The walk is named, in the absence of a definitive nomination from the Leader, after the anonymous bar we started from, up the side road off the 124, turning opposite the 'Blue House'. There are no nameboards nor notices on the bar, but the old lady who has run the place for years is known as 'Rosa'.
After last Wednesday having been the only completely dry day of the week, Ian worked his magic, and there were even periods of sunshine during this walk which started with a completely blue sky, yet by Thursday, and today (Friday) we have been subjected to hours of drizzle and leaden skies. Since the best thing about the Algarve is the weather, if that too goes the way of the economy and the bureaucracy, then we shall all be looking for somewhere else to Ramble!
We all met initially at Café Ourique, just in case there was anyone unfamiliar with Rosa's and took the short drive there once assembled. We were expecting 18 km according to the circular, and I am not sure how much of the car journey was included in this - about 6 km as it turned out!
Starting lineup by John H
Leader: Ian S.
Ramblers: Paul, Mike, Vitor, Ian W. Chris, John H
Roses: Lindsey, Janet, Tina, Antje, Hilke, Dina, Ingrid
Best Friends: Maddy, Tiggy, Sambo, Nandi.
Track of the walk (click for enlarged version). (I forgot to start the tracking function on my GPS until we had done 1 km, so the above track is courtesy of Vitor)
This was a tricky walk for me, as despite it's relatively short length, it covers the corner of four of the Military maps, and requires a lot of work to stitch it together for the above picture. You may be able to see the joins!
Stats: Total Distance: 12.0km; Moving Time: 3 hours; Total Time: 3 hrs 20 min; Moving Avg.: 4.0 km/hr; Overall Avg. 3.6 km/hr. Total Ascent: 494 m; Max Elevation 217 m.
We last did this walk on 5th December 2007, and it marked David's debut as Assistant Chief Blogger. Oh that he had been here to help me pad this one out! John H was on his first walk after a prolonged absence in the fleshpots of Edinburgh over Christmas and New Year, and between gasping for breath on every slope, he manfully tried to recapture his art as a leading paparazzi, as Myriam is still incapacitated.
Here is the Leader's Report, which is almost as informative as his last one on this walk!
We started a little late from Rosa's bar which she kindly opened to allow Antje to complete her usual pre walk equipment checks. After a particularly dreary spell of weather we enjoyed a bracing and for the most part sunny day,encouraging us to stride out north up the ridge and track to the east of the Odelouca river to our trig point objective overlooking the river. Stunning sun dappled views to the north and west were our reward. After a few more undulations we dropped down to the valley road and made good time back to Rosa's with no discernible dramas, but much better informed about "scotch" and the various interesting properties of "perspiration", just don't ask!.
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Once across the road from Rosa's car park we got straight into the climbing, and with a few undulations, the first hour and a half seemed to be mostly uphill.
Straight up - with Rosa's in the background......
......and still up......
...... a bit more up......
....up again....
.....the first summit by the Fire Tower, 35 minutes into the walk
Despite the blue sky and sun, it was relatively cool at first, but as the photo shows we have a variety of sensitivities to heat and cold, with Mike being in full polar gear and Ian W. in shirtsleeves.
After this we continued undulating, with little for either photographer to record until we reached the only real trig point of the day, Passareiro (217 m.)
The 10 second run and squat! Thanks to Gorilla Pod!
As you can see the clouds were starting to gather and the wind increased slightly. Then at last a serious descent, albeit steep and stony, to the tarmac that ran back towards Rosa's.
...and he marched them down again!
Even though it was about lunchtime when we reached the bottom, a quick check of the GPS revealed we were only 2.3km from Rosa's, and the Leader made an executive decision that lunch would be taken at the end of the walk. That could have been because HIS lunch was waiting at the end of the walk in all it's amber glory!
It only comes halfway up the dog! Janet makes a break for it before Sam decides to get up and shake!
The climbing wasn't quite finished, as the tarmac wound steadily uphill until soon after the bend at the top we could see the cars and Rosa's.
Back at Rosa's, lunch was broken out and beverages purchased, while I made a moving presentation to Lindsey, the winner of the 'Hatty Christmas Competition'. She responded in true Kate Winslet style, and thanked everyone she could think of except Andrew, who hadn't helped her entry. I admonished her not to share the magnificent bottle of Quinta de Esperança with him!
The 'eastern' table
The 'southern' table
As the leader recorded, there was plenty of knowledge aired about Scotch whisky, what with Oz and James's visit to Islay on TV the previous evening, and the imminent 250th Anniversary of the birth of the Scottish bard on Sunday, to which end some of our northerly members had been practicing twirling and reeling - and that before they got stuck into the Scotch! Unfortunately Rod was absent this week, so we were not graced with a most learned opinion on the subject.
I want someone to laugh with me, someone to be grave with me, someone to please me and help my discrimination with his or her own remark, and at times, no doubt, to admire my acuteness and penetration. Burns, Robert
I pick my favourite quotation and store them in my mind as ready armour, offensive or defensive, amid the struggle of this turbulent existence. Burns, Robert
2 comments:
Well done Ian, for you were the only 1 to sport shorts, despite your cold spell.
The photos enlarged.were full size on my PC screen. And what's more there were 13 walkers! Maurice
Well done, the Chief Blogger, for finding felicitous quotations, in Southron English, from The Letters of Robert Burns on his 250th anniversary, showing that he was as much at home in that tongue as in Ayrshire Doric.
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