EPIC Trans Galicia
(from Porto)

A magnificent ride today in the mountains of the Serra Amarela with stunning landscapes and virtually no traffic throughout the ride.

The ride starts off with a beautiful descent to the Cavado river and the bridge that leads into the National Park and the Serra Amarela. There’s very little flat in these mountains, it’s either up or down – and there’s a lot of “up”, almost 3000m to be precise, with 4 categorised climbs on the agenda. The scenery gets more and more remote as the rides heads north and east towards the Gerês mountains where herds of wild horses roam freely. Remember to save something in the legs for the final 6km climb of the day, which comes after 90km and marks the end of a challenging, but extremely beautiful ride, through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in Portugal.

Another exceptionally beautiful ride today as you start the journey north towards the Spanish border, with the majority of the ride taking place in Peneda-Gerês, Portugal’s only National Park.

The ride starts with the fantastic climb to Calcedonia, followed by the Mata de Albergaria climb and the border with Spain. You’ll ride 20km in Spain before crossing back into Portugal where another couple of climbs await before the final drop down to the River Minho valley and your hotel in Melgaço.

Today you’ll say goodbye to Portugal as your journey continues northwards into the Spanish region of Galicia.

Leaving the hotel,  it won’t take long to get warmed up as the first 35km are pretty much all uphill, with the road eventually topping out at the Alto de Moncelo at an elevation of 800m. Once again, enjoy traffic-free roads and stunning landscapes as the ride continues through remote and unspoilt mountains. Save the legs for the final climb of the day, the Alto de Xarotos, which includes a 3km section at around 12%.

Your destination today is the magnificent city of Santiago de Compostela, the final destination of the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St James).

We’ve kept the ride to just under 100km, with less climbing than the other days, so you’ll have time to visit this spectacular city in the afternoon. You’ll be staying at the famous Hostal dos Reis Católicos, now converted into a 5-star luxury Parador Hotel, and situated directly opposite the cathedral on the main plaza in Santiago. The hostal has been welcoming pilgrims since the 15th century and is considered the oldest continuously operating hotel in the world.

After yesterday’s shorter ride, we’re back with another challenging ride as we head for the spectacular Costa da Morte (Death Coast), which gets it’s rather sinister name from the hundreds of shipwrecks that have occured off its shores.

Leaving Santiago de Compostela, you’ll head west through eucalyptus and pine forests to Serra de Outes. The climb from Outes through San Lourenzo takes you into the hilly interior of the Costa da Morte with the ride continuing through typical rural Galician farmlands before arriving in the coastal town of Muxia. We’ll stop at the Santuario da Virxe da Barcain in Muxia to witness some of the best ocean views in Spain before concluding the ride with the final 5km along the coast to the Parador.

Your trip ends with a magnificent ride along some of the most beautiful and wild stretches of coastline in Europe, the famous Costa da Morte.

Beginning with the typical Galician climb out of the hotel, after 11km you’ll head out to the Touriñán Lighthouse, the most westerly point in mainland Spain. The ride continues southwards along the coastline before arriving at the famous lighthouse in Fisterra, which translate as “the end of the world”! After a coffee and photo stop at the lighthouse, ride along the south coast of the Costa da Morte to Ezaro and the start of the brutal climb to the Mirador de Ezaro. The Ezaro climb last featured in the 2020 Vuelta a España with Primoz Roglic taking the stage victory. Enjoy the magnificent views of the Costa da Morte coastline from the viewpoint at the summit before continuing the ride northwards to the Parador. A stunning ride to end your journey across northern Portugal and Galicia!

Unfortunately, your trip from Porto to the Costa da Morte has come to an end.

Our shuttle will drop you off at Santiago de Compostela Airport.