PONTE DE LIMA
Tuesday 7th January 2023
It’s nearly a week since we landed at Santander. We had intended to head straight to Portugal, but the weather in Galicia – North West Spain – looked too good to miss (it’s usually rainy), so we headed along the north coast of Spain and arrived today in Portugal at Valenca on the banks of the Rio Minho.
The Rio Minho forms the northernmost border between Spain and Portugal at Cevide in the east and Caminha in the west where its estuary joins the Atlantic Ocean. The Minho is also the name of the northernmost region of Portugal, which is where Vinho Verde wine comes from and Caldo Verde, a soup made with potatoes, greens and sausage.
PONTE DE LIMA
Our first night stopover in the camper was at Ponte de Lima, we’re staying at a free ‘Aire’, in other words a car park where they allow night stopovers if you have your own facilities. This Aire is outside the exhibition hall, so it’s empty until they have an event.
Ponte de Lima is located on the southern bank of the Rio Lima, and is one of the oldest towns in Portugal, being the first place to get a charter in 1125.
The 31 arched stone bridge was built by the Romans and restored in 14th century. It is cobbled and is only for use by pedestrians and cyclists. It’s the Lima crossing point for the Camino Portuguese.
Every second Monday Ponte de Lima holds one of the largest country markets in Portugal. It is also known for its red Vinho Verde wines.
CYCLING NORTH AND SOUTH FROM PONTE DE LIMA – Camino Portugues
We found ourselves on the Camino Portuguese as we cycled over the Roman Bridge and went through some gorgeous countryside, mostly smallholdings with vegetables, oranges, lemons and grape vines. The locals have a close connection with the earth. There were plenty of small waterfalls, evidence of the heavy rainfall of a few weeks ago. Fortunately today it was sunny and warm, like a lovely spring day, so much so that we could wear shorts for cycling 😄
