AWW Wednesday 29 April 2009: Ploughed Field Day

29th April 2009. Ploughed Field Day
(Thanks to Lindsey for the title)
Plodders:- Lindsey, Tina, Andrew, Frank, David.
Provider of sustenance:- Dinah.
Weather: All forecasts were proclaiming a cloudless day, but we had cloud all day long, with only occasional hints of sunshine.
It may be time for the CB to forsake his luxury mobile home and return to rescue the WWs from extinction. This week, no walk was organised until Tuesday, we had no photographer to record our errors, and no GPS to record our achievements. Five hardy souls gathered at Casa Benjamin to start the trek over to Monte Seco. Many and varied were the excuses advanced for non-attendance, from ‘flu (you didn’t fit in a crafty trip to Mexico last week did you, Ingrid?) to grandchildren, to expected visitors, to falling over etc etc, but the result was the same. Ah for the days of yore! (whenever they were.)
Anyway, Frank was well on his way to Barranco do Velho before he wisely called in for more directions, while the rest of the small group were enjoyed coffee and deciding that the shorter version of the Monte Seco circular was preferable to the start from Covoes. Once the group was complete, therefore, all decamped for Nave do Barao in Lindsey’s car, parking in the car park at the Adega, fully intending to return for drinks at the end.
The early part of the walk proved easier than the leader had anticipated, and the secateurs stayed firmly in the bag as Picavessa (with a trig point!!!) above Nave do Barao was attained without difficulty. Then the fun began. On the descent to the Boliqieme road, the track previously used seemed to have become very overgrown, necessitating a detour and a longish walk down said road. Reaching the short off-road section near the valley floor at Ribeira de Algibre the first evidence was found of an epidemic of ploughing which has turned this whole area into a furrowed wilderness, making for tough going along what used to be a reasonable track.
At the bridge, there appeared to be a good deal of water still in the Algibre, but it did not appear to be moving, and walking along by the stream this continued to be the case. The climb to the Monte Seco ridge was as usual demanding, but the weather continued to be cloudy, which was no bad thing. and the (almost) deserted settlement at Cabecos de Monte Seco was reached after more plodding across ploughed land at the top. (Do they get grants for this sort of thing?) The owner of the one refurbished cottage in the village – never yet seen – has been busy adding to his small estate, but the other buildings remain empty and falling into an even worse state of repair.
Lunch was taken just beyond the village before the steep descent back to the Algibre, which was completely dry at the fording place, thus explaining the stagnant water further upstream. The song of the nightingale was clearly heard by the river. There followed the long climb back to Alto Fica and the usual temptation of the twin bars on either side of the road before the meander through the fields back towards Nave do Barao. More ploughed land was encountered here, as well as a field sown with some crop between  olive trees, which had to be skirted.
A phone call from Dinah promising tea and scones meant that the bar was given a miss, and the group made a hasty exit from the car park looking not to right nor left. I hope our neighbours up the hill (co-proprietors of the Adega) did not see me!  A very pleasant hour followed in consumption of the promised comestibles.
This is always a tough walk, even in cut-down form, and the disturbance of the earth didn’t help in a number of places, but the flora was as ever a joy, and produced a number of talking points as we went along.

The Route on Google Earth.
(The green line shows our route on the day. The blue shows the Covoes extension which has been walked previously)
‘The curfew tolls the knell of parting day;
The wandering herd winds slowly o’er the lea;
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way;
And the leaves the paths impassable for me.’
(With many apologies to Thomas Gray)