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Portugal’s pleasant climate of plentiful sunshine combined with temperatures that are never too hot in the summer or too cold in winter, makes it the perfect place to explore by bike. Because of this, the Portuguese have embraced cycling as both a useful transport solution and a brilliant way for visitors to explore its beautiful, varied landscape. A growing number of cycle paths have been created with cyclists in mind, which help to make cycling here a safe, child friendly activity. Enjoy breath-taking vistas as you explore some of the country’s unspoilt coastline, or venture into the hills and discover a side of Portugal which has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. Cycling With the Family Many of Portugal’s cycle routes are geo-referenced and can be downloaded as an app to your smartphone so you don’t need to worry about getting lost. Many of the coastline routes make a great day out with the kids as you can stop for a swim or a picnic at many points along the way. By combining beach games and cycling, exploring Portugal by bike can be the ultimate child friendly activity. Explore the Western Algarve The western Algarve contains some of Portugal’s most beautiful, unspoilt coastline and, criss-crossed by a network of cycle routes offering different levels of challenges, it is an ideal area to explore as a family by bike. Take in the breath-taking scenery of wild countryside, jagged cliffs and beautiful, deserted beaches as you cycle its coastal paths and you’ll find even your hardest-to-please teenagers will want to stop to take a photo. Cycling at Martinhal Our resort at Martinhal in the rugged Western Algarve is the perfect place to base yourself and your family to explore this beautiful, unspoilt region by bike. The Martinhal Bike Centre has mountain bikes, road bikes and kids’ bikes for hire so that you don’t need to worry about bringing your own. We also run a series of guided tours around the local area so that you can easily discover the best routes, scenic points as well as a range of local information. One of the most popular rides around Martinhal is the Cabo de S. Vincente bike tour, a 20km trail around the stunning local landscape taking in both countryside and coastal views. A trip to the local lighthouse is also a popular trip with families, as is the delicious A Sagres Portuguese restaurant which you’ll pass on your way back to the resort. Learn to Cycle Like a Pro For serious cyclists we even run a number of dedicated cycling weeks where you and the kids can meet professional riders and attend workshops where the professionals will discuss training techniques as well as give advice on equipment and diet. This is great if any of your kids are interested in competing, as the professionals will make sure that they train in a way that is child friendly. Activities like guided tours are also offered as part of our cycling weeks. Richard Edwards is the Managing Director of Summit & Blue, an adventure holiday company offering independently crafted child friendly activity holidays to exciting destinations around the world, including France, Italy, Portugal, the USA and Canada. With unique itineraries and exciting activities like biking, hiking, white water rafting and canoeing, we create holidays for those looking for an experience a little more off the beaten track.
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