The Douro valley part 2 and the road to Salamanca

We left the fantastic campsite at Lamego quite early on Wednesday after pre-ordered breakfast ( coffee and croissant) and we decided on the route for the rest of the journey into Salamanca. Another hot day today, so we would take it steady and ensure we have plenty of water to rehydrate.

The plan was to ride the N222 all the way down to Pinao and then double back up to Vila Nova de Foz Coa then head south east to pick up the CL-517 east to Salamanca.

The road to Pinao hugged the Douro, and was full of fast bends over all too quickly, superb views across the river riding in to the sun, with a real haze from moisture from the river valley. We stopped near the railway for a quick drink.

As we moved away from the river we started to climb up through valleys and really quite twisty riding with the temparature rising all the time. Just past Foz Coa we turned off the main road and headed along a single track valley gorge with a narrow roadside drop either side with no fences or barriers and a sheer drop into the valley below.

We saw the usual vinyards, but now crops included olive trees in orderly rows.

Into the afternoon the temparature on the bikes gauge rose to 43.5 degrees at the highest, never went below 38. The landscape became more arid and dusty and I could smell sandalwood.

Eventually in the hills we came through a remote village - a small farming community where the locals looks bemused as we waved at them in the way through. We stopped on the outskirts in the shade of a wall.

Later in the day we took the C-517 into Salamanca, great rolling plains of farmland and scrub. The sky became overcast and blustery, we saw a few drops of rain and thought we woul ride through a storm, the temp dropped only a few degrees, but no cool rain for us today!