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Nazaré to Serro Ventoso e-MTB loop via Alcobaça (80 km)
Starts in Nazaré

Nazaré to Serro Ventoso e-MTB loop via Alcobaça (80 km)

Sea to summit and back: farm tracks to Cós, the 6 to 11% forestry-road climb to the Serro Ventoso pass, singletrack down to Alcobaça, and a flat cool-down along the Pederneira lagoon to a swim.

Route elevation profile: from 0 m to 622 m, total ascent 1767 m.
Tour Difficulty
Expert

About this ride

An 80 km loop from Nazaré up to the Serro Ventoso pass in the Serra de Aire e Candeeiros and back. 1,600 m of climbing. The first 18 km through Famalicão, Maiorga and Cós are rural asphalt and farm track. The last ten kilometres of the climb are forestry road at 6 to 11%. The descent is dirt road with three sections of proper singletrack, roots and embedded limestone, down to Alcobaça. Then 15 flat kilometres along the Lagoa da Pederneira to Praia da Nazaré.

Before you go

The ride

Nazaré to Famalicão, Maiorga and Cós on rural asphalt and farm tracks. Stop ten minutes at the Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Cós. After Alpedriz the stone walls close in and the climb starts: forestry road on limestone, steady, with the last ten kilometres to the Serro Ventoso pass at 6 to 11%. The wind accelerates through the pass, so expect a gust at the top. The village at the summit has the view over the bay and the Serra de Aire. The descent to Aljubarrota and Alcobaça is dirt road with three stretches of real singletrack: roots, embedded limestone, slippery from November to March. Forty-five minutes at the Alcobaça monastery is about right. The last 15 km roll west along the Lagoa da Pederneira, flat and sheltered, to a swim at Praia da Nazaré. The sea is 17°C in May and 19°C in September.

Surfaces and bike

Asphalt, farm track, forestry road, singletrack. E-MTB or a fit rider on a hardtail. Not a gravel-bike route because of the descent.

Battery

Eco on the flat, Tour on the climb, save Turbo for the 11% ramps. A 625 Wh battery gets round with margin if you do that; it does not if you ride the first 18 km in Turbo.

Water and food

Cós, then nothing until Alcobaça at about km 60. No shops and no phone signal in the mountain section. Carry two bottles and food.

When

April to June and September to October. July and August are too hot on the limestone climb. November to March the singletrack is greasy.

Prefer company?

Guided with support as the Sea to Summit e-MTB tour.

Along the way

  1. Nazaré

    A picturesque fishing village famous for its giant waves, rich maritime culture, and beautiful beaches.

  2. Famalicão

    A quiet village just outside Nazaré, a practical base for relaxed rides along the calmer back roads of the Silver Coast.

  3. Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Coz

    Here, in the 13th century, a community of Cistercian nuns took shape. In the 16th century, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Coz became one of the richest female monasteries of this order in Portugal. With its Baroque artistic splendor, the church bears witness to the wealth of this community.

  4. Porta do Vento

    A natural rock window on the Serra dos Candeeiros ridge, named for the breeze that funnels through it and rewarding hikers with one of the region's finest views over the limestone hills.

  5. Porto de Mós

    Porto de Mós is a historic town nestled in Portugal’s Central Region, within the Aire and Candeeiros Mountains Natural Park. It’s renowned for its striking medieval castle, its proximity to São Jorge — site of the decisive 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota that secured Portugal’s independence.

  6. Alcobaça

    A historic town known for its magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Monastery, traditional Portuguese cuisine, and local wine production.

  7. Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça

    Founded by Portugal's first King, D. Afonso Henriques, in 1153, through a donation to Bernard of Clairvaux (France), the Monastery of Alcobaça is one of the largest and best-preserved Cistercian monasteries in all of Europe, and was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1989.

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