Moinha da Roche...with a difference.
The instructions on the can said : " ...this is the one where Sue fell and broke her wrist doing a reccie : no worries though, we'll be walking up that section, rather than down, so it should be safer......whilst similar to the M da R walk I have led a couple of times in the past, this has a new beginning and end and a bit of a different middle.....the track is quite undulating, with one quite steep section . There is one section that is a bit overgrown so trousers are advisable"....in addition, I added at the start that whilst all had been reccied, the section we were doing in reverse hadn't been in that direction, so be prepared...
Almost a full house of 20 walkers made it to the Honey Cafe by the designated start time ( some only just...) , ready for a coffee and a starters photo ; alas without the technical expertise of one John H who was resting from his AWW exertions of leading last week with an easier ride as WAGS blogger. Cynics, I heard, said I'd only take a picture of the railings, but I didn't...
Starters were, L to R, Ros(talking!), David, Alexander, Manuella, Linda, Russell,sue M, Geoff,Moira,Trudy, Sarah, Scott, Alan,Sandra, Dan, Gill, Alan, (Cycling) John,Jim, Isabel....and Jasper.
We welcomed Sue's friend Moira, Manuella's son Alexandre ( a doctor, a sign perhaps?) and our Canadian friends Dan & Trudy. Keen observers will notice that neither the leader nor many of the walkers followed the leaders advice not to wear shorts due to some off-piste work!
There's often a white cat with a chewed ear at the Honey Cafe : today there was a dreadlocked dog who made friends with Linda:
Off we set, only to realise we weren't the only ones out enjoying the sunshine and the spring flowers....the Honey Cafe wasn't named that by accident, and both Ros and Scott were stung. Fortunately, the First Aid bag that I had carried for the last decade or so , lost it's virginity and healing antihistamine cream was soon applied after the stings had been extracted.
No, it isn't Darth Vadar, it's Alan in anti-bee gear!
It was during this section of off-piste work that the leader gave an involuntary shout....a 6 inch sharp twig had penetrated my shoe ( a Merrell walking shoe before you ask) and had stuck in my foot...mercifully, not all 6 inches, but enough! Application of Germalene from the First aid kit did the trick...bit like London buses ....nothing used for years then twice in almost is many minutes!
We skirted well to the east to avoid the hippy-type community that had turned Ros back on a previous walk here, and walked up the hill where Sue fell and broke her wrist doing the reccie.
Dan found a kaleiderscope....but not the usual plastic affair, one made of turned brass :
It shows he was an observant policeman in a former life : last week he found the brown snake!
It was soon after this that the leader made the fundamental mistake of talking and walking and following , compounded by walking this section in reverse...as a result, we came to an abrupt cliff-edge ( well, almost) and had to retrace our steps for a few hundred yards.
I was comforted at that stage...we had had 3 accidents/incidents, so nothing else could go wrong, could it?
The track then undulated, with far more ups than downs...but here's a slippy one....
and we saw the latest fire warning signs...
Old hands at Moinha da Roche may recognise the masthead picture...it's the shortcut near the end, but overgrown! We thus walked a new section, which was mainly all up, so we straggled a lot...
so we had an early(ish) lunch...trust Gill & Jim to find some comfy stones...
You've all seen Cycling John on his stool many a time, so I won't show it again, but here's
Alan's lunch which seemed mainly liquid, but non-alcoholic he assured me...
Off again after about 20 minutes, ever upwards until we joined the old MdR track....but then still ever upward, despite my assurances of " no more hills"....past a distant trig point ( I recall Headley saying that he could never find the way there)...
and our old lunch spot...
before a 7 spotted cistus was seen...and then another...
but Linda was having a rest in the shade
before a nice long downhill stretch, passing a digger doing not-quire-sure-what :
before Linda decided her feet needed cooling as well
before we got to the water crossing
where Ros nearly did a Hazel....
and then one last hill and back the non-bee way to the Honey Cafe.
Never did a Sagres taste so good!
As near as damn-it, 20kms, 5 hours walking, 20 mins lunch, 4kph....well done & thanks to all.
Geoff
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