Trigs and Windmills. What more could you possibly want in a walk?

 To meet at the fabulous Sue Minnis's house obviously !

We've got a walk for you
and there'll be drinkies too.
Better still, you can chat with Sue.
She´s Scottish and brave (tart).

(Scotland the Brave, clean version)

Sadly there were no bagpipes and marching bands but drizzle and cloud.  Not the boiling hot sun Julie had expected.  Still, after coffee and home-made buns, 12 happy chappies and one impatient dog gathered at the gates for the customary naming and shaming...

From the left: Joern, Karen, Martin, Frankie, Steve, Peter, Jan, Naomi, Rachel, Ros with Linda and Toby on the front row.  Julie was hiding behind the camera.

Julie had taken the precaution of sharing the trail with Steve and Martin so that, should she fall ill, fall off a hill or fall out with someone, they could lead the walkers back.  It was really not necessary as this was a Sue walk so most people had done it in some form or another previously.

A gentle start up the road then off on the marked trail.  However, the gentle stroll couldn't last as everyone knew we were going up to the windmills.  Well, everyone but the guests haha!

Still, it was worth it for the views over Santa Barbara and down to the coast.  Great views of Ikea as well!

Always a good idea to send the oldest walker up to the top of a windmill!!  Who else would be daft enough?

Well it got a proposal....

For Jan

As this is a family blog we're not telling what the proposal was .....

And it wasn't " Rapunsel let down your hair"!!

On up the second windmill.

And yes, Frankie is only 11!

Steve pointed out a good trail towards Mar Shopping which gave Julie a good idea for her next AWW walk. 

Of course everyone knew what was coming next - Nexe  Oh yes, Nexe the hard way  Up the steep, slippery path.  Julie should have realised that the temption of chairs two thirds of the way up would be too much for some i.e. the sensible ones.

A quick breather before the summit.

If there are any aliens watching or listening, this is what some humans do for fun!!

And they send their young up the trigs !!!  She volunteered after we explained it was the tradition. Julie didn´t even have to bribe her with promises of ice cream and/or chips.

After the summit we deviated from Sue's route and followed good tracks down towards the Ribeira de Goldra valley.  Easy tracks with no major downhills. Julie is not good at going down!!  Just ask Tony.

A quick head count to make sure Julie had got everyone safely down!

Yes it was a walk, not a sit-in.

After being given the choice of up to Alto do Relogio or an easier up straight to Goldra, the group made the decision to take the easy route  Julie was relieved.  

After lunch by the roadside, a bit of tarmac before the final off road and trig...

Back to the cars at Sue's and up to the the cafe in Gorjoes for a well earned drink..  Sue can to join us.  Julie was so happy to get everyone back and to have remembered the kitty that she forgot to take the final photo for evidence.  Sack her!!!

Many thanks to Sue for her hospitality.

Stats:

About 14.5 kms, 290 m of climb and 4 hours in time.

The Benafim Boogie Woogie, 8th October 2025.

The Benafim Boogie Woogie, 8.10. 2025

 Oh, the state of it! Big Boss still missing in action, umpteen folk on the injured list, other miscreants absent for birthdays and property inspections, what can you do? Press on regardless, I suppose, which is what eight survivors did this week under the burning sun (lots of breeze too), to keep the party going. The heroic eight wer:

Ros, Julie, Tony, Steve, Karen, Alan, Peter and Moi. At least we had the paparazzo, so `Moi`didn´t have to remember to take photos. A very grateful welcome back to Tony and Julie, who so regularly desert the wonderful climate of north Lancashire to bolster our numbers. 

Here we are in all our glory, soon after departure from cafe Ponto do Encontro in Benafim. One of these days, Alan is going to fall flat on his face scrambling to get in the shot, and all we shall see is him sprawled on the ground, with several open gobs hoping he will get up unscathed. 

Leaving the fleshpots of Benafim behind, we descended into the valley to the south, but as usual, Moi got the location round his neck, and we wandered around, taking in another stretch of the Loule road, before we finally located the correct track/road to take us across to the desired pathway under the hill on the opposite side. This partly accounts for the unwanted excess on the distance walked. We met a very nice couple with two dogs, who kindly explained what we needed to do (by which time Moi had figured it out), leaving them with a warning about the three strays we had seen back on the track.

Finally coming to the Espargal tarmac road, we turned up hill for one of the two meaningful climbs of the day, and thankfully turned off onto the dirt track towards Alto Fica. Water stop taken (we actually remembered to take water regularly today), we walked the slight uphill way, admiring (when Moi pointed it out), the rather splendid view opening out as we went. Conversation ranged from the state of the world (catastrophic), to absent friends (what silly things were they up to, then?), to the upcoming local elections (`best time to get any`complaints in`).

Arriving at Alto Fica, we noted the improved appearance of the remaining bar on the main road, but decided it was too early to sit down for lunch, and anyway, the staff in the past have not been exactly welcoming, though the three folk sitting outside turned out to be English, so they were putting up with it - or maybe things have changed?

Getting out of Alto Fica (all dozen houses of it) proved interesting, as Moi`s memory deserted him again, and we had to retrace our steps to the cafe before we located the track. Still, we had another look at the trio sitting outside. What they thought about us is not recorded. The next stage was a little more straightforward, as we walked broad tracks in glorious sunshine and gentle breeze, passing the tiny hamlet (Forno do Cal) which must in the past have existed to burn limestone for the production of cal (the white coating that was used historically to whitewash houses.) 

Shortly after this we stopped for a very short lunchbreak, (after a brief backtrack), each to his or her own rock or shady nook. Peter removed himself a good distance away, and had to be hailed loudly when we were ready to continue. Thereafter the highway to Nave do Barao was followed in good order and through pleasantly flat or downhill terrain. On the way to the village, we passed a small patch of autumn crocus growing in the shade - remarkable given the lack of water since the spring).

As Nave do Barao lies in a valley, we naturally had to climb out of it, up to Montes de Cima on the tarmac, and then on to the rather intimidating track just before the village. Moi assured the party that we were not actually going all the way up to the ridge, and we duly took a left onto the track that more or less contours the hill, all the way back to Benafim. It did seem quite a lot longer than I remember it, I have to say.

As we approached Benafim, Steve showed why we let Hashers join our walks, as he took us on a short cut, following a Hash route up to the village and the bar, for which we were grateful. There followed a pleasant half hour or so at Ponto do Encontro, where the measures of wine are among the largest of any bar we visit! A discussion around the upcoming away days failed to reach a conclusion, but some progress was made.

All in all, a most pleasant day in great company, even though we eventually walked 2.5k more than advertised (17.5). This was made acceptable mainly by the lack of uphill toil on the route. Thanks to Alan once again for the photos. We look forward to the return of the wandering and the wounded, with all good wishes to the latter. Next!