadows and vegetation that runs right up to the cliffs, beaches and fishing villages.
- 2023 · 6 to 12 AugustPorto → Lisbon, back by trainPortugal's coast from Porto to Lisbon along EuroVelo 1.
- 2024 · 3 to 10 AugustVila Real → Santiago de Compostela on the Chaves Way; back through Gerês and AlvãoThe Ways of St James: lots of history, lots of trails and plenty of nights in spa towns along the way. The return repeated the demanding tracks of Gerês and Alvão.
- 2025 · 17 to 24 AugustFinisterre → A Coruña → Santiago de Compostela → FinisterreA loop on the Ways of St James and beyond, along the Costa da Morte and the inland routes. A high point of our trips.
- 2026 · 17 to 26 AugustVila Real → Ribeira de Pena → Montalegre → Chaves → Mirandela → Vidago → Vila RealWe had to get to know our own district. We're at home, yet it feels far away: the district is big and its landscapes are unique. The best food, even better people and fine places to stay, from Forte de São Francisco to Vidago Palace. Are we turning into lords? Why do we even bring the tent?
"One day they will follow their own paths. I just hope that when they look back they remember these weeks as some of the best trips of our lives. Not because we went far. But because we went together."
Coming soon: the story of each trip.