WW 27.09.2006 - Ameixial Adventure

Suggestions as to what "O.B." stands for are welcomed!

A report from David the leader of this walk has finally arrived on CD and is reproduced below in full

Walkers:

Two-legs:-Ian Wilson, John and Hazel Hope, Gack Mueller, David Littlewood. Photos from John and Hazel.

Four-legs:- Archie.

Location. Circular Walk from near Ameixial.

Distance: 12-14k.

Time:- Pace fairly leisurely, about 5 hours altogether.

Degree of difficulty – Moderate.

Maps: OS Sheet 580 Ameixial-Loule

Loule Camara Leaflet: Azinhal dos Mouros.

The route is broadly rectangular, and covers the villages of Azinhal dos Mouros, Corte Pinheiro, Vermelhos, Portela, Ximeno and Medronheira, west and south-west of Ameixial. Ameixial lies 20k north of Barranco do Velho on the N2 road going north to Almodovar and ultimately Lisboa.

The route is published in the set of leaflets put out by Loule Camara some five or six years ago. It is supposedly marked as a regional route with red and yellow markers, but we only found a few at the start and the odd one later on. It is basically a very attractive walk, with lots of high-level views, and some pretty villages. However, the original route has been spoiled by tarmac, and some additional research needs to be done to re-route some sections. The notes below give some ideas.

The story of the day.

DL met the walkers at the Ameixial boundary, and after coffee, we drove a few hundred metres north to the start-point where the Azinhal dos Mouros road leaves the N2 on the left. The road to Azinhal, where the circular actually starts, is tarmac, but after that a dirt-track leads to Corte Pinheiro. How long this will remain is doubtful, but there is an alternative path marked on the OS just north of the current dirt road for about half of the distance.

From Corte Pinheiro to Vermelhos, the road has been tarmaced. Again, there is an alternative track leading off to the west at about 0.75k south of Corte Pinheiro. From Vermelhos to Portela is dirt track not likely to be interfered with. Portela to Ximeno is tarmac difficult to circumvent. We left the prescribed route and walked up through Ximeno to find (eventually) a dirt track leading towards and behind Medronheira. We then descended to the Ameixial road, but after c200m we again left the leaflet route to follow a dirt track up onto the ridge between Medronheira and Azinhal. Following this north-eastwards, we came out onto the Azinhal road on which we had started out. We turned right to walk the c500m back to the cars.

Refreshments were taken at the café on the left of the main street of Ameixial going south (sorry, name not recorded). Very friendly proprietor and locals. Gack took on the role of treasurer for the day.

Not a lot to record in terms of errors or oddities. Ian picked a prickly pear and got the minute barbs all over his hands. Large medronho plantation very near the beginning of the walk, full of fruit, as were many of the olives we saw along the way. We ate lunch at Vermelhos, too close to one particularly persistent dog, who barked all the way through. Archie behaved like the true gentleman he is, and ignored it all. Close to the end, we made a wrong turn, and were very fortunate to discover the error after about 100m (mea culpa, leader).

Sad that so many WWs were injured or otherwise occupied. This is a long way from home for many people, but it is beautiful, and deserves more visits, I think,

DL