A short walk to start the season....around Messines to Funcho

 A short walk to start the season and that means a short blog !

From east and west they met at O Momento in Messines on a cloudy, close morning. Lots of chatter but the13 walkers and 2 dogs lined up dutifully for the photo. Names not necessary , we all know who's who.

 Although the walk would be west of Messines the first loop took us due east on a flat track past some lush greenery .

A teeny little slope having safely negotiated 2 roundabouts. Single file, very well behaved at this point.

 Back in Messines the leader forced a stop to look at the sandstone carving and tools used in the past. Some poetry from João de Deus  was studied and attempts made to translate it.

 Then it was uphill towards Penedo Grande and the wiggely little back streets and alleyways of the town.

We stopped to look at the poet's birthplace and 3 walkers stopped altogether and made their way back through town to their cars - or perhaps they fancied lunch at O Momento ?

 Now heading west we followed the railway until we could go through the tunnel and up the hill to .....

...to the Santa Ana chapel ( murmerings in Messines that it may be restored and reroofed one of these days ) and the lovely tiled picture of the Battle of Santa Ana in 1834.

Lunch in the shade  - Toby had already had his on the way up.

Uphill from the chapel and then down towards the top end of Barragem Funcho. 

At a fork the rights on the right had it and we walked a longer loop to join the road back to  Intermarché in Messines. 

Some were so revived by their drinks that they went off to play the Volta machine, others found their drinks rather smaller than usual and Martin went AWOL looking for books in a charity shop . That was the last we saw of him.

Walk was about 14kms, elevation 165m....Plus 1.6k through Messines to the cars.

Thanks to all who came and great to have our photographer with us again.

ps. Martin sent apologies - accepted and he's still allowed to walk with us.

Ros