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.
Indeed, the weather was perfect for walking. I feel sorry for having missed all the "fun", too!! Well, there will always be another time!
ReplyDelete'twas a good'un and no mistake...
ReplyDeletewhen everything is finally sorted and tuned on the IT front, it will indeed be a pleasure to do summat wi't'blog, like.