AWW 2019 03 20: Behind Silves with a Spring in One´s Step

The pre-walk blurb had been as follows:-

AWW Wednesday 20th March 2019.  Non-Athletic Stroll
Meeting Point: Cafe Elias. Start Time: 9.30 a.m.
This walk will be approximately 19 kms, all on recently recce´ed tracks. A few middle-grade uphills, one steepish descent. Occasional water for dogs. A few water crossings but none expected to be deep. Stretches of level ground. No opt-out. Your leader doesn´t move at more than 4 kph average so here´s a cautionary Easy Jet style paraphrase for those with greyhound-like propensities, “take time to look around – your nearest leader may be behind you.” 

Despite that caution, most of our more athletic types did turn out, and promised to be on their best behaviour and to follow the leader.
It was great to see Miriam back after several month´s lay-off following her ankle accident – maybe she had been lulled into a false sense of security by the “non-athletic” label in the blurb, but she did exceptionally well all day. It was also good to see Val and Manuela out for their first walks of the season. Welcome. too, to visitors Brian, Kay, Dan and Trudie. Altogether there were 23 starters; quite a turn-out , but then it was the Vernal Equinox after all – night equals day – and Spring was in the air.

The Starters  (from the left)
Ken, Kay, Manuela, Dan, Trudy, FrankM, Brian, David, John the Cyclist, Margaret, Gill, Steve, Miriam with Bica, Russell, Val, Linda, Jim, Ros, SueM, Martin, Isabel, Hazel, JohnH (leader).
Somewhere in the background, David´s Jasper.
Despite the coffee service being painfully slow, we managed a remarkably prompt 9.30 am start. We turned right up the hill past the organic strawberry farm and when we paused at the top of the first hill, the leader realised with horror that something had already gone terribly wrong. For all that he had forecast no more than 4 kph, he had been going at over 4.5 kph –uphill! Something really had to be done, but, try as he might, for the rest of the walk, he fought a losing battle to slow things down.

We had two fairly long gentle downhills where it was simply not possible to walk that slowly. On one of these stretches, Dan spotted a brown snake in the middle of the track just beginning to wake up in the morning sunlight.

We then tackled a 2 km long uphill stretch, at the top of which the leader pointed out a slightly higher ridge and suggested that those who wanted to catch a sight of the Arade Barragem  in the distance might like to go up there for a look-see. Remarkably enough , 12 individuals fell for that sucker punch (it´s quite remarkable what you can get some people to do!) and off they went to look, while the sensible ones among us had a very welcome pause for breath and refreshment.

   12 go looking for a Barragem
Then came the sharp descent into the Aquas Belas valley which tested Miriam´s resolution quite severely , but she made it.This valley, with its crystal clear stream repeatedly disappearing and reappearing under the stones, was pleasantly green after the recent fire damage.

One or two water crossings but all minor. At 12 midday, we stopped beside the old Medronho Factory for an early lunch in the shade. John the Cyclist perched as usual on his light-weight folding stool…

while Jim constructed something rather heavier to perch on from materials found inside the dilapidated factory

Lunch took an indulgent 30 minutes, well over AWW norms. Shortly after lunch, Jasper disturbed a deer on the track but, obedient to David´s command, didn´t waste too much time chasing after it. (A bit surprising to catch a deer out in the open at that time of day.)

After 4. 5 kms along the valley track, we swung south and up the last steep climb of the day. Steep although that was, it didn´t really slow the average pace down by very much. It was then a gentle ridge walk down towards Encherim, inevitably picking up speed as we went. It was while we were up on this ridge that we heard the sound of a whistle in the distance; we paused, whistled back; then there was silence. We couldn´t see any one, but somehow we felt we were being watched. And, as these pictures show, we had indeed been watched, and photographed.

    Did you hear that whistle?
Down onto  the low flat ground behind Encherim (and it really is low there - 8 metres above sea level according to the leader´s gizmo), round a corner we went and all became clear.

There he was, the whistle blower all in camouflage and in shorts (well, we  did say it was Spring). Geoff our Co-ordinator had come to meet us and to receive a warm welcome from all his female admirers.

   What´s all the fuss about?
There was now about 4 and a bit kms still to go and speed was still critically high, particularly as Trudy kept breaking into a trot. The leader had somehow to play for time. He called  Hazel to take the lead in an attempt to calm things down. Then, a final throw of the dice, on the last ridge above home, he called the group together for a lengthy  huddle and asked for their co-operation. He pointed out that the barrista at Café Elias, nice old guy that he is, was not exactly the fastest gun in the West, and suggested that we put in our drinks orders here and now, and send one runner ahead to get those drinks ready so as to avoid delays round the coffee machine. SueM was volunteered for that job.  She, having taken orders for 13 beers, 4 7-ups, 2 white wines and 1 red, then set off like a prize greyhound released from its trap, delighted to be able to hit her normal pace once again after a whole day´s unwonted restraint. Unfortunately,eleven others could also smell the beer in the distance and off they raced after her down the main track, failing to note that the Leader had gone to the right and was taking a less obvious but more scenic route home, past a small barragem.

    The more scenic route
So, having gained a 24th walker at Encherim ( how often does that happen on an AWW?), the leader now saw the group split in half  over the final half-kilometre. (Your a-political Blog editor has vetoed the obvious Leaver-Remainer analogy).  No-one got lost, however, and all re-united at the Café where, thanks to SueM, arrangements for the after-walk drinks went perfectly; Hazel distributed avocadoes, and got banana skins, plastic bottle tops and packets of sugar in return; and the ever-hospitable proprietress of Café Elias  brought out her customary on-the-house offerings of cookies and biscuits.

And the results of all the day´s efforts?
Here are the Track and the Statistics:-

Total Distance: 19.6 kms. Total Time: 5 hrs 55 mins.
Moving Time: 4 hrs 33 mins. Lunch Stop: 33 mins.
Average Moving Speed: 4.33 kph (!!!!!).
Total Ascent: 683 metres.

Thanks to Geoff for his pics and, to all who took part, thanks for your company.
JohnH.