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The border region between Portugal and Spain is home to some fabulous castles and wonderful rolling scenery.

It’s also extremely unspoilt and the roads here are about as quiet as you’ll find anywhere in Europe.

Most of the small towns and villages in this part of Portugal often look as if they’ve hardly changed in centuries and – standing on the granite battlements of their castles – it’s easy to imagine yourself back in mediaeval times.

This ride originally involved just the ride from Belmonte to Sortelha (see below) but I’ve expanded it to provide the option of a longer circuit that also takes in Sabugal.

Belmonte and Sabugal are both attractive places but Sortelha is one of the stars of this region – and is distant enough from the main tourist trail that you may well get the place to yourself.

Cycling to Sortelha can involve a reasonable climb but it’s well worth the effort. Perched on a hilltop overlooking the wild country of Portugal’s northern borders is a castle that looks like it’s straight from the pages of some historical romance or fantasy epic.