AWW 08.04.2009 Two Meetings and a Polar Bear

The previous week, Rod's skilful dead-reckoning had enabled us to meet up with David Littlewood's trans-Algarve group. This week, inspired no doubt by the fact that the Free French had at last responded to his call to arms, he pulled off a double whammy, managing to meet two groups, first some Via Algarviana horseriders and then the Littlewood masses.

The Starters (click to enlarge)

Our route

Vital Statistics -

Leader: Rod

Followers: Stan and Elaine, John and Hazel, and Yves.

Dog: Misty

Distance: 10.11 km

Total time: 5 hrs 27 min

Hanging around and chatting time: oh, about 2 hrs 30 min.

As you can tell from the recorded track, we walked over some of the same tracks more than once.

The Leader's report: "A casual start at 9.37 a.m.from the Monchique Petrol Station by the usual diminutive, if different this time, alternative group. It was obviously going to be uphill for the first part (about 350 metres, flat out) as we were aiming to meet the AW walkers at the top of Picota. Not being quite sure which way the AW group were going to come down with us, we ( well perhaps there wasn’t much ¨we¨ about it) decided to take a diversion half way up which was certainly not going to be the way we would come down...indeed it seemed as though we might not even get up so overgrown had the path initially chosen become; but naturally we made it with only minimal evidence of the brambles and other thickets we had to fight our way through.

Scrambling up

" There wasn’t much point in going right to the summit as we would be going there later anyway, so we wandered off eastwards along the ridge path until we came across the red and white route markers of the Via Algarviana.

(But Rod does find an old, well-remembered blue mark along the ridge; not sure what Misty has found)

Minor obstacles

"Our leader had had dinner with 4 horseriders who were doing the VA crossing the previous evening and knew they were going to be in the vicinity, so we set off down their trail for a while and, lo and behold, we did indeed come across them . Their leader had lost her map and seemed only vaguely aware of where she was going, and one was walking beside his weary horse, and one nearly came to grief in a tree when his horse tried a short cut, so we a had a brief chat, assured them that the route we had come down was well marked, and left them plodding upwards.

Grupo de cavaleiros

"Passing through a verdant plateau of lush farm land we came across a most suspicious looking area covered with thick netting which we thought must at least be a disguised cannabis plantation! The arrival of the farmer rather dispelled any possible excitement and he explained it was a rather unsuccessful attempt to grow flowers. He then discussed family life at some length, and the pleasures, and difficulties, of owning a hill top farm off the beaten track. He then suggested we might like to take a short cut past the front of his house...explaining we should beware of his dogs tied up there. Beware we indeed had to be for it was only just possible to pass the snarling beasts at the extremity of their chains.

"That was really the end of excitements for the day and we made our way back up to the ridge path and up to the top of Picota. There we finally managed mobile contact with the AW group who advised they were still an hour or so away. This was of course a ready excuse for a very leisurely lunch in the sun on the lee side of the summit only occasionally disturbed by other mountaineers of various nationalities making the top ( half of them it must be said by car !).

Yves on top

( Rotate the trip point clockwise and you'll find the tricolore.)

Trig point (minimalist)

Trig point (expansionist)

A Scot leads the charge to the top.

"Eventually the AW Group hove into view and were greeted with much bonhomie...at least we then outnumbered a German group who were threatening to take over the summit! After much chat we started down towards Monchique and arrived without further ado, just before 3 p.m."

And that's really all your assistant blogger has to report.

"But, hang on," I hear you mutter,"What's all this about a polar bear?"

Ah well, yes; you see, Yves was in sparkling form that morning, with conversational subjects beginning with the letter "P" seeming especially to catch his fancy. He did not, by the way, mention the English Rugby Team nor even Lewis Hamilton once as far as I know. On the way up the hill, he had us chuckling over tales about penguins; on the ridge and down the back valley, it was Picasso who inspired his banter; and on the way back down, he told a joke (at least I think it was a joke) about a polar bear. However, since I was involved with a particularly tricky piece of gravel at the very moment he reached the punch line (at least I presume there was a punch line), I didn't get the joke (if indeed it was a joke) and you will have to ask Yves himself to tell it again (if indeed....).

No closing quotations about penguins or polar bears. The nearest to hand is one about another P bird:

"A wonderful bird is the Pelican,

Whose beak can hold more than its belly can.

Be it crabs,clams,or fish

It will hold, if you wish,

But I'm damned if I can see how the hell he can."