We were supposed to going to Viana to do some wing foiling, but a few days before leaving I pulled my back out. Not wanting to cancel, we decided instead to do some biking in the area instead, using our Super 73 bikes where I can sit up more vertical so it wouldn’t bother my still-sore back very much.
We stayed at FeelViana, a hotel close to the beach on the south side of the Lima river, across from Viana do Castelo. It’s specifically designed around the activities of biking and boarding. In front of it, on the beach, is one of the best places for wind-board sports in Portugal. The winds are usually from the northwest and a long jetty to the north allows the wind to pass over but sets the stage for calm waters. Although there’s still a shore break, it still makes it very easy getting in and out of the water and getting up on a foil. On the beach there are two beach clubs, one sponsored by North Sails and the other by Duotone, which provide rentals and lessons for kiting and winging.
There’s a large bike department that provides rentals, repairs and tours. On one wall is a large map of the region showing trails for both road and off-road biking. With each there’s a QR code where you can download the route to your phone. Very organized. Also in the building is a great store that sell biking and boarding gear and is really well outfitted.
And then, at the end of a hard day on the water or the road, there’s full spa facilities with an inside pool, (there’s also an outdoor pool), sauna and steam rooms, gym and a full line of many types of massage are available. What more could a boarder or biker ask for? On top of that the food was very excellent.
We did two tours. One up to Ponta de Lima and another following the coast northward to Caminha.
Ponte da Lima Tour
This route follows the Lima River northward, along one side of its banks to Ponte da Lima, and then back down the other side to Viana do Castelo. It covers all types of terrain, as shown in the photos below. Some of it can be quite rugged, so we were glad we’d taken the 73s which can handle this type of trail quite easily. The complete ride is 55 km. Ponte da Lima is one of our favorites towns in the north of Portugal and well worth a visit. We enjoyed lunch there along the river before heading back to Viana. It is easy to lose the trail at times so having the route on our phones really helped out.
The river was perfectly flat while we did the trail, with the mountains in the background reflecting perfectly off of its waters.
Viana to Caminha Tour
Although we enjoyed this tour as it followed right along the coastline, offering some great views, we felt uncomfortable that we were also sharing the route with many making the coastal pilgrimage to Compostela. There were a lot of people on the trail so we were constantly coming up behind them. There really should be separate routes for walkers and another for bikers as I can see this being a problem. Most walk the trail in the mornings from Viana so doing the trail in the afternoon by bike would probably have been better. The whole route is 60 km but as you come back the same way, you can make it any length you want. The trail is a mixture of paved, gravel and wood boardwalk surfaces.
We really enjoyed the hotel so we’ll be going back, this time to wing foil while also trying some of the other bike routes.