Season 2018 - 19 Finale. Salir

Traipsing to the Tapas. 12th June 2019. (Salir)

So, here we were again, the end of another season for the AWW. For the time of year, we had a good turnout at the church square in Salir. 14 lined up for the off, as follows:

    Jan, Frank, Sue M, John H, Maria, Tony, Julie, Steve, Margaret, Ken, Miriam, Isabel, Eileen,

David. 

A very warm welcome in particular to Eileen, who doesn't get the chance to walk with us very often. And welcome back Maria - where have you been?

Two (John and Maria) were to leave us after the walk, but two others (Ros and Dinah) were due to join us for lunch at Janela da Serra.

The weather throughout the day was pleasantly warm, tending to hot as we neared the end of the walk. 

Do we have to walk, or can we just wait for lunch?  

We left the cafe (sadly not yet open), and descended the long flight of steps to reach the road out of Salir towards the N124. At the turn off the tarmac, some of our ladies were already looking for a rest.

    Leaning on a park bench....

From here, we wandered along country lanes and narrow footpaths, following the route of the Via Algarviana spur linking the main trail with Loule railway station. After around 20 minutes, I had a brainstorm (not unusual), and led the group hither and thither for about fifteen minutes until I finally came to my senses and continued to follow the red and white, leaving two local residents wondering what on earth we were doing.

Having regained my equilibrium, we proceeded along more quiet roads and footpaths, still following the VA spur just to the north of Salir cemetery, Fonte d'Ouro and Palmeiros. Jan thought she was on a morning run, but was restrained from trotting off.

 Having walked part of the Rua de Palmeiros on tarmac, we turned off at Fonte de Morena and followed the valley track eastwards, failing to get our feet wet as we crossed the river bed. Skirting the hills to the right, we arrived at the M510 and turned to walk up to the N124 near Casa Branca. (I intended to continue to walk across country, but failed to find the track I had walked only a few days earlier!) A trudge along the 124 in increasingly warm conditions brought us to Touriz, where we thankfully turned off and headed briefly uphill past the modern hamlet and up to the ruins of the older settlement.

Which way Squire?  You're asking ME?

Back downhill we hit the dirt road heading up to Carrasqueiro, and followed it for a k or so, then came to the only really steep climb of the day, mercifully short. Shelter was had near the top to await the arrival of the back markers.

No room, no room!

This wasn't in the description!

Then it was off downhill again, through beautifully shady pine woods, heading back towards Salir.

The water tower appeared at a very early stage on the return, giving a slightly false impression that we were almost home!

We soon joined the main VA track coming down from Barranco do Velho, and then I was on home ground. Crossing another raging torrent (not), we headed up past Pedras Ruivas, and on towards Amesville (aka Poco do Arneiro). 

Remains of one of our Algarve Way cistus markers near Terry A's house. We were the true pioneers! (Yes, you too, Rod and Myriam!)

At this point one or two were tiring, so I asked Jan to lead the front runners back to the restaurant - which she did, but not the way I intended to go. I led half the group back the traditional way just to the north of the 124 along the Rua de Barrada and across the fields to join the main road below the church. Jan did the return by going straight to the 124 and back along the road we had left on.

So Jan's party had to climb the steps again, and my group had the punishing hill back up to the church and cafe.

Was it a bit warm then?  Cool Ros quizzes the early arrivals at the cafe. We'll cut down that hedge Jan, save you being dragged through it again.

The walk had taken a bit longer than anticipated, so there was just time for a cool drink outside before we went in to lunch. Monica and Luis did us proud again, with a new and exciting set of tapas dishes.  We toasted absent friends and tucked in.

The tilted wall decorations are a feature of Monica's establishments - you are not drunk.

John took these photos of the feast and then had to leave (with Maria), to minister to Hazel, still suffering her broken foot - get well soon, Hazel! You too, Ros (hip hip etc)

I reminded folk about Sparrowfart, and we have a very generous offer from Miriam and Ken to host the event this year, on the 17th July. 

The Track.

Thanks to John H for all photos and the following stats:

Distance: 12.5 kms.                Total time: 3 hrs 23 mins.

Moving time: 2 hrs 51 mins.  Average moving speed: 4 5 kph.

Ascent: 378 metres.

Thanks to all once more for your companionship and good humour. Ate Setembro!

AWW 5th June 2019: The Sleeping Giant of Malhao

With a degree of trepidation we met at the top of Malhao for 09:30 on the 5th June.

We all know the Portuguese tale of the Sleeping Giant. And it was evident that this was the location. He had left his Lego set out for us.

Sleeping Giants Lego set.

So we decided not to disturb him so early in the morning and we quietly  took cars up to Sitio Das Eguas to start our walk.

There was 13 walkers plus 2 dogs who braved the temperatures.

As John H was in attendance the photos in the Blog are of a high standard compared with those generally provided by the walk leader.

Off we walked down into the valley. Surprisingly for the time of year, the stream still had water and there was a stop just in case any of the 2 legged walkers needed to go for a paddle. The dogs obviously did.

But where comes great valleys, comes great hills, and up we skipped, till the still green valley lay far beneath us.

The leader was lagging behind and the paths were many, so you can see that some would stop and gaze downhill to see if the leader had decided to go off on one of his frequent meanders.

Is Frank Coming This way?

And as we came down to the new road that is being built from "nowhere" to Algandouro at a cost of Euro 1.2million, we found the original setting for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, where the young Harrison Ford was washed through the caverns with a torrent of water.

Who turned the water off?

So we by-passed the road and strode up past the Buddhist retreat centre to our scheduled lunch stop at Malhao. It was fine to sit in the shade

However it was noticed that Jasper had gone hi-tech and was sitting there connected to the internet. I thought that a smaller aerial would have been sufficient in Malhao, but when we looked we had no cell phone signal, so Japer was obviously the intelligent one.

After a leisurely lunch and suitably refreshed we set off up to the fire watch tower, where the watchers were just getting lunch. I have no idea what they do when they need to go to the toilet.

We stopped for the obligatory photo at the trig point. However most were more concerned about where we might be going rather than watching the "birdie".

Are we really going along there?

I think that they were all concerned about the malevolent looking tree, just down the path.

But we tiptoed past and after a mainly downhill saunter through a second valley with more water stops for the dogs, we were back at the cars and soon having a drink at the café.

The Route: Two New Valleys

The Statistics ( the real ones as supplied by John h and not those that I usually make up)

Distance: 13.9km

Total time: 3 hrs 52 mins.

Moving time: 3 hrs 11 mins

Moving average: 4.3 kph – very acceptable (according to John H), I thought that it had been less.

Total ascent: 403 metres. ( more than advised prior tot he walk)

Temperatures: reasonable at the start, but hot towards the end.

The Opportunity

The new road must go somewhere, and if there is a café, then I shall look for a walk in the area. Need to wait for the tar to set before I drive down

Frank M
7th June 2019