Escaping the town into the hills

The days are promising warmer fine weather and it was very sunny start to the day. We set off along a route K had mapped to get us out of Olhao. Thankfully the streets were pretty quiet and we quickly escaped the town into the glorious countryside.

We had a lovely rolling ride towards Estoi with some steeper sections that the bikes took easily. Arriving in Estoi it was suddenly uncomfortably hot as midday hit the streets.

We found a charming, welcoming and very busy restaurant that offered a limited menu of the day. Without a doubt, the grilled mixed fish was a highlight but having seen it delivered to the next table we both declined - to quote Dee - we couldn't face eating a shoal!

K had beans with pork and cabbage. I had the fried chicken - which was half a bird. We shared a demi of wine and had coffees - total just 22E. No wonder the place was crowded - you could not cook cheaper or better yourself.

After lunch we checked out the baroque mansion - now a hotel in Estoi - a photogenic place for sure. Then we went on to visit the main attraction - the well preserved roman villa with many excellent fishy mosaics.

The ride back was dogged by inaccurate mapping which took us up an impossibly narrow and overgrown track. We were thankful to make it back to the road. Near Olhao we missed a turn and rerouted along a main road that dived into a major underpass. We avoided that death trap and came in via the station and church. A great ride - the hills inland make for good riding but the mapping for the area is pretty dire.

The day called for a long siesta and we emerged much later to stroll down to the harbour in the early evening. We found a table at the jazz bar and enjoyed cool lager and cooler Miles Davies Kind of Blue plus John Scholfield live at Ronnie Scotts. Like the place - friendly and good ambience. To round of the day we braved a seafood/ shellfish cataplana at at a recommended little market place. - the photos speak volumes but the detail included:

a whole crab; oysters, prawns, langustine, razor clams +++ all in a rich tomato bisque. Thankfully tomorrow is a rest day ............