AWW 2015-24: AWW 11th April 2018

Crossing the ~~Rubi~~ Ribeira - To Be or Not To Be.

Sitting here writing with the rain lashing down outside, the day after this little epic, I am astounded at how lucky we were to have only one short shower. Tuesday was a washout - must have been if Sue M stayed at home - and the concern was that the Ribeira de Algibre would have risen too far to make the planned 17.5k walk possible. As it was, fifteen people assembled, in a cold wind but under blue skies, at the Cafe Reguengos, ready for whatever might befall.

It has not been Sue M´s week. Having been confined to barracks on Tuesday, she set out for this walk, only to be turned round by a frantic call from a tenant who had locked himself out of his lodging. That left the following as the AWW for the day:

John, Hazel, Frank, Ros, Myfanwy, Jan, Jim H, Jim L, Pam, Nick, Gill, Isabel, David, Catarina, Alan. Jasper only there for the lunchtime sandwiches.

I explained that the river might defeat us, and that, as advertised, we might have to take on the detour which would increase the total distance by 5k, but that didn´t result in a rush for the cars, so off we went, along the road past Osvaldo´s wonderful mural and over the dangerously narrow river bridge to the turn towards Monte Seco.

Preparing for the climb.

The first stage of the steep hill was undertaken at what is now our usual starting speed, and John duly pointed out the fact when we paused for breath. The rest of the hill was taken slightly more easily, until we reached the open land near the summit, with excellent views behind.

After a brief discourse on the village we were about to walk through, we set off over the hilltop and two field walls to discover that Cabecas de Monte Seco remains largely undeveloped, in spite of the renovation activity we witnessed last time round. In fact the place, including the one cottage that has been lived in, had a very neglected air. The one bit of sanitary ware that we saw was not even plumbed in.

Once a teacher.....

Over the garden wall.

When we tried to escape from the apparently deserted village, we discovered that someone had erected a gate. Nick quickly decoded the opening device (a bent piece of iron), and let us all out.

Quick, before the goons come.

There followed the long and rather rough descent to the river which was achieved without injury but under an increasingly threatening sky. Soon after we reached the valley floor the shower arrived, and we retreated to the shelter of a large tree for a short time. This turned out to be the only rainfall of the day.

I thought the English were used to rain!

Reaching the turn-off to the river, Nick, Jim L John and I walked along to view the state of the water. The decision was marginal, but it was agreed that the speed and depth of the water were just too much for safety, and we were aware that Hazel has an important date with a long walk coming up, so we returned to deliver the sad news.

Nothing for it but to embark on the long level trek, first back to Ribeira de Algibre and then on along the south bank of the river to Tor. This was achieved without incident and at a good speed, though there was a difference of opinion at one point about the distance we had covered. Nick´s device was on overdrive, suggesting that we had walked a good three k more than anyone else had recorded. A flood of water entering the river near Tor was quite an eye-opener.

The Roman bridge at Tor provided seating, shelter from the wind and pleasant river views for lunch. Having got so far so quickly, we were in no desperate hurry to continue, so a relaxing half-hour ensued. John timed it at 24 minutes!

You forgot the begging bowls, guys!

Togetherness (1) Ee it were chilly!

Togetherness (2) The joy of sitting down.

The river from the Roman Bridge.

Then it was on and up, on the winding tarmac through Tor, city of dogs, before hitting open country again at Cerro das Corvas. A minor navigation error had us walk a couple of hundred metres further than necessary, but all was quickly rectified and we proceeded to climb, steeply at first and then more gently, up to the ridge leading west to the Benafim road. In Tor, we came across a typically idiosynchratic monument to the development of the community over many decades.

Dinosaurs R Us.

View from the climb to the ridge.

The rough short-cut track to avoid said road was not especially popular at the end of 20k, but it got us down through the olive grove and past the old lime-kiln, with only a k or so to go, when disaster struck. Trouble with Jasper is that he is so well-behaved that it is easy to forget him, and he was well ahead of me with the leading group when they reached the main road. Untypically, he charged into the road in front of a car which narrowly avoided him. Then he ran off, evading attempts to stop him.

Then followed at least a half-hour of searching and calling - many thanks to Catarina for helping out. We had returned to the bar where the rest of the group had gathered and were contemplating the next move when a tiny shape was seen moving on the track we had come down earlier. I raced off in the car, recovered a very upset hound and took him back to the bar where there were cheers all round. Thus the usual end of walk gathering was not. Many thanks to all for your concern and assistance. Jasper is none the worse for his adventure.
Thanks also to John and Alan for photographic contributions.