It has been a long and winding road and taken many more hours than I ever imagined but with help from Geoff and Terry I did it - the BLOG that is !!
The walk, by comparison, was a doddle. here it is:-

A Tour round the Turbines.  Friday 1st May. 

z

Starting point is the Turbine Cafe ( some of you will remember this from the old days ). I enjoyed a large mug of coffee but remained seated as I still had my pyjama bottoms on. The rest of the group must have been still queueing for coffee or in the loo so starter photo is R-L or L-R  Ros.


Point of interest no1 - we now have our own ' Wolf Hall' in Pomar. They are protecting the avocado gold within.
I headed north down the track beside our house which joins the road to Fonte Joao Luis.


hillsides of yellow furze


turbines now to my south.

Cork trees yes but can you spot the sheep ?


Again, some of you will recognise this little cafe .
kind of them to leave the chairs out for solitary walkers
needing a rest.


This is the cork depot weighbridge but I gave it a miss
as weighing oneself during lockdown is a definite no-go.
A proper AWW walk needs a trig so I now took a track heading
south east to join the Pico Alto road
then turning north again up the very steep back route to the turbines, the trig



and another little sit down - this time with a view.



Then back down the easier route and across the road to a track which goes down into the valley below Rocha de Messines and I was on the Via Algarviana.


A property for anyone in need of a ' project' - it comes with its own nora, bread oven, outbuildings, large garden, tiled and paved patios and a roof terrace. Or, just round the corner there are ' Grand Designs' - no worries as the glass has been delivered !



The turbines are still just in sight - now from the east.


I turned north off the Via A up and down into Cumeada and then down again towards Conqueiros, stopping at the washhouse for a refreshing splash in one of the sinks.


Had a good chat with this guy who agreed with everything I said and then through the hamlet of Conqueiros where some of  the cottages are being smartened up ( and some not )



Along the way I took lots of photos of the wild flowers - too many to include but just imagine all the vetch,scapius,purple cistus, tiny white cistus, thistle,wild gladioli, blue scylla, lavender, wild rose, periwinkle and then all the different yellow blooms - incredible.
From Conqueiros it was a short distance before turning back up the track I'd started out from and back home where I completely forgot to take a photo of my large shandy - believe me, it was great.

Stats.  Very warm weather.  distance 15.45 k.  elevation - lots !