AWW 20 - 10 - 21      The Mystery Stone Walk

The photos say it all !!

                                            

A disorderly crowd of 11 walkers ( yes, 11 !! ) met at A Ponte in Alte and made their way up into the village.

That´s more like it. Tony, Martin, Jim, Frank, John, Alan, Sue, Susan, David, Gill and Ros ( camera )

  

Up and up  -    it isn´t called Alte for nothing.

We walked along the old caminho linking Alte and Santa Margarida under a watchful eye

 Up to the converted windmill and down the track towards Fonte Santa 

We passed the Mystery Stone - literally as no-one spotted it  - but they were sent back to see if anyone could make sense of it

 no-one could so we continued down and along the valley to join the Via Algarviana where we did a short recce for Geoff´s next adventure

 No water in the Fonte but some cute little dogs

Heading now towards the N124 past a field of drying maize - Algarve autumn colours

 we took a diversion down into a ravine - no water but some welcome shade and then up onto the road for 10mins of tarmac

Lunch was in the dry riverbed of the Ribeiro do Alte

and then a long wide zig zag up the hill towards Monte Brito

To avoid a long uphill slog on hot tarmac back up to Alte David offered an alternative which most of us welcomed - but of course it wouldn´t be a David route without a few prickles ! 

We made it and soon the track led us down beside the orange grove

and there was light at the end of the tunnel !

A clamber up onto the road and we were back in Alte in no time

 for a welcome beer, wine or whatever.

Apologies to Sue and Gill who didn´t enjoy the prickles - has one of you resigned and thrown your boots away ?

Thanks for joining me and thank you David for your diversion.

I´m told the walk was about 15k .

The route was in my head .