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.