AWW 18 September 2024....a shortened Montes de Cima

 Montes de Cima....shortened.....18 September 2024

Linda's inaugural walk last week was (relatively) short but hot, so I thought I  had better do a shortened version of the 18km walk we usually do from the Honey Cafe. By cutting out a loop, I guestimated it would be 14kms.....but the last time I guestimated ( back in June) I was a bit wrong and not all walkers were too happy at the resultant 22kms.....

Hence, a 100% recce , 14.6 kms but sweltering with an 0915 start, so new start of 0830, rather than Linda's 0900. The Honey Cafe was closed for the week of the recce, but would be open the following week....what could possibly go wrong?

So, after getting up in the dark and arriving in good time, I  was horrified ( & almost lynched) to find that the Honey Cafe owners had decided to take an extra week's holiday, so here are the Bakers' Dozen posing with their tomgues hanging out for a caffine fix......with Yours Truly behind the lens in Alan's absence in Madeira :

We welcomed two newcomers, Zac and Carl.....both from the USA , both Massachusetts ,but from different parts of the Algarve.

L to R : Zac ( newbie), David, Karen, Stephen, Bruce,Vyv, Martin, Peter, Tim, Carl ( another newbie), Ros and Sue.....Geoff behind lens....and of course, Rafa, back from being a bit poorly last week.

After 10 mins of tarmac, the usual mixture of ups and downs:

With an appointed Rear Marker/Tail-end Charlie bringing up the rear...

The streams had run dry.....there used to be stepping stones here....

But this was all there was now:

A dig through the archives revealed what the crossings were once like....Bica back in February 2022

Someone had a passion for cairns:

Now what did I say about not straggling?????

Anyway, we managed the big hill by 1000, which was the reason for an early start, but the weather was pleasantly warm rather than baking hot and we even had quite a breeze.

Rafa found some water at last:

One more hill to breast on the way back...

...a well earned respite...

...before  walking back to the Honey Cafe where there was a note on back of car....an apology from the cafe that it was shut?....a note to say someone had bonked the car?....fortunately not, Gill & Jim had passed and left some delicious grapes!

Then off to O Tasco , a well earned drink, and splitting up the bountiful supply of grapes. Very many thanks to Gill & Jim.

Thanks to all....with the kitty now at 3€ pp, Mrs Kitty ( Ros) resumed her old job and turned in a 12.4€ profit.....better than the 40 cents it would otherwise have been!

Stats follow....from my recce. Time elapsed on the walk was longer at 4 hours, but we did stop and admire the scenery quite a bit : moving speed probably about the same, but perhaps someone logged it?

Geoff

PS

Two of the water crossings have been bridged over, this is what they were like back in 2016 with one of my Monday  walks, with Sue, Ros and Russell looking a bit younger....

Map and Stats

AWW Walk report – 11 SEPTEMBER 2024 – Pine Forests and Baragems

 8 walkers and 1 x dog. Martin, Russell, Linda, Tim, Gill, Sue, Jim and Geoff (photographer).  Plus, Toby the dog.

We met at the café, which was closed for holidays and then drove 3kms further up the road for the start of the walk. 

 We headed up the cool shady path and Martin kept his jumper on.  Out into the sunshine for the starter photo, not jumper now!

Then it was round the winding paths, stopping along the way to water ourselves and Toby dog.

At the 6-finger junction we took the path which lead down into the valley.

Then it was through a couple of very dried up rivers.

Toby was sniffing to see where the water was in one of them.

Further along the path we joined the road for a 50metre stretch of tarmac and came across the hand made sign for “Happy House”.

We left the tarmac stretch and back onto the dirt tracks, stopping to admire the quaint little church.

Across a bridge over another dry river bed.  Luckily, they had built a newer bridge to replace the original pedestrian one.

 The ducks had come out to say hello, but no Peking duck tonight as Toby was on the lead and behaved impeccably (for a change).

Someone had decided the Happy House was now a “Happy Love House”.  We wondered what this house would look like.

 What a disappointment – tent city in the beautiful countryside!

We admired the decorative cart before heading up out of the valley.

We stopped in the shade by a baragem for some light snacks whilst Toby enjoyed a cool off in the water.

 

Then back up another hill and past another baragem which looked similar to the other one, but no, we hadn’t gone round in circles.

The arrows the leader had laid down on the recci earlier in the week were still almost intact so that gave everyone confidence as it was starting to get quite warm.  I did part of this walk backwards way round so we had the shade of the pine trees later in the morning.  Hence the part recci and the arrows.

We finished the walk before 1pm (as promised) 13.18kms in 3 ½ hours so quite a good pace.

 We drove to the Ourique café for well needed cool drinks and Linda and Russell stayed for lunch there.

Hope you enjoyed the inaugural walk, we did, and it was great to catch up with everyone.  Thanks, Geoff & Martin  for the photos, they gave me something to write about.  

Linda, Russell and Toby dog.

 

 

 Algarve Wednesday Walkers Annual Sparrowfart Hike and Breakfast

10th July 2024

At the crack of dawn—well, okay, 7am, which is practically the middle of the night for some—we gathered at Sue’s charming countryside abode in Gorjoes for the infamous Sparrowfart Hike. The early birds included our host Sue, the ever-enthusiastic Karen and Steve, the dynamic Ros and Peter, with our fearless leader Martin arriving fashionably late.

With the aroma of freshly brewed coffee perking us up, we set off on our 9km escapade. The morning was nothing short of perfect, the Algarvian sun casting its golden glow over the landscape. We trotted along ancient donkey trails, our spirits as high as the hills we aimed to conquer. After a minor detour (or as we like to call it, an off-piste adventure), we crossed the road and commenced the climb to the windmills.

The ascent was a bit of a leg-burner, but the panoramic views at the top were worth every step. From Santa Barbara to the distant silhouettes of Faro and Olhao, and even the shimmering sea, it was a sight to behold. Naturally, this called for a water break and a mini photo shoot—because if there’s no photographic evidence, did the hike even happen?

Rehydrated and rejuvenated, we began our descent. With Karen and Steve’s local expertise guiding us, we opted for a new trail through ancient paths. True to form, we managed to miss a turn, leading to an impromptu wall-climbing session. Nothing bonds a group like scaling old walls together!

Back at Sue’s, we were greeted by Jan, who, despite her recent hip operation, was a whirlwind in the kitchen. Sue and Jan was whipping up a storm of traditional Scottish breakfast delights. Picture this: potato cakes golden and crispy, Laird’s eggs nestling with smoked salmon, heaps of mouth-watering bacon, and homemade beans that could make any tinned variety weep with jealousy. And let's not forget the haggis, which was met with both trepidation and enthusiasm.

This feast was washed down with fresh orange juice and lovely coffee, the perfect post-hike fuel. For those of us with a second stomach reserved for desserts, the breakfast finale was a heavenly spread of scones slathered with tangy lemon curd.

A huge thanks to Sue and Jan for their hospitality and culinary wizardry, and to all our fellow walkers for making it a memorable end-of-season hike. Until next year’s Sparrowfart adventure, may your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, and more importantly, lead you to a table full of breakfast goodies!

Martin