Cycling in Birdwatching and Observa Lagunas

The Birdwatching festival in Sagres and the ObservaLagunas festival in Sto. André marked the start of the Rota Vicentina walks and bike rides. This October, we organised two bike rides on our Alentejo, Vicentina and Algarve coasts.

In Sagres, where the Birdwatching & Nature Activities Festival has been held for the last few years, the 15th edition of one of the most important activities for bird and nature lovers took place. We wanted to be there, organising a meeting between Partners and participants of the event.

Orietta, Didier, Melissa, Rebecca, Ben, Caria, Maria, Tomaz, Marc, Conceição, the great Eduardo and the fantastic Quentin, a cheerful and interested group from Portugal, Italy, Belgium, England, France and the United States, disconnected from their routines, connected with the sea, the land and the wind and took a ride not to add up kilometres, but to get to know the territory and those who inhabit it.

The journey could have been done in two hours, but we wanted to enjoy moments of sharing and lasted around six hours.

During the 30 kilometres that we travelled at a leisurely pace with several short stops, we were able to meet to some of our Associates in the Sagres and Vila do Bispo area, allowing those who wanted to take part this time to learn more about the work they have been doing and the diversity of services that our Association has to offer.

On the next week, at the Santo André and Sancha Lagoon Nature Reserve in Santiago do Cacém, we immersed ourselves in the ObservaLagunas nature tourism fair.

With a close-knit and curious group, we travelled along dirt roads, winding paths with damp soils on routes not yet explored by this most recent head of Cycling on the Rota Vicentina.In Monte do Paio, at the National Centre for Environmental Education and Nature Conservation in Brescos, we set off on a clean bike ride through the lands and sands of the lagoon, Vale Figueira and Milides.

With a united and curious group, we travelled along dirt roads, winding paths with damp soils on routes not yet explored by the new responsible of Cycling of the Rota Vicentina’s team.

We brought people closer to nature, convinced the more indecisive to discover this part of the Alentejo coastline and took part in activities that showcased the natural heritage of these protected areas.

We returned satisfied and happy to have met David, Luís and Ivete, who shared with Martina and me another of those rides that we certainly want to do again.

I would like to invite anyone who is interested in taking part in the next bike ride to contact us, as the season has already started.These cycling initiatives seek to bring together people, stories and knowledge and, above all, to be closer to our associates, so that together we can enjoy the beautiful landscapes and vegetation that this territory has to show us.

I would like to invite anyone who is interested in taking part in the next bike ride to contact us, as the season has already started.

Let’s cycle?

Special thanks to our Associates:

• Bike Tours Portugal


• Cape Cruiser


• Mar Ilimitado


• Memmo Baleeira Hotel


• Musette.bike

• Câmara Municipal de Vila do Bispo


• Câmara Municipal de Santiago do Cacém