AWW 27.10.2010: Per Ardua ad Aspa; or The Castelejo Chronicle.

 

Dear Reader,

I am of course writing in the mangled dialect of Myliam & Ian Wirson when I type this "Reader". I am trying to draw the attention of Leaders present and future to the Leader´s Report which follows. It says everything (or nearly everything) that needs to be said about the walk, so that the Blogger doesn´t really need to say very much at all. Brilliant report, Paul, thanks.

 

The 17 Starters

From the left: Myriam, Dina, Antje, Rod, Paul, Hazel, Maria, Lindsey, Chris, Phil, Susan, Hilke, Peter, Yves,Frank, David, John.

Dogs: Tiggy, Misty, Jess, Bella, Shelly, Cybele (Sybilla?).

 

The Track

Statistics (embedded in Paul´s report)

And without more ado, to the Report.

 

AWW 27.10.2010: Per Ardua ad Aspa.

    “ I was going to amend the title to ‘Para Arbusto  ao Aspa’ to regionalise the RAF motto to the AWW context, but it was pointed out by the pedantic linguist at the next desk that the prepositions were  incorrect, and no-one would get it. I refrained from a discourse on the use of schoolboy Franglais as a code during the war, the potential of Portuguese/Latin puns, and promoted domestic harmony by capitulating, as usual.

  “As I had daringly predicted in the call circular, it was a perfect day for a West Coast walk, with the temperatures barely rising to the low 20’s and  useful zephyrs  at the top of climb. Numbers were up with a total of 17 starting the walk, most of whom couldn’t resist the cheap coffee at Café ZigZag, although Antje was outraged by the €1 or so she was charged for a meia de leite, and when she heard I had only paid 60 cents for my abatanada, she charged back inside for a recount – alas I never heard the outcome.

 

Stats*: (Source Garmin 60Csx)

Total Distance: 17.9 km:

Total Time: 5 hrs 30 min.

Moving Time: 4hrs 35 min.

Overall Average: 3.2 km/hr.

Moving Average: 3.9 km/hr.

Total Ascent: 343 m.**

Max. Elevation: 160 m.

*Stats are for those that stayed the course and didn’t weaken in close proximity to the cars.

** The Smartphone measured the total ascent at  511m, which was more like the ‘RealFeel’

 

     “The start was up a steep path immediately behind the Café Castelejo, which caused a minor flurry of grumbling, but it was a good heart starter and the wonderful views both ways along the coast were achieved rapidly.

 

 

    A short breather in the carpark at the Miradouro (“see! - we could have driven up here to start”) and then a winding descent to Cordoama Beach, where Philip and Susan and Jess, who were only out for the short course turned back along the beach towards Castelejo, and a days geocaching further up near Aljezur.

     We headed up the tarmac a short distance past the surfers and campers occupying the car park, and branched up towards Barranco de Garcia, where the dogs enjoyed a swim. Then the second climb of the day up to the plateau which led back to the main road from Vila do Bispo to Bordeira, which we followed for a short distance before turning back towards the sea and running the gauntlet of some noisy dogs from an old farmhouse next to the track. Hazel was going like a Thoro’bred and achieved a top three placing in both of the climbs as I recall. ( It was at this stage that Maria, Dina and Myriam interviewed a surveyor and discovered that we were walking over the site of a future 6-star hotel; possible venue for RTC dinners?) 

 

 

    We crossed back over the road from Vila do Bispo to Castelejo and had a short refreshment break in the shade near the start of the Trilho Ambiental.

 

Caption competition 1

 

      Maria pre-empted Antje and got in an early request (Is this lunch yet?) at 1050 hrs. The crisps remained unbroached and we headed along the Trilho Ambiental and then some flat tracks to Torre de Aspa, where we lingered for the T.O.T.P.P, again to cries of “Is this lunch yet?” but we adhered to the master plan which was lunch at the Coastguard House.

Meissen advert  (ask Hilke)

Aircraft Radio Beacon?

T.O.T.P.P.

Lunch break

 

     The visibility was incredible and someone even spotted Ponte de Piedade from the Torre.

   After lunch we descended The Middle Way to the beach at Castelejo, which can be quite daunting for those with no head for heights, weak knees and affectations of the middle ear. John who was vying with Yves and Myriam as Tail-End Charlie almost caught up with the leaders by opting for Route One down the hillside after missing his footing. However his old Barclays Bank training kicked in and he adopted the ‘Spreadeagle’ position which effectively stopped his further rotation down the slope. Myriam was so astonished at the acrobatics that she forgot to take any action pix until after Yves had helped our hero to safety. Happily the only casualty appeared to have been the prized antique green Rohan shirt, which sustained another gash, and whose days appeared to be numbered after the lacerations it suffered on David’s walk the previous week when they were temporarily uncertain of position.

 

That´s the last time I stitch that blasted shirt!

    Down at the Beach the proximity of the cars appeared too tempting for those with inadequate moral fibre, and Frank, Chris, Antje, Peter and Lindsey took the soft option while the Stout-Hearted and True ascended to the ridge extension of the Trilho Ambiental, and thence to the junction of the Castelejo/Cordoama roads where the Leader had thoughtfully positioned two cars for transfers.

   In the event we only needed one and Lindsey had waited there for us, so took a couple on to Café ZigZag, which was the preferred and more economic post walk venue.

   Frank had disappeared taking his potential contribution to the Christmas lunch with him, but most of the group lingered longer than usual, and feigned interest at Myriam’s announcements of the Almargem walk next Monday, and finalised the RTC finances with David.

    All in all a very enjoyable excursion with just enough undulations to get some fitness into the legs.

 

The Membership Sub-Committee interviewing a prospective junior member.

 

Running Down the Mountain (by Jack Kerouac)

 

“…. with one of my greatest leaps and loudest screams of joy I came flying … “

“  Then suddenly everything was just like jazz: it happened in one insane second or so: I looked up and saw Japhy running down the mountain in huge twenty-foot leaps, running, leaping, landing with a great drive of his booted heels, bouncing five feet or so, running, then taking another long crazy yelling yodelaying sail down the sides of the world and in that flash I realized it's impossible to fall off mountains you fool and with a yodel of my own I suddenly got up and began running down the mountain after him doing exactly the same huge leaps, the same fantastic runs and jumps, and in the space of about five minutes I'd guess Japhy Ryder and I (in my sneakers, driving the heels of my sneakers right into sand, rock, boulders, I didn't care any more I was so anxious to get down out of there) came leaping and yelling like mountain goats or I'd say like Chinese lunatics of a thousand years ago, enough to raise the hair on the head of the meditating Morley by the lake, who said he looked up and saw us flying down and couldn't believe it. In fact with one of my greatest leaps and loudest screams of joy I came flying right down to the edge of the lake and dug my sneakered heels into the mud and just fell sitting there, glad. Japhy was already taking his shoes off and pouring sand and pebbles out. It was great. I took off my sneakers and poured out a couple of buckets of lava dust and said "Ah Japhy you taught me the final lesson of them all, you can't fall off a mountain."

 

A nice touch, there, in Paul’s report – the bit about the Barclays´ spreadeagle, wasn´t it?  I refrained editorially from interrupting his flow to point out that in fact  I wasn´t with Barclays. In The Chartered Bank, we felt somewhat above that sort of thing!

Caption Competition: you will have notice Picture no.1. Here is picture no.2.The Prize will be presented at the Christmas Lunch. Entries to the JCB.

 

AWW 20.10.2010: Monte-Didn't-Make-It, or A Tale of Three Cafés

 

We weren´t promised a lateral walk but, if one stretches the definition somewhat, that is what it turned out to be, with the cavalry being summoned as we ran out of steam, to transport us home. However, the day started off with a bang, with Rod´s 4WD demolishing part of the Casa Benjamin front wall as it came in. Unperturbed by that commotion, Dinah served most welcome coffee as 6 of us waited for Yves and Dina to arrive. Were they depending on French air traffic control for directions, or was Yves´s Marianne du Tom-Tom on anti-Sarkozy sympathy strike? Nobody knows. The consequence of the later than scheduled start was, of course, that David set off at three times his usual pace, which was tough on the rest of us.

 

The damage

 

The Starters

 

Rambler-in-chief: - David.
Those Rambled:-   John H, Hazel, Maria, Rod, Hilke, Yves, Dina.
There for the Laughs:-  Misty, Rosie.

Statistics:

Distance: 20.80 km.
Moving average: 4.7 kph
Overall average: 2.7 kph
Max. speed: 6.7 kph
Total time: 6 hrs 56 min
Moving time: 3. hrs 49 min

The Track

The Leader´s Report

 

   There were but eight trusty souls signed up for this epic, Tina having succumbed to the flu. The new route to Casa Benjamin will work well l when I get the number of roundabouts correct - but that is only the beginning of the story.
Coffee was had at said Casa and, when Yves and Dina finally arrived and Hazel had retrieved the kitchen sink from the car (along with all her other worldly goods), we set off at 9.40, walking through Covoes to Portela and on along the side of the hill to Nave dos Sobreiros.

“Ye´ll tak the low road, and I´ll tak the high road”

Alto Fica was attained with a sight detour, which should have given me pause for thought. I mean, walking a route in reverse couldn't be that difficult, could it??? Wrong. 
A brief stop at one of the two competing bars at Alto Fica allowed me to top up my water supplies, Maria to buy her lunch (and Yves to tell one of his tall stories).

 

“How to annoy a zebra.” (See below)

Then, as they say, came the fun. Leaving the road after Alto Fica we found a newly laid gravel road which I gaily followed for probably half a k before hitting a dead end amongst carob trees, with the mato closing in all around. Calling the party to a halt, I went in search of a way down to the track which I knew was below in the valley, to no avail. Rosie followed me into the jungle and when I turned back she went on, with the usual result.
Lunch was called whilst I called and whistled. Rosie eventually emerged, as always, and lay down somewhat exhausted whilst I surveyed the wreck of my legs - Mike Pease, you truly have a successor.

Inevitably we had to turn round and retrace our steps for a considerable distance before I finally found the track down to the Algibre crossing. When we arrived there, it was surprising to find some reasonably deep puddles for the dogs, much to their delight.

 

 

That was our route, over there

End of season scrumping

As it was now rather late in the day, we had to abandon the planned ascent of Monte Seco and walk back along the river to Ribeira do Algibre and a welcome drink at the Cafe Reguengos. Much interest was occasioned by the spotting of our very own Very Hungry Caterpillar on the concrete outside the cafe.

 

Two members of the party begged to be allowed to stop at this point, but were persuaded to make the last leg over the hill to Nave do Barao,  Dinah having agreed by phone to pick up the drivers to collect their vehicles from Casa Benjamin.
Some of the drivers went straight home from CB, so it was a reduced party that sat down outside the bar at Nave do Barao to reflect on a walk that had not gone entirely to plan. Maria accused the barmaid of charging tourist rates for beer in a mix-up over her order, but otherwise there was little of note beyond a discussion around TV detective series. It had been, if nothing else, a reasonable training exercise for RTC, and the weather had been just about perfect. On to the next!!  

( Answer: “Put a banana skin in its tracks” )

 

And, finally,

if, like Scrooge, you don´t want to pay A22 tolls, don´t forget to go to the petition site which Ingrid sent round the other day.

 

http://www.peticaopublica.com/PeticaoVer.aspx?pi=

AWW 13.10.2010: Corte Garcia Gambol

 

       Despite a positive description (good tracks, water for dogs) in the walk announcement, perhaps the “about 5 hours” and the easterly location of the walk discouraged quite a few potential AWW’s, and on a glorious autumn day only nine of us arrived at Café Serra e Sol in Corte Garcia for  pre-walk coffee. Also even though Terry had described the newish Loulé By-Pass which would have cut a significant time off the journey from points west, in the event only Paul & Myriam found it with the aid of Jane of TomTom.

Starters in the Sun (Gorilla pod in use)

Leader: Terry A.

Extras: David, Myriam, Dina, Paul, John O’, Tina, Hilke and Yves

Schweinhund: Rosie
Best of Breed: Rusty

John O’ had put Querença into his TomTom to get there and was saved from making an SOS call from Querença main square by the fact that Paul & Myriam were close behind him as he was about to turn up into the village, and a judicious blast of Berlingo horn soon had him amending his route, albeit on the wrong side of a traffic island for a short distance.

Yves then arrived in his best Rolande Garros tennis shoes and after a short rummage in the boot of his car announced that Katherine had clearly forgotten to remind him to bring his boots. After extracting a binding oath from Terry A. that there were no rivers, mud or rocky tracks, he condescended to carry on regardless.

 

Track of the walk

Here, in his own inimitable style, is the account of the walk by Terry A.

The Wed Walk this week was a small select band of enthusiastic souls putting their trust in me
to lead them through the Barrocal area, so after a Bica or two and the customary photo of the starting line up we started a walk which I had lead before but this time we would do it anti-clockwise, it all looks very different the other way round.

After climbing round the the edge of Cerro do Negro and down the the Ribeira das Merces which still had quite a lot of water in it, however much to Paul's disappointment no one had an early bath except the dogs.

Crossing the Styx – couldn’t get Myriam to drink from it tho’!!

The next bit of track was a good climb to Alcaria do Gato, we then find the centuries old cart tracks to take us through to the village of Amendoeira.  Again keeping to the old tracks we wound our way down to the next valley.

 Emerging from the caminho with PR11 waymark visible on rock.

 

      We took lunch in the shade of the carob tree with Myriam explaining how us dog owners should have a bottle of water handy to wash down where the dog has cocked its leg up, as is the norm in China or was that Hong Kong? Is dog still on menus? I think it was a Myriam wind-up.

 

Giving the wall a rinse – Hong Kong style

Proper seats for lunch!

 

Either a Kung Fu demonstration or re-enactment of leg-cocking and water throwing!

 

We now head in a big loop through a valley of cork-oaks where sheep were grazing, but also grazing in undergrowth  were a family of pigs complete with little piglets, Rosie chased them one way, then the pigs chased Rosie the other way it was great fun for Rosie.

Rosie retreats momentarily!

 

Excitement over we wound our way back to the bar for the necessary refreshment.

They were not all for John! A thirsty RCB was doing the stat admin!

 

Supping in the shade

 

Thanks to all who came, Paul has the stats so he will enlighten you with them I am sure, all captured on his super-duper new bit of technology .

Stats:

Total Distance: 14.3 km
Total Time: 3 hrs 53 min.
Moving Time: 3 hrs 10 min.
Moving Avg.: 4.4 km/hr.
Overall Avg.: 3.6 km/hr.
Total Ascent: 391 m.
Max Elevation: 276 m.

RCB’s Comment:

A very pleasant walk through beautiful countryside becoming greener by the day after last week’s heavy rain. No one complains when a leader overestimates the length/duration of a walk, and it was certainly enough for me. After the walk Myriam and I went for a geocache on top of Cerro do Negro, which we had hoped (not really!) would have been on our route, and at 406 m. was higher than anywhere we had walked today. Fortunately there was a track to the top which the Berlingo could negotiate, and we not only enjoyed magnificent 360º views but Myriam managed to do a bit of tidying up – CITO –Cache In Trash Out, which is part of the geocaching code. You will no doubt be delighted to learn as a follow-up on the geocaching record attempt on 10.10.10. that a total of 78,313 geocaching teams logged finds on that day, world-wide.

Read about it HERE

As Terry had not found us a TP on the walk I feel bound to include this one with Myriam and her Camara rubbish bag after finding the cache on Cerro do Negro!

 

Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it.    Thatcher, Margaret

 

Always remember, a cat looks down on man, a dog looks up to man, but a pig will look man right in the eye and see his equal.    Churchill, Winston

AWW 06.10.2010 – Amble in the Brambles

 

Within a matter of weeks, my status as RCB (Retired Chief Blogger) has been modified to RCB (Reserve Chief Blogger) as the CB has indulged himself in an early season bacchanalian sojourn to the wine lakes of Sicily, in the company, among others of the Head Navigator, Rod.

    Although I was present on the walk, and even managed to contribute a few photos, the Blog has been somewhat delayed and abbreviated by circumstance;  the medical appointments of the Leader this week, and the Commonwealth Games. This is not to mention the auspicious Day Out Geocaching enjoyed by Myriam and I in the company of Phil and Susan on 10.10.10 when Geocaching.com attempted to set a new record for the number of teams to log at least one found cache in a single day. The current record stands at 56,654, and those interested can find some more info at this LINK

    What I do not have time to do is ramble on in my usual fashion, so I will publish the Leader’s report and a selection of photos in the minimalist style favoured by the CB without more ado.

 

Starters including silhouette of RCB who had forgotten the Gorilla Pod.

 

Leader: Ian W.

Amblers: Janet, Lindsey, Dina, Tina, Alex, Yves, Myriam, Frank, Paul

K9 pack: Shelly, Bella

 

Track of the walk (we walked largely in the clockwise direction)

Stats:

Total Distance: 13.76 km
Total Time:  4 hrs 3 min.
Moving Time: 3 hr 21 min.
Overall Avg.: 3.4 km/hr
Moving Avg.: 4.1 km/hr
Total Ascent: 436 m.
Max Elevation: 228 m.

 

Leader’s Report

Amble in the Brambles
On a very clear day under a cloudless sky 10 walkers met at the Foz de Banho at 9.00am. The Leader thought the weather was cooling and didn't need to make everybody get up so early, but he would later regret that decision. The first problem was that the Chief Blogger was absent. The excuse was that he was off in Sicily glugging wine and this was not considered an adequate reason for not attending the walk. In fact the FCB(R) ( former chief blogger retired) did not have his gorilla pod and had to take the starting photo and consequently does not appear (except in shadow form). Anyway, we finally headed off at 9.10, discussing why so many walkers were otherwise engaged and how it was their loss on such a fine day.

Heart-Starter

At the first stream crossing everybody managed to cross without getting wet much to the FCB(R)'s disappointment as he was hoping for a timely photo.

Harpoon Ready!!

 

Later the talk got around to figs and sex. Some said that there are male and female trees and others that figs have male and female flowers on the same tree. Well, everybody is right because there are over 700 species of figs and the figs are fertilised in many different ways! Common figs (Ficus Cerica) are monoecius, having male and female flowers inside the syconium (the fig). There are other types of fig which have separate male and female trees( Ficus Sycomorus) and they need a small wasp to do the job. Also, there is a type of fig (Capri Fig) which has male flowers from which the wasp fertilises the Smyrna fig and the San Pedro fig.

 

The walk continued without anything noteworthy until we reached the turn, when we had to cross a small stream at the bottom of a valley, just before the Medronho man's house.

Descent to the Bramble Valley

 

Here, the cistus, roses and brambles had grown a lot since last year and we had to fight our way down to the stream, where Bella got stuck and had to be helped out, and those wearing shorts got scratched.

Belle and Bella in the Brambles

Bella is hoisted out…………

……….as is Dina………..

…………and even the RCB!!

 

  By now we were all feeling the heat and we slowly climbed our way back up to the top of the ridge, missing the opportunity to buy Medronho, and the walk continued.

This season’s fashions modelled by Alex and Frank.

 

Yves was worried that we would arrive back late, but we reached the Foz more or less at 1.00pm to be met by Ian S, who welcomed us brightly and joined us for a libation.

Yves, Lindsey Dina and Frank dashed off early, so we were honoured to have Ian S. make up the numbers

 

All agreed it was the perfect day for a walk, and as it turned out, the best day of the week. The Leader omitted to mention the highlight of the walk, which was a Foot-fetish competition (I don’t think that was how Myriam described it), but those with an interest in such things may wish to identify the owners of the podal extremities below!

 

Wow – your feet are a bit hairy!!!

 

and…

 

A podiatrist’s dream……

I dare say no more…!

 

“Every speaker has a mouth; An arrangement rather neat. Sometimes it's filled with wisdom. Sometimes it's filled with feet.“   Orben, Robert

 

“This is the great fault of wine; it first trips up the feet: it is a cunning wrestler.”    Plautus, Titus Maccius

 

“The destroyer of weeds, thistles, and thorns is a benefactor whether he soweth grain or not.”    Ingersoll, Robert Green