AWW 18 September 2024....a shortened Montes de Cima

 Montes de Cima....shortened.....18 September 2024

Linda's inaugural walk last week was (relatively) short but hot, so I thought I  had better do a shortened version of the 18km walk we usually do from the Honey Cafe. By cutting out a loop, I guestimated it would be 14kms.....but the last time I guestimated ( back in June) I was a bit wrong and not all walkers were too happy at the resultant 22kms.....

Hence, a 100% recce , 14.6 kms but sweltering with an 0915 start, so new start of 0830, rather than Linda's 0900. The Honey Cafe was closed for the week of the recce, but would be open the following week....what could possibly go wrong?

So, after getting up in the dark and arriving in good time, I  was horrified ( & almost lynched) to find that the Honey Cafe owners had decided to take an extra week's holiday, so here are the Bakers' Dozen posing with their tomgues hanging out for a caffine fix......with Yours Truly behind the lens in Alan's absence in Madeira :

We welcomed two newcomers, Zac and Carl.....both from the USA , both Massachusetts ,but from different parts of the Algarve.

L to R : Zac ( newbie), David, Karen, Stephen, Bruce,Vyv, Martin, Peter, Tim, Carl ( another newbie), Ros and Sue.....Geoff behind lens....and of course, Rafa, back from being a bit poorly last week.

After 10 mins of tarmac, the usual mixture of ups and downs:

With an appointed Rear Marker/Tail-end Charlie bringing up the rear...

The streams had run dry.....there used to be stepping stones here....

But this was all there was now:

A dig through the archives revealed what the crossings were once like....Bica back in February 2022

Someone had a passion for cairns:

Now what did I say about not straggling?????

Anyway, we managed the big hill by 1000, which was the reason for an early start, but the weather was pleasantly warm rather than baking hot and we even had quite a breeze.

Rafa found some water at last:

One more hill to breast on the way back...

...a well earned respite...

...before  walking back to the Honey Cafe where there was a note on back of car....an apology from the cafe that it was shut?....a note to say someone had bonked the car?....fortunately not, Gill & Jim had passed and left some delicious grapes!

Then off to O Tasco , a well earned drink, and splitting up the bountiful supply of grapes. Very many thanks to Gill & Jim.

Thanks to all....with the kitty now at 3€ pp, Mrs Kitty ( Ros) resumed her old job and turned in a 12.4€ profit.....better than the 40 cents it would otherwise have been!

Stats follow....from my recce. Time elapsed on the walk was longer at 4 hours, but we did stop and admire the scenery quite a bit : moving speed probably about the same, but perhaps someone logged it?

Geoff

PS

Two of the water crossings have been bridged over, this is what they were like back in 2016 with one of my Monday  walks, with Sue, Ros and Russell looking a bit younger....

Map and Stats