20th September. Salir in the Round - Enlarged.
After a very hot summer, the weather had at last turned a little cooler, but an 09.00 start was still considered advisable, so that is what happened. A party of 14 gathered at the Cafe Opcao in Salir, viz:
Miriam, Ken, Ros, Jim H., Gill, Jim L., Pam, Nick, Yves, Rose, Jan, Roger, Sue M., and David. Only Bica from the four-legged brigade was on hand to start the new season.
After much meeting and greeting and waiting - for Yves, inevitably - we left the cafe to walk through Salir up to the Church, whose door was open as we passed - the first time I have ever seen it so. From there it was down the travessa and out of town along the road to the cemetery - Jan could have had an extra half hour in bed had she known we were walking to within a stone´s throw of her house. The cemetery being rather quiet we didn´t linger, but descended to Ponte de Salir, past the Satori HQ with it´s striking mural depicting various singing superstars, and up the steep hill to Covoes. David recounted the sad story of an abandoned dying horse he had encountered on the recce the previous week.
Leaving the village to the right, we followed the farm track that contours above Lagoa da Nave and Nave do Barao. A hunter´s pond at the far end gave Bica much delight, and provided an excuse for a stop.
From there we climbed up to the track that connects Covoes with Portela da Nave. Here Pam and Nick departed,as Pam is nursing a poorly foot, and did not want to make it any worse. David met his firewood supplier on the way and put in his order for the winter. Again skirting the houses, we next headed downhill, through Funcheira and across the valley to Almarginho. Here we stopped to admire what is regarded as one of the oldest trees in the country, a huge double-trunked alfarrobeira which was first discovered for the group by Paul and Myriam some years ago.
Crossing the next low-lying section, we were surprised to find running water, a spring which is clearly surviving the severe drought. This stretch brought us across the stream to the track leading to the N124. Crossing the main road, we walked through Alcaria and along the rough heath track towards the minor road that wanders along the hillside above the Salir valley. Lunch was taken just before reaching said road, in a pleasant grove of trees. Jan was practising her pose for the next photo-shoot:
Then it was some more tarmac as we took to the road, the route relieved by the various hamlets we passed through on the way. At Pe da Serra (no, not that one, the other one....the one at the bottom of the hill....) we discovered the last relic of a long-forgotten dispute, in which two of our number appear to be implicated. In the words of an old Yorkshireman (not so much of the old, thank you) ´It wor a reight queer do. Nobdy knew which on ´em rightly oned it. Wether it wor Jim up yonder or Jim ovver theer. So they put that theer marker up an left ´em to soort it aat. It looks as if peace ´as brokken aat onny rooard´.
In the increasing heat, we moved on, eventually reaching the steady climb to the saddle above the home of one T. Ames esq. Descending thereto,we roused said gentleman from his afternoon slumber, engaging in pleasant discourse whilst soliciting fresh supplies of potable water (who writes this trash?)
Then it was forward again, across the shallow valley and onto the road leading back into Salir. At this point, the leader mistakenly offered a choice between a further pleasant stroll across country, to come up to the bar from the south, or a somewhat more direct march along the tarmac back into the town. The second alternative was unanimously chosen, so that´s what we did. Drinks at the Opcao were more than usually welcome, and all were keenly aware that they had a) been on a walk, and b) (the majority) not been on enough walks recently. And it really was rather warm.
Stats: Distance around 18.5k
Time: Around 5.5 hours
Ascent around 600m
Average slope around 5.9%
More super stills from Yves..
Three Roses and a Thistle.
Oh lord, upside down again....
