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The storm of 86'

8/30/2009

When my mother, Maggie Deffense, began designing cycling trips in the 80’s, her first trip was our Valleys & Vineyards exploring a remote and beautiful part of north eastern Portugal and Spain steeped in tradition from the early middle ages where oxcart’s were still a main form of transport along ancient Roman cobbled roads.

Of course in this business there is a very sharp learning curve.  On her very first trip, and with a large group, there was a freak hurricane that blew through the country whipping bikes off the roof racks and flooding hotels.  But despite or perhaps because of the extreme conditions, everyone had a blast; the trip was a resounding success!

Today, almost 30 years later, the region has changed and developed but lost none of its charm (including the oxcarts and cobbles!) and made many marked improvements.  Not least of these improvements are the fantastic bike trails which we have now incorporated into our original tour.  You can be truly immersed in the open countryside and tranquillity of this very special part of the world.

CKD

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