AWW 2015-24: AWW 6th February 2019 Fonte Felipe.

What a load of Moaning Minnies

The café was shut. Shame. I told them that it was likely, but they still turned up ages before the planned start and rattled the chains. I am told it was like a scene from the Walking Dead, milling about outside the gates desperate for fresh coffee. Not that I know as I am too scared to watch.

It did not matter, they all arrived at the fonte by the appointed time and John H took the starting photo.

Starting Photo: who is not looking at the camera but still showing their best profile

There are 27 plus 2 dogs in the photo. Including John the photographer.

The leader counted 27 out at the start, and 27 during the walk, and 27 at the end of the day.

However Julie, in the pink, between Isabel and Trish, did not walk with us.

It just shows that as the leader only has about 10 fingers and 10 toes that he has no chance of counting above 20.

Still it was a great turnout, and as usual, I did not mind at all, that we had more than expected

We were off at 10:03. Everyone was still feeling the cold as they had been unable to get a hot coffee. It was chilly and there was some frost on the ground, found by the leader who had been out earlier checking the start of the route.

However 5 minutes later it was out of the shade and up the first hill. At the top most stopped to remove a layer, but the front runners were off, just "drooling" to get further up the hill. Sadly for them, the leader was off on a different track to the east and they had to trudge back down and take up the position at the back.

It should be noted that Russel was giggling away to himself as he had not taken the bait and was in the body of the group.

That kept the group together for a few kilometres. Although when they paused for the photograph at these ruins, you can see that we are missing a few: and there is someone else at the back planning to wander around the back of the buildings

And then it was the morning hill. I was straggling at the back. Obviously someone nearer the front had too much energy. They had marked out some "beds" on the track. It had to be a "Scotch" person, as an English person would have marked a hopscotch design.

Those of a certain age and nationality would all have been expert in this competitive sport: I would be surprised if the Portuguese and Danes are familiar.

John H provided me with an early selfie when he wore short breeks. He said that he always used a Kiwi Black polish tin as a peever. Please contact John H for the translations and descriptions. It is all his fault (these funny words), as we slouched at the back talking in the old tongue.

We stopped at the top of the hill and some had a seat.

But we had to get on. so it was round the hills with views over to Rocha de Pena and Foia. That is what you can see from the top of the world.

I had let the front runners "off the leash" and told them to stop at the sign for the step descent, as I had a location planned for lunch. But there was no stopping them and they just shot past it.

Again it was Russel who was in the middle of the group who brought the rest to a halt as planned and when requested strode off to stop the ones at the front.

The rest of us mostly sat at the edge of the track in the cheap "upper balcony" for lunch

While some took their proper place in the expensive front stalls in the thick of the action.

Then the leader got caught throwing away his banana skin. He was trying to feed the dog roses. But he was seen and someone "clyped" on him to Hazel. The leader just sat there and silently recited his long remembered schoolyard chant "tell tale tit, yer mammy cannae knit, yer daddy cannae go tae bed withoot a dummy tit".

So it was down the hill, through the water along the road and through the water and up the hill.

A typical AWW walk.

There was an offer to shorten the route, but as expected no-one was brave enough to step forward and accept. so it was up the hill and down the valley.

You can see that as we got to the last few kms that the Danes were slowing. Not as much as John and I. However they probably have an excuse as the highest point in Denmark is hardly a hill. John says he is going to lead his next walk nearby