Portugal
M Neeves tests bikes, but while he’s at it he’s testing the world’s best roads too…
This month I’ve been to the roads around the Parque Natural da Arrábida, nestled on the rocky coast 15 miles south of Lisbon, to ride Yamaha’s new T-MAX scooter (page 82). Photographers can’t get enough of this scenery and it’s a great place for digging deep into a motorcycle’s soul (or a big scooter’s), especially the N379-1 between Setúbal and Sesimbra. Atlantic rain is no stranger here, so it’s very green and the roads have more than a touch of the swooping Italian Lakes about them, mixed in with the undulating madness of the Route Napoleon and the open-sided tunnels of the Alps.
With a mixture of second and third gear corners and the odd fourth gear straight (or, on the T-MAX, just twist) in between it’s a road that keeps you so nicely occupied, you barely notice the white beaches and crystal blue sea beside you – flat like a millpond, unlike the huge surfing waves just around the coast.
Brakes, gears, steering, throttle, grip and all that other road testery stuff gets a workout here, but to just ride and enjoy, it’s up there with the best and if you stop for a breather at Bar Mar on Figueirinha Beach you can sit back and calmly take stock of the magnificence of your situation.
There are more than just great stretches of tarmac in these parts. The beautiful old towns of Sintra and Cascais are up the road and Estoril circuit too where you can squeeze in a cheeky trackday. There are plenty of bike hire firms in Lisbon.