Azure Ocean Ride (Guided Leisure)

Porto sits at the mouth of the Douro and the route heads south from there, hugging the Atlantic for the better part of a week before finishing in Sintra. The road stays largely off the main highways, threading secondary lanes, cycle paths and clifftop tracks that look down on a long run of beaches, pine forests and working fishing villages.

The coastline and the character of the ride

This is the western shoreline at its most varied. Furadouro is a low-key fishing village; Praia da Vieira is the kind of place where you can still watch the boats being hauled in (Saddle Skedaddle build in a stop to lend a hand with the catch). Nazaré, further south, is busier and better known, with the Sitio viewpoint giving the standout sea view of the trip — the cliff drops straight to the surf beach below. Inland from the coast, Óbidos is a complete contrast: a small medieval town inside its castle walls, worth the detour off the bike route.

The middle stretch runs alongside the Ria de Aveiro, a forty-kilometre lagoon that flattens the riding and changes the landscape entirely — salt pans, reed beds, low light off the water. After that the road climbs back up to the cliffs. It is mostly leisurely cycling, but there are pulls in the hills, which is why e-bike hire is offered. The pace on a supported group is set by riders on regular bikes, so an e-bike gives a boost on the climbs rather than a faster overall day.

Eight days from Porto to Sintra

The trip runs eight days. Day one is the arrival transfer from Porto airport into the city — about twenty minutes — with dinner that evening and a chance to see Porto itself before the riding starts. From there the route works its way down the coast through Furadouro, the Aveiro lagoon, Praia da Vieira, Nazaré, Óbidos, Santa Cruz (a beach resort with a long sweep of sand) and Vimeiro, where you stay in the village itself rather than a town centre. The finish is Sintra, inland from Lisbon — the wooded hills behind the coast, palaces in the trees, a different feel from the seven days that came before. Flights home are out of Lisbon.

A guide is with the group throughout and a support vehicle shadows the route, so you can stop, swap bikes, or skip a section if a climb isn't appealing. GPS units handle the navigation. Accommodation has been chosen for location and comfort — small hotels and guesthouses close to the coast or in the historic centres, rather than chain stays on the edge of town.

Bookings, grading and who it suits

Saddle Skedaddle grade this a Leisure 2-3, sitting in the middle of their easier scale — no long days in the saddle, but enough undulation through the week that fitness helps. Prices start from £1,995 per person. Dates are spread across the year, with a self-guided version available on alternative dates if the set departures don't fit. Flights into Porto and home from Lisbon are organised separately, which gives flexibility on routing and budget.

It suits couples and friends who want a coastal cycling week with the safety net of a guide and a van — particularly first-time tourers, anyone unsure about navigation abroad, or mixed-ability pairs where one rider takes the e-bike and the other doesn't. Trip notes and full itinerary are available from the operator on +44 (0)191 265 1110.