Val Do Boi and Hunting Lodge – 6 NOVEMBER 2024

 

AWW WALK REPORT – 6 NOVEMBER 2024 – Val Do Boi and Hunting Lodge

 14 walkers and 2 dogs. David, Linda, Tony, Susan, Karen, Jan, Audrey, Sue, Bruce, Julie, James, John, Steve and Geoff (photographer).  Plus, the 2 dogs Toby and Bica.

We met at the café and everyone had time for a coffee and quick catch up.  Then we drove 4kms further up the road for the start of the walk.  Then we headed up the cool shady path.

 

At the large puddle we let the dogs have a cool off before the climb up the valley. 

It was a gradual climb up the valley for an hour but there was lots of chatting going on.

Just the odd downhill thrown in amongst the climb.

At the top we could enjoy great views down the valley.

Just a short stretch of tarmac but no cars came by so the dogs could stay off lead.

 

Jan wanted to be Queen of the throne.

Some enjoyed snacking on the Madrona fruits along the way.

Toby preferred to munch on an antler horn which he found.

 

We arrived at the Hunting Lodge at the 7km point for an early lunch.  We had fresh water for the dogs and hand washing, plus some nice chairs to sit on.

Bruce entertained us with a demonstration of the “Arlindos” Healthy Ageing exercises he has learned. 

He put his sandwich down before he started, big mistake when there are dogs around.

Some just relaxed and enjoyed the lovely countryside, nice blue skies and the flowers.

We tried to guess what the numbers one to 5 were but as it is a hunting area Linda assumed it is a shooting range.

We could see Picota in the distance:

On the way down the Valley, we could see the terraces which have been prepared for planting new tree saplings.  Ryan Air have donated 400,000 euros to plant 125,000 Monchique Oak trees which are a critically threatened species since the wildfires in 2018.

It was getting quite warm now and Bica kept resting in the shade.

We saw the power lines that feed the electricity down from Sines to Portimao.

We didn’t see any other sign of life until near the end when we came across this seemingly abandoned car with a pair of dirty socks in the back and rubbish at the side.  Very strange.

Back to the cafe for our refreshments and still the banter went on.  David had brought fund raising calendars from Goldra Dog Charity for us.

 

We completed the 14kms in 4 hours, including the lunch stop.

Thank you to Geoff for taking the photos and the rest of you for joining me us on the walk today.  We were definitely blessed with great weather and stunning scenery.  See you all soon Linda and Toby.

Monchique Picota Loop in Reverse

 

Monchique Picota Loop in Reverse

Date: 30^th October 2024

 

Pre walk drama

Numbers for the walk decreased and increased on the days prior to the walk. The forecast was wet wet wet with heavy rain. Initially we considered cancelling the walk. When we woke up the day of the walk it seemed that this would have been wise as it was lashing. I briefly thought we were back in Ireland and began to dream about a relaxation day. However, reality set in when Julie emailed me that they would join us on the walk. I realised that we are made of sturdy stuff and decided to proceed despite the inclement weather. With raingear, fly spray and factor 50 we reluctantly headed to Monchique.

 

The Walk

Despite the poor forecast we were happy to meet 6 enthusiastic walkers in Monchique. At coffee we discussed when the rain would come and encouraged everyone to bring raingear and sticks. John then came up with the bright idea that we’d do the walk in reverse: clockwise rather than the previous anticlockwise direction. Thinking that we would probably have to turn back when the rain arrived I agreed. From Intermarche we followed the PR2  up a narrow road through a beautiful wooded area until we reached the foot of Picota which intercepted the GR 13 Via Algarviana. There were no volunteers to race to the top of Picota. In fact, everyone declined the challenge to ascend it.

Group

From left to right: Gill, Peter, Susan, Julie, Linda, Ros, Tony and our doggy friend Toby. Photo taken by John

 

 We continued along the PR2 eventually passing in front of a house with the red and yellow PR2 mark inside the gateway. The owner had previously assured us that they would allow access through their land. We are happy to report that this is still the case.

House on PR2

 

We then followed a downhill steep section which provided us with beautiful views of the Barragem de Odelouca. Eventually after 7 kms we stopped for lunch in a  scenic area where three small roads met.

 Lunch in Sun

 

 Julie decided that she was queen of the castle and climbed onto her stone throne. Despite her royal demeanour, dog and walkers ignored her. She reluctantly climbed off her perch and we continued our descent passing a number of houses and two bright and cheerful looking guest houses should we decide to abandon our hike.

The Queen

 

 View South in the sun

 

At this stage the village of Caldas de Monchique was visible through the vegetation. We left this view behind, bypassed this pretty village and departed from the PR2. We continued on a little pathway which necessitated climbing over a number of fallen trees, leaves and some branches. Thankfully all walkers were up to the task at hand and we eventually returned to the PR2. However, the walk still provided us with a further challenge. We climbed up through a gully which even since doing the recce on Sunday was further eroded. Everyone successfully completed this mission. 

We eventually reached a small road with magnificent views of Monchique. We happily descended the narrow roadway and had a well- deserved drink  in the local tavern Barnita. Luckily the weather got better as the walk progressed and there was no sign of the dreaded deluge which had been forecasted. The verdict was that doing the walk in reverse was a success.

 

Leaving PR2

 

Very welcome rest and drink

 

Thanks to all for coming and to Gill for the photos.

Stats

Time: 4 hours walking time

Climb: 540 m

Distance: 13 km

Leaders: Susan and John Ryan