Mountains - again

The wind at Nortada was expected to continue through the week but the weather changed, became overcast and the wind dropped. I tried another lesson with Adriano but the wind disappeared, I decided to go to the mountains, there was the suspension bridge to visit and a restaurant. I could also try further hiking.

Arriving at Refugio da Freita I was warmly welcomed back - Mr Peter, Mr Peter you came back to see us, we are very happy to see you' That's nice. It was quite late so I quickly setup the tent and chucked my kites in so I had space to pull the bed out. Then cooked a quick

meal.

Over night it rained cats and dogs. In the morning all the gear I had left out was soaking, so I got breakfast at the centre before going to the nearest village for camping gas. Only 2km away but all downhill with those zig zaggy well cambered bends. The road was dry, downhill with good visibility, so I enjoyed flying down to the village. The bus has excellent stability with the Red 9 suspension and new low profile tyres, all very stiff with no sway, a real pleasure to throw round the tight bends. The brakes have a servo fitted (US spec) and are also excellent, although there was a distinctive smell of burning pads when I stopped. Of course the stiff suspension is not at all forgiving on poor road surfaces and bangs and clatters disturbingly.

While I've said the bus brakes are good I should revise that statement for the handbrake. Some of the hills were very steep and on one occasion I did stall the engine when selecting 1st gear. The handbrake didn't hold so I was running backwards downhill when starting and selecting 1st, lots of over revving and smoke, definitely a driving test failure. Must get that sorted.

With gas restored for cooking I set off for the suspension bridge, I hadn't realised this was 35km away. Still, more fun mountain roads to wiz along finally arriving at the centre for lunch.

I bought the ticket and climbed the 520 steps to the bridge. It was a beautiful walk but the weather closed in again, you can see from the photos I was in the clouds and what do you get when in the clouds? rain, that's correct and lots of it. Rain was running off my cycle jacket, down my legs into my shoes, I was wet. But not cold with the temperature around 22deg.

The footbridge was significant but didn't go anywhere. All the walks/treks were on the near side, nothing on the far side, it was even closed off. What is the point of that?

Soaked to the skin I made my way back down the 520 steps and back to the centre changed in the van and went for dinner in Arouca. The Parlamento was closed but I got a table at Assembleia opposite. Although the food was excellent I still find it awkward eating on my own in restaurants, which is why I rarely eat out.

The drive back was interesting. When I left the restaurant I expected to have an hour of light but with missed turnings and an incorrect input to Google maps I soon got lost. By the time it was dark I was at the top of the mountain going over boggy country on a cobbled road. Why would a cobbled road be built over a mountain, similar to the cobbled road winding through fields to cafe La Finca? I had seen it as a sort of gentrification at Finca but over a mountain? Well of course the cobbled roads are old and because they are isolated and mainly serve tractors, they haven't been resurfaced.

At one point I was thinking I had already been along the particular road, I was lost. I remembered that on my previous visit I had been to the falls and the Refugio da Freita was a few km from there. I retraced my steps to the falls and checking at the small hotel, still found I was going in the wrong direction. With that sorted I was back at the campsite in no time, I must have driven past it in the dark.