Day 7: Castello Branco to Elvas
- jhunter053
- Mar 31
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 1
The weather today was much more cooperative, and i was on the road at 9:30 in 13 degrees. After a quick fuel up, i hit the road south. After about 45 minutes on the road, i came to a stunning river crossing with a great view back up the river valley.
You can just see a portion of the road up the far side of the crossing in the fist picture, and the pattern of tight roads when climbing or descending from altitude did not dissapoint, After climbing up the winding roads out of the valley, i started the descent. The roads were unbelievable for at least 10-15kms.
Further along the road, i needed to take a break to stretch and picked a picturesque spot to stop and straighten my spine.
The roads were so good in this stretch that i decided i had to try to get some road footage. The result is not great, especially in the first portion of the video where i realized that the camera needed to be adjusted, but hopefully it gives you some feeling for how great these twisty mountain roads are to ride.
After following all of the twists and turns down the mountain, i found myself in what i recognized as the Alentejo. Pastoral lands with crops and livestock were all around. From the road i saw the hilltop Castelo de Vide.
Since i was already heading to see another castle, i just took the picture and carried on.
I carried on for another 20 minutes or so before i spotted my next point of interest for the day.
I excitedly turned toward the walled city and started to climb up the mountain to explore further.
I wanted to provide some kind of idea of the amazing vistas from the lower battlements, so i tried to do a slow spin around with my iphone.
My GPS route guide at this point was guiding me to carry on up the narrow alleys into the heart of the citadel. I thought this might be a good chance to try the iphone on video mode again and take you for the same tour of the walled city that i got to take.
At the very top of the road was the main tower.
Leaving Marvao, i had a 15 minute ride back down the twisting mountain roads that drop at a surprising rate from the Citadel back to the valley floor.
I carried on for another 45 minutes or so before i road across a dam that had been created outside of Campo Maior. This seemed like a great opportunity to stop for a mini-beer, which has become one of my favorite things. 200ml of draft beer, ice cold, the perfect amount to get the road dust out of your mouth and not so much to be a bad idea when you are riding.
Just 15 or so KM further down the road was the town of Campo Maior. The fort here along with the fort in Elvas were key defensive fortresses in the war of Portuguese independence. I did wander into town to see if there was an easy way to ride to the fort, but there was not, it required an entry fee and lots of walking. I still wanted to see the town of Elvas, so i carried on.
I carried on to Elvas and got to my hotel for 2:25. Although i was allowed to park, the front desk person told me that it was clearly outlined on my booking receipt that check in started at 3pm. I decided not to let it bother me, sat in the outstanding courtyard and had a cold beer, then tried again at 3:10pm.
I am now wondering if they thought i was American when i checked in, because i was not treated very well at all, and my room is far from what is pictured in their advertisement photos. The hotel itself is beautiful and built right into the walls that surround the city.
My room turned out to be a good reason to get outside and start exploring. Here are some images of the city of Elvas, which is absolutely gorgeous. There is a very palpable feeling of history as you wander the cobblestone streets and narrow alleys.
Tomorrow I am headed toward the town of Moura for the second to last leg of my trip. I am really having trouble with the thought that this will soon be over. The solution of course, is just to book another trip as soon as i get home.
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