AWW – RIBEIRA DAS CANAS 11 MARCH 2020

AWW – RIBEIRA DAS CANAS 11 MARCH 2020

We met at 9.45am at the Café in Rasmalho and then car shared ready for a prompt start at 9.51am.

17 enthusiastic looking walkers and 1 brave dog.  Sara, Steve, Margaret, Jim, Scott, Ros, Linda, Frank, Doug, Laura, Trudy, Dan, O.P, Sue, Terry, David, Russ and Jasper the dog.

The day was already warming up before we scrambled up the short, sharp hill.  Jim decided to pass on the hill so Linda scrambled back down and escorted him round an easier route.

The rest of the group enjoyed a breather at the top before heading out to enjoy the flat section and views up to Caldas de Monchique.

Linda and Jim joined the group further along.  But a couple of kms later Jim decided it was time he should drop out before the “point of no return”.  Frank kindly offered to escort him back to the cars.  Then we were held up again whilst David desperately tried to find the arm to his broken glasses.  After groveling in the grass for 10 minutes someone spotted it hanging from his ear.

The temperature was rising fast as we headed up the hills.  By the time we stopped for lunch it must have been around 28C.  We all struggled to find shade and some had to squeeze together under one tree.

We enticed them to set off again with the lure of lots of downhill and flat sections for the 2nd half.  Plus a nice breeze and made an appearance.  Everyone was trying to make the water last a bit longer.

Ros having just returned from colder climes and not used to the excessive heat and hill walking was starting to feel physically drained.  We made her wear a hat and Dan poured freezing cold water over her head.  Much to Ros cries “I don’t normally wear a hat and that was freezing”.  Fortunately, this helped cool her down and we nursed her round to the end.

We had plenty of river crossings and lots of mud.

We headed down the new valley to the small baragem and Jasper took a cooling swim.

The boys also took time to cool off and Dan collected more water for the ladies to pour over their hot necks.

    

By now we were all well strung out but the front group made it back to the café in just under 5 ½ hours where ice cold beer was well deserved and comments of “the best cold beer ever”.  Fifteen people finished the walk of 20.9kms.  Thank you to everyone for joining us and especially to Doug and Laura.  Hope we havent scared you off.  We enjoyed watching Laura run down the hills with her beautiful golden locks bouncing around

PS – no photo at the café as we all looked well bedragled.  Until next time!!!! Linda and Russell

Another gentle stroll.....not !

AWW : 4th March 2020


With good reason the AWWalkers are a suspicious lot, so when the word "strenuous" enters into the Joining Instructions, for some other more pressing priorities for the day, like planning for Corvid 19 "Self Isolation", quickly seem far more appealing. And so, as the group photo reveals, only 5 victims dared to enter out. Indeed even the cafe was closed, which could have been an ominous start but the only real concern at the time was the chilly wind lapping around our legs.

L to R: Don, Jan, Roger, Sue, Frank, Olli-Pekka (OP)

As it transpired the high cloud and gentle yet still chilly breeze, made for ideal walking conditions which was just as well, for we all set off at a brisk pace, heading for the hills. At this stage the Leader was not at all concerned having now remembered that a number of additional obstacles (hills) had been omitted from instructions, so surely our pace would soon slow. Wrong. When you have ex-military personnel (Don) and a triathlete (OP) for company, the pace does not alter !

As you will see most of the following photographs, taken by the Leader, were from behind !

Frank & OP ...."Lets do this"

Don & Jan ....with at least one of them still smiling !

With the first good climb of the day behind us, we were soon confronted with a short(..ish)

far more steeper incline. Frank, who is a walking encyclopaedia of Algarve pathways in this area, exclaimed " Oh No,...we're not going up there are we, I always walk around ". Alas for Frank both Sue & Jan had already made progress. Well progress of sorts as Jan had already been on "all fours" and Sue was seen undertaking an off balance pirouette before landing upright again. Anyway surprisingly we all reached the summit without a collective scratch.

Leaning into the incline

Nearly there !

Following a short scramble down onto more compact gravel, we were at last able to walk with heads high admiring the views, rather than focused down wondering where to place our feet.

Thankfully its not a busy road

No, we're not turning right !

Walking uphill again, this time to lunch in Fonte Ferrea

The two shorter climbs into Fonte Ferrea, were by now to prove far less daunting and we 

rolled into our picnic stop exactly 3 hours from the start having covered over 1000m in ascent,  and 12.4 km in distance.

With the Cafe at F. Ferrea open and the sun now shining brightly, a very welcome lunch break was taken with coffee, whilst relaxing alongside the river.

Leaving the hills behind us during the afternoon leg, we crossed down via the outskirts of Alportel,

with seemingly every local dog now heralding our approach. Its a sound the locals obviously enjoy as you never hear them telling their animals to be quiet.  A little further on and interestingly a new vine plantation was encountered which could have blocked any further progress as it wasn't there during a recee last year, but fortunately there remained a stoney path alongside which neatly led into the lane we required. Thereafter we generally zig zagged our way either side of the road that leads from Cerro de Alportel back to Cafe Correia.

Unfortunately the lack of photographs witnessing our return was due to a combination of tiredness

and battery fatigue. Although OP's phone was still able to transmit our final stats, as below

Distance 21.24 km

Ascent 1420m

Av Speed 4.6km/hr

On balance it was preferable to "Self - Isolation",  although you probably won't find me

volunteering to follow the exact same route again !

With thanks to all for your company.

Roger