AWW 14.02.2007, St Valentine's Day Misadventure

A fine field of thoroughbreds milling around before the Starter's Flag goes up!

Things didn't look promising at first as St Valentine's day dawned, grey in Lagos, and drizzly for our more easterly participants. Then I received a worried phone call from Mike, explaining that he couldn't couldn't come as he had run over one of his dogs, and was imminently on his way to the vet. Thankfully, Nestor is a tough old girl, and things weren't as bad as feared at first. By the time we had reached the start near Corgo da Fonte, heading for Três Figos, the sun was out and it turned out to be splendid walking weather.

Leader: Paul
Present: Chris; Antje; Andrew; Lindsey; Ian S.; John; David: Hedley; Janet: Tina
Tiggy

Stats: Length 19.5 km. Total Time; 5hrs 40 min. Moving Time; 4 hrs 37 minutes
Overall average speed 3.4 km/hr; Moving Average 4.2 km/hr
Total Ascent 546 metres, Max Elevation 358 metres, Start elevation 100 metres

Corgo da Fonte Walk track. (Click to enlarge.)

First a little explanation: Lindsey inveigled me into leading a walk on the 28th, and I had been intending a new walk in this area for some time. New technology prompted a new approach to routefinding, so I downloaded the 1973 Military map of the area into my computer, and with the aid of an excellent piece of software called OziExplorer, I laid out a theoretical track of around 20km, following what could have been good paths in 1973. Fortunately, some parts of the Algarve have not changed much in this time, and the only problem was that the northern E-W part of my chosen path is now the Aljezur-Marmelete Expressway!!
I did a preliminary recce by G-Wagen last Wednesday after I had wimped out of the Carrapateira walk, and then remembered that owing to Rod's dicky ankle, I was promoted to leading the walk on the 14th. Only two problem areas - the aforementioned Aljezur road, and the N-S uphill leg from where the undergrowth became impenetrable to vehicles, up to the northern end of the Romeiras-Marmelete road, which again in 1973 was only a track.
This last was rediscovered last Sunday with the selfless assistance of Chris and Antje, on a rather dismal and drizzly day, and without the benefit of gaiters, which would have been most useful. That left in the lap of the Gods, an unreccied attempt to traverse from E-W to reach the homeward path, using as little tarmac as possible. As there had been plenty of logging and clearing in the area, I crossed my fingers and bravely announced that "There must be a way through!"



Crossing a small gully

Now to the walk. We met for an early coffee at D. Aldina's fine establishment, Casa Pacheco in Romeiras, and having two non-walkers, Myriam and Dinah, we were driven to the start near Corgo da Fonte. We had been graced with the unexpected presence of Hedley, fresh from his Christmas return to the UK, and of Tina, introduced by Janet "just to see if she likes it!" The long uphill start to the most NE point of the walk was fairly uneventful, and the drying effect of the sun was that the 4 sets of gaiters on show, (Lindsey, Andrew, Chris and Antje) were rendered largely superfluous. Chris was also christening his new Christmas Tilley, which is still a pristine white as can be seen from the photo above.
At top of climb, I was astonished to find we had only covered 5 km, as I had promised at least 17 km. I surreptitiously threw in an extra loop 'for the views' - but as it turned out I didn't really need to!




Picking our way down the terraces of a major replanting area.

Into the valley we plunged, and although rough going for the latter section where the clearing and replanting had been undertaken, it was slightly worrying that there had been no activity on the other side of the valley where I hoped to ascend. We reached a very narrow valley floor and carried on down hoping for a place to cross. The decision was taken out of our hands as the cleared path we were on took an upward turn away from the river.

Antje clambering out of the gully while Chris wonders whether he should risk his Tilley Hat down there!

Eventually, with much huffing and puffing we all emerged on the rather overgrown path on the opposite side. The GPS was telling me where we wanted to go, but there didn't seem much in that direction, so I headed off on a mini-recce. While I was away there was a unilateral decision to lunch (NFF Poor discipline not to wait for the leader - must convene the sub-committee on battlefield punishments!) Anticipating this need for the occasional recce, I had brought along the W/T, and after slashing my way through some brambles and up a near vertical slope, to my amazement I found myself in a large marrow patch, that had been abandoned some time previously, but was producing marrows of an astonishing size and health. This gave me a clue that there must be some civilisation nearby, and in fact there was after thrashing through some more undergrowth I arrived at an abandoned pig farm. I managed to extract a promise from David (between mouthfuls) to follow on, and eventually we all made it up through the marrow patch with varying degrees of gnashing and wailing.

The climb to the Marrow Patch
A fine pair.... (well you expected that didn't you!!)



"The Marrow Patch Dolls!" (Note how I have refrained from anything crude and obvious!!)

After the pig farm, the route up to the Aljezur-Marmelete road was reasonably easy though warm going, and after a few hundred metres on tarmac we reached the intended path down towards Três Figos and thence Romeiras. Before this, the sensitive and romantic Leader handed out 'Love Hearts' sweets to all survivors (both male and female - no homophobia here!) Regrettably no records were kept of the words of wisdom inscribed thereon, but the fizzy sweets themselves evoked fond memories of a far more innocent era.

The remainder of the walk was a pleasant long downhill stretch, followed by a rather overgrown transition across to meet the Romeiras road down through the HGV and Agricultural machinery Repair depot. Then a sprint to Casa Pacheco, narrowly won (as ever) by Ian S, and a well earned beer, Janet produced her pumpkins, and we all admired them!




PS: If this walk is to be done again it needs some refining, although many expressed that they enjoyed the uncertainty and the moderate scrambling, and it may be that an extension to the north of the Aljezur -Marmelete Road needs to be explored.