AWW 28.02.2007 Pereira Perambulation

The Starters

A good turnout of 16 + 2 dogs on a great day for rambling, everyone smiling with the thought of Mike's promises from his email produced verbatim below:-

Difficulty rating: Extremely easy (bring Sudoku's as something to do whilst you walk)

Hills: No RF-hills or DL-undulations

It promised to be a 'walk in the park'!!

From WW Blog Pix

Pereira Walk Track - (click to enlarge)

In an extremely caring manner, Mike had considered the CB's arduous duty, and managed to keep the whole track on one sheet of the Military Map, sheet 594 to be precise. So accurate was his navigation that although we teetered on the western edge of the map - we did not fall off, and the task of posting this Track was made infinitely more simple!

Here is Mike's account of the walk, and I am only responsible for the statistics:

The walk for Wednesday 28th February was a re-run of 'Compote de Pereira'. An earlier attempt, in mid-November, was washed out in heavy rain. On this occasion we were blessed with a truly glorious day, sunny, warm and with a pleasant breeze. The walk is mostly along ridge-tops and the 360º vistas were at their best.

The early part of the walk near Quinta de Perdiz had been subject to a massive clearing operation

Present were: David, Andrew, Lindsey, Chris, Stan, Elaine, Caroline, Hedley, John, Paul, Janet and Mike, and not forgetting Oscar.

Guests were: Tina, and, from The Hash House Harriers: John O'Neil, Brian Holman and Mick Walters plus Shorty (a terrier, somewhat reminiscent of Muffin).

Statistics: Length 22.5 km, Total time 5 hrs. 45 minutes; Moving time 5 hrs 5 minutes;

Moving Average 4.4 km/hr; Overall Average 3.9 km/hr

TOTAL ASCENT: 707 m. Max Elevation 172 m. (cf. Walk description above!)

Rod was last heard of on the Galapagos Islands where he was presumably researching the origins of AWWs and our relationship to penguins. We will learn on his return whether we are to become the Algarve Wednesday Waddlers?

The start was bang on time and we reached Vale de Corvos trig point (159 m) on schedule after 90 minutes good pace walking. From this point there is a good ridge top path to Arão that permits the pace to be increased a little. We managed to pass through the village without loss of numbers despite the doors of the bar being open.

Vale de Corvos TP.

On the ridge that lies to the south of Arão we passed the spot where, in c. the year 3 PB (Pre-Blogs) Maurice endeavoured to entice a stray donkey with an apple that he had left over from his lunch. The moke would have none of this seductive offering and set off over hill and down dale hotly pursued by Maurice. A somewhat crestfallen Maurice duly rejoined the group later, minus the apple and never having established contact with the donkey.

Lunch was taken at the trig point Moita Ladrões (141 m) offering pleasant all-round views.

Lunch at Moita Ladrões

Following the descent we spied a donkey (another one) with a very young foal close to the road. This elicited tender 'ooohs and aaahs' from all the ladies, especially from Janet who expected to become a grandmother during the course of the walk -- but no cell phone message was received so we didn't get the anticipated bubbly. Tina kindly produced an apple and Mike was persuaded to emulate Maurice's endeavours, recalled above, but this time with success as the moke bit happily into the proffered apple. Is there a moral in this somewhere?

Live reenaction of Maurice and the donkey - successful this time!

We then passed through the hamlet of Mulher Morta which Lindsey was able to establish later from the barman at café/bar Goncalves in Pereira had some history as to its name. Years ago some villager (perhaps staggering home from the local on a Saturday night) had seen a vision of a lady who had died some time previously but who was now seen by the nearby stream, washing her clothes. Whether the lady had been murdered is purely a matter for idle conjecture.

On the ridge that lies immediately below the trig point of Boi (145 m) there is a turn-off point named 'The Virgins' Dilemma'. We took the 'wise virgin' path downwards that avoids that of the 'foolish virgins' which ascends to the trig point and then descends steeply by way of jagged burnt cistus. There was only one vote to be a 'foolish virgin' and she shall be nameless.

Mike doing the "Foolish Virgin speech"

Total distance covered was 22.5 km. For the first time ever there was complete harmony between Mike and Paul's GPS in this matter. Time elapsed, i.e. including stops, was 5 hours 45 minutes.

Dinah and Myriam met us at Pereira.

A much deserved drink!

At the end of the walk Andrew presented a rope for future use by AWW leaders who get so inextricably lost that the only way out requires such artificial means. It was noted that one end had been knotted to form a 'hangman's noose'. The implications of this are worrisome and there may be a shortage of leaders offering their services in the future.

Mike's Hero!!

Finally, I offer you a sobering thought as we amble around the countryside, carrying a back-pack weighing perhaps 5 kg at most and walking at a leisurely pace of say 4 km/hour. A Roman legionary would be expected to march at a pace of about 6 km/hour carrying food, clothing and fighting equipment that might weigh from 30-40 kg. [I have taken into consideration that the Roman mile was 1,000 steps, i.e. just over 1,600 yards]. Also, don't forget that he walked in hobnailed sandals (none of our fancy Gortex hiking boots for him). And, at the end of the day's march, he would be expected to spend about 2 hours erecting a 'Marching Fort' involving the construction of ditch, bank and palisade. In the Falklands Campaign of recent times, soldiers of the Parachute Regiment yomped 80 miles in 3 days carrying 50 kg of equipment and then had energy to fight the Argentineans. So ponder on these facts as Rod urges you up some mountain or Paul drives you yet faster as we go clean 'round the bend' or we face yet more undulations driven by 'you-know-who'.