Silver Coast Pine Forests: Nazaré to São Pedro de Moel E-Bike Tour

The lighthouse at São Pedro de Moel appears low and white through the pines around km 22, and that single moment is what this tour is built around. Fifty kilometres up the northern Silver Coast and back, Nazaré to São Pedro de Moel, mostly inside the Pinhal de Leiria. The National Pine Forest planted by D. Dinis in the 13th century and still one of the largest stretches of stone pine and maritime pine in Portugal. A guided e-bike tour with one local guide and your group only. Pace, stops and how long you linger are agreed on the road, not on a clipboard.

Leaving Nazaré, climbing into the pines

We start in town, fit the bikes, and roll out past Praia da Nazaré. The first climb is the one up to Sítio, the headland that sits above the Promontório da Nazaré. It is a real climb on a normal bike. Gentle on the assist of an Orbea Wild eMTB with the Bosch Performance CX motor and 750Wh battery, which is what we run on this route. Take the time at the top. The view from the Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo is the whole reason the lighthouse is there: Praia do Norte to the north, the cliff edge that drops to the Nazaré canyon and the giant winter swells, and the long sand of Praia da Nazaré curving south.

Into the Pinhal de Leiria

Once you drop off the headland the road runs north along the coast and then turns into the forest. In summer the air thickens with the smell of pine resin warming under the sun. In October the same paths are cooler and damper, with eucalyptus mixed in where the 2017 fires changed the canopy. The Cercado dos Veados, a small red-deer reserve tucked into the pinewood at Sítio, is an easy stop if the group wants one. Further north, the route threads through the rebuilt sections of the Pinhal de Leiria where the new planting is shoulder-high and the older pines stand alone above it.

The clifftop run to São Pedro de Moel

The middle section is the postcard run: open coast, low cliffs, the Atlantic to your left, almost no traffic. You pass Praia de Paredes da Vitória — a long beach sitting at the foot of dramatic sandstone cliffs — and the smaller cove of Praia da Polvoeira. The northwest wind usually picks up after lunch on this stretch in summer, which is one of the reasons we sometimes start earlier. The guide will read it on the day.

São Pedro de Moel itself is a small seaside village built around its beach and its lighthouse. The lighthouse, white and squat, sits on the cliff with the village stepped down behind it. This is where we stop for longer — coffee, a swim if the Atlantic is in a mood to be swum in, a flat stone bench above the water. The return route takes the inside line back through the forest, which is shadier in the afternoon and a different ride than the way out.

What to know before you book

Fifty kilometres, about 250m of climbing spread across the day, on tarmac with sections of well-maintained bike path through the pines. Moderate is the right word. Comfortable for anyone who has spent a few weekends on a bike in the last year, easier on the e-bike than it sounds. You and the guide agree the start time when you book. In summer that usually means earlier, before the wind builds and the asphalt warms. Helmet, gloves, eye protection and water are included. The bike is yours for the day, with a guide who lives on this coast and rides it weekly.