Quite a sizeable group of AWWs plus two or three WAGs - 24 in all - gathered at Restaurante Mira Rio for the season´s closing walk, which was around and over that parcel of land near Silves known as Ilha do Rosario. Were it not for 3 unavoidable last-minute cancellations, there might have been 27 of us. There was definitely an end-of-term air among the group who seemed reluctant to be photographed and, after that, to even get moving.
The Starters:- Those visible - Yves, Ros, Isabel, Roger, Graça, Alan, Sandra, Trish, Julie, David L, Maria, Jan, Steve, Karen, Martin, Jim H, Barbara, Hilke, John H, Terry M, plus Bella the dog
The silhouettes in the background are of those who either were too contrary to follow the photographer´s instructions to move forward or suffer from an excess of modesty; at a guess, they are:-
Rosemary Frew, Rod, Steve from Luz, and Tony. Somewhere also Baxter the other dog.
When we gathered, the eyes of the Restaurante´s proprietress had lit up at the prospect of 24 captive lunchers and she was keen to know what time we would be back. When we did eventually set off, we met her gathering fruit down by the side of the canal and Isabel was able to explain to her that not all of the group would be lunching. In the end, about 10 did.
A gentle stroll along the side of the canal to ease the muscles to start with, and then a sharpish scramble up a fairly modest hill to get the blood circulating, passing as we did so a blue blob on a rock, a route marker laid down probably 20 or so years ago by the AWW´s founder, Maurice.
An ancient monument
As we paused for breath after the climb, we were given the once-over by an inquisitive and friendly young horse, apparently allowed to roam free on the hill top, which made a more pleasant sight than that of some of the cruelly hobbled creatures we´d come across on recent walks.
We then skirted that intriguing abandoned hill-top mansion with its great views over the estuary but with little by way of access road……
……and with its imposing entrance stairway but with no front nor back yard.
It was then a matter of working our way down into the valley and then going off piste, carefully avoiding a spread of bee hives and a very deep open well. Nobody got stung and nobody fell in. However, while we were moving across a trackless expanse of field, Jim H had to duck sharply to avoid being attacked by an aggressive rogue tree
as did Isabel.
With the late arrival of the summer there were still lots of wild flowers in the fields
a considerable number of which found themselves attached, as is usual, to Maria´s hairdo.
Moving round the hillside, we caught views of Silves and its castle and then had a bit of a downward scramble, during which Rosemary had a tumble, to the road leading along to the Clube Nautico de Silves. The bar there seems to have been smartened up in recent months, with new furniture,
and with new “philosophical” signs on the wall but, true to form, nary a sign of a barman. But, even so, people were happy to relax in the shade for a while.
Look closely. Is that someone trying to break into the bar at the back?
Commodore Littlewood - “I see no ships. No, and no barman either.”
When we left the Clube, the WAGs contingent, Rod, Rosemary and Hilke, decided to take the low road along the canal while the rest of us took the high road.
This seems a suitable point at which to show the track and the statistics:-
The yellow line shows the WAGs´ low road.
Statistics
Total distance:- 7.65 kms. Total time:- 2 hours 55 mins. Moving time:- 2 hrs 15 mins
Moving average:- 3.4 kph. Ascent:- 260 metres.
Going up the hill at the back of the Clube, we were passing through the campismo area when the Algarve´s very own version of Poldark, bronzed, bearded and naked from the waist up, emerged from the ablutions block. Jan yelled “I saw him first, girls!” and for a moment it seemed possible that she might desert us oldies in favour of “fresh woods and pastures new” but, in the end, her loyalty to the memory of her Venetian Casanova prevailed and she continued with us.
Down from the hill again, we moved along the canal to the look-out point over the confluence of the Arade and Odelouca Rivers, where the WAGs trio was waiting for us.
Graça got into the wild flower mode as well, selecting species that dry well.
It was then but a simple flat walk back to Mira Rio.
Yves, Rod and Rosemary were a bit delayed at this juncture because Yves assumed his best Médecins Sans Effronterie manner and he spent a few minutes applying salve to her grazed knee (so we are told, but there is no photographic evidence to back his claim). However, he does know his knees, does Yves.
Here we settled down for the usual post-walk drinks, with Jan deputising for SueM as cash collector, and, for some people, lunch.
M.le Docteur The Beez-Neez looking totally innocent
So that´s it, the end of another AWW season. Have a good summer, everyone.
Photocredits: Yves, Terry M, JohnH.
