WAGS 25.10.2017:Figueira Dykes and Swamps: Of Cows, Storks and a Dirty Bitch!

Another attempt at last week's intended walk, was similarly ill-omened. After 3 or 4 days of cloudless skies and summer temperatures, we awoke to brooding grey skies. Fortunately no rain was expected, but far worse - Tassebem had unaccountably decided to take the week off, and the best coffee and bifanas in the whole of Figueira were off the menu.
       John and Maria had arrived early and assessing the situation, holed up in the bakery next door, which as it turned out did a fine coffee and a tolerable tosta mista - of which more later- IF you were not in a hurry. Which we weren't, being WAGS.
      Turn out was better than feared, as I only had firm responses from Janette and Rod, but John came to the rescue after he had ascertained that Maria would like to WAG this week rather than the alternative, and also Tony turned up 'sine promulgatione'.
 (Author's note: As this walk was visiting the sad remnants of the Roman Villa at Abicada, I am 'carpe diem' to squeeze as many Latin Tags into this blog. And not just because John, being a student of The Greats has the sine qua non to translate them 'instanter'  'in situ' 'nec adhuc illo' a Latin Grammar. )
   And   so we were 7 - almost as many as the AWW produced this week, and we drove in two cars down to the start at Sociedade Recreativa Figueirense 

Special Blog Bonus - Three starter photos, one each by myself, Rod and John, in illo ordine.

And this was all to save the task of John setting up his camera and making the 10 second dash. There was a suggestion about Photoshopping the photographer into each photo, but  apathy overtook me in the studio. Even Jess and Shadow cooperated for two of the photos, though only one photographer managed to capture Tony looking towards the camera with his eyes open!

   We set off at a carefully calculated time which would have us crossing the rail bridge between the scheduled arrival times of the Faro-Lagos Express, at 0940 and 1027, 

 Proceeding 'singuli' towards the bridge.

Leaving space for the train to pass through 'inter alii'  'sicut si'.

Maria ignores an impromptu Hokey Cokey by Rod and John " You put your left foot in....."

Is that a bull guarding the long dyke?

Sadly found this dead bird on the dyke, tentatively identified as a Grey Heron, rather than the more common White Stork, which is thriving in the Algarve, and has a red bill.

We came across a large congregation? of White Storks having a conference in the marshes.

Tony's dogs refused to go and round them up, so we organised a concerted stork scaring shout which had the desired effect.

Going... Going

Gone...... though I assure you it looked more impressive 'nudo oculo'

And then we had to confront the enemy.

Jess, who had cunningly deleted her natural doggy smell by plunging through the fetid marsh went first, but then faltered.......

....but with some 'moralis firmamentum' from Tony, the cow(ard)s backed down.

More wild life in the marsh

A little bit later and Maria advertised holidays in Brazil with a T shirt that had been discarded in the bushes. She declined to model it properly for us!

Soon after we crossed the dam (sadly unrecorded) and greeted some optimistic fishermen, before we came to the most exciting part of the walk - the slide down and the stagger up. I will let the pictures tell the tale.

Am I there yet...?

Myriam amused herself by putting together an art installation entitled 'Still Life - A party on the cliffs'

Jess was drying out and not smelling quite as bad. (The 'dirty bitch' of the title!)

From here we reached the turning point overlooking the esplanade at Alvor after about 4.5 km, and commenced the circuit back over the hill towards the main Alvor Road.

The group looked at Alvor Promenade but turned away.

We crossed some privately owned land beside Montes de Alvor but the owner graciously let us through. (Rod doing a fair imitation of another banker, Ricardo What´s His Name)

   A fairly uneventful stroll back to Abicada, with Janette in the van, striding out at a pace well in excess of the usual WAGS amble.

“Just imagine, if you will,  in Roman times this pavement was all encrusted with beautiful mosaics.”

And after 10km and 2 hrs 55 minutes we were back at the cars and ready for our Apres walk bifana/tosta.

   We drove over to O Pescador in 2 cars, with Rod appreciating Jess sharing part of the marsh with him while sitting next to Tony. Then another cruel stroke. The litlle lady running O Pescador balked at preparing 7 sandwiches for  our hungry WAGS. She clearly had made sufficient money for the day from the sole local sitting on the terrace with an empty bica and a full ashtray. We repaired to the small bakery the other side of the closed Tassebem, O Trigo Padaria or similar, and fortunately the girl working there was sufficiently motivated by Maria to produce a very acceptable Tosta mista for each walker except Tony . Delicious freshly baked bread with cheese and ham, but alas no tomatoes. Very filling and good value. Maria bought a large loaf to keep her going in the afternoon, and by now the sun was breaking through.

And Myriam took the lunch photo. Eyes down looking.

"We all sorely complain of the shortness of time, and yet have much more than we know what to do with. Our lives are either spent in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to the purpose, or in doing nothing that we ought to do. We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end of them."

• Seneca
• on
• procrastination

And finally, a Latin Quote that i wish I had discovered at the start of the APAPS season.

"Barba non facit philosophum"    - I am sure John will explain!

WAGS 18.10.2017: Rain stops Play -almost (Alvor)

   Scarcely a drop of rain since April, yet the visit of my old school friend Brian brought with it a miserably cloudy week, culminating in a downpour early Wednesday morning, the like of which had not been seen on Wednesdays since Antje instigated the wet T-shirt competitions on her Carrapateira walks.
     Not that we didn't urgently need the rain - reservoir supplies are very low, yet we have heard nothing from the Government about water-saving measures, or steps to tackle the drought. However, the walk originally planned took us from Figueira through the paddies and along the dykes to Alvor, and much knee-high wet grass along the way to discourage the bravest of WAGS. Hedley called soon after 7am to report  that there were diluvian conditions in Carvoeiro, and as he was flying back to UK on the morrow, didn't fancy it if it would entail packing sodden Decathlon hiking apparel. I soothed him with a promise of a review if conditions had not abated by the time we had absorbed our morning caffeine in Cafe Tassebem in Figueira - the official meeting cafe for the day.
      I couldn't very well call round and change anything at this stage as I was not entirely sure who else was coming. I had affirmatives from Janette and Rod plus guests, but other less communicative WAGS might well have neglected to reply.
       At Cafe Tassebem at 0930, the WAGS duly assembled, and there was only one surprise, Tony Webster had not been sufficiently alienated by the Benagil outing to turn up with Jess and Shadow.
       This confirmed the Lagos Street Art Tour was a non-alternative as Tony doesn't like to take his dogs unless they are free running. Hedley was adamant that he didn't want to get his nether regions wet and Janette had turned up in Darcy Bussell Limited Edition ballet pumps, so we quickly switched from the walk through the marshland to a more agreeable and potentially drier tour of the Alvor boardwalks and beach.
      Rod led the way to the ample car park and we settled  for a single starter photo, excluding the photographer, Yours Truly.

L-R Tony, Gerry, Ben, James, Rod, Janette, Myriam, Brian, Hedley (and either Jess or Shadow!)

I had brought along Brian, a spritely 70 year old, much older than me, with whom I went to school during our formative years in UK. Rod brought along his eldest son James, and Ben his grandson, and also an old friend from Ottawa, Gerry.

This was the first walk as far as I can remember that we met at a Cafe for one walk and started another walk, some distance away. It says a lot for the flexibility and adaptability of the WAGS, almost more than the desire for the least uncomfortable conditions. The well drained boards provided a good wet weather walking surface, although it didn't actually rain after we had started. The tide was almost fully out, which was a bonus, allowing us to walk along the beach at the western end, and follow the sea to the eastern mole of the Lagos storm shelter inlet.

(Almost) Untrodden Ways.

Quite a number of walkers were out on the boardwalk, but from the far end to the southern beach and back to Alvor we encountered fewer.

A lifelike set of cairns

Lagos in the background

Scramble up the seawall.

After a fight this angler landed this monster, and deciding he had enough to feed his disciples, packed up and left.

We reached Tres Irmaos without incident, and young Ben declared he was very hungry, so we headed for a cafe that Janette knew, and which turned out to be very efficient and secluded.

 Ben was hungry, and the other walkers looked on enviously as he was served first.

A shady corner (for some) taken by Myriam. (Note Rod taking photo)

The photy wot Rod took! (Processed  by Prisma)

The coffee, bifanas and tostas were of a reasonable standard and price, given the location, the walk was something well under 10 km (see GPS) considering the late start, and we went on our way rejoicing that the sun was out again.

After all, honour was intact as we had a bit of a leg stretch, walking on sand counting more than on firm earth, though we barely ascended 10 metres from start to finish.

"The rainy days a man saves for usually seem to arrive during his vacation."

• Source Unknown

"Do not, on a rainy day, ask your child what he feels like doing, because I assure you that what he feels like doing, you won't feel like watching."

• Fran Lebowitz

WAGS 11.10.2017: Benagil's Coastal Crapatorium

After the first blush of enthusiasm on 20th September, the absence for various good reasons of Rod and Paul for a couple of Wednesdays, meant there were no volunteers to lead the Languid supporters of the WAGS walks, until today (11th October).  I am sure it is not apathy that is causing this hiatus, so please, if you have walked with us and enjoy it step up to the mark and come up with a walk matching the criteria for our Charter. Coffee at the start;circa 3 hrs max; 10-12 km total; no undue ascent nor descent; and a tosta mista, soup or bifana at the end.

Now I must state, that in an attempt to alleviate the effects of the late season heat wave, Rod chose a walk which should have had refreshing coastal breezes, but alas lacked  a starter coffee shop, which immediately induced a potential grumpiness among certain caffeine dependent WAGS. It lacked an obvious choice for a post walk refreshment, but luckily, a suggestion from Gita led to an improvised venue which apparently was successful.

  I say 'apparently' as unfortunately the time we took to complete the walk meant that I had to attend a domestic recall without the benefit of coffee nor TM, which for a less stable, relaxed and tolerant individual could have led to unpleasantness.

   As it was, few photos were recorded and this blog is largely textual from a 'bullshit' ( more shit than bull) report by Rod.

Two ' Spot the difference' Starter Photos: L-R Yves, Tony, Rod/Paul, Janette, Hedley, Ingrid, Gita, Thyl. Dogs:  Shadow and Jess

Here is Rod's unexpurgated prose:-
In attendance

Thyl & Gita, Paul, Tony W, Hedley, Janette, Ingrid, Rod. 

The heat still being an issue we opted for a relatively gentle walk along the coast from Benagil towards Armacao de Pera. The recently expanded car park has no convenient cafe....the one opposite the entrance seems to have delusions of grandeur; not only was it closed at 09.30 but at 12.30, despite having only one table occupied refused to serve anything but a full lunch.

The walk has, of course, been done many times before and the scenery never ceases to delight. However the never ending summer this year continues to attract the hordes and before 11 the beaches, car parks and many of the paths were well populated. A walk therefore best left to one of those bright January days when the madding crowds have vanished.

Three examine the Booze Cruise, heading for the cove, while one discreetly joins in!

Vanished too, at least pro tem, is the beach bar at Albandeira....to be rebuilt maybe?

We turned round some way past Albandeira and retraced our steps somewhat inland. This was a big mistake in that behind the now rather desecrated Praia de Marinha, an area recently the subject of an article in The Portugal Resident  by Charles(Frew), we came upon an extensive area, including the path itself, litter-ally covered with human excremental detritus.

Graphic illustration of the horror! (not full size to protect the sensitive!)

 Quite what steps can be taken to eliminate this absolutely revolting, and probably disease spreading  situation remains to be seen.

The return was slightly more eventful. In a continuing attempt not to precisely retrace our steps Tony announced he used to use a short cut up a 45°slope so almost as nimbly as 15 years ago, up he shot....followed somewhat more laboriously by the rest of us.

  At the top our leader headed off through the woods along a faint path (actually if you followed the spent gun cartridges it was not all that faint)....followed by a faithful 4, the 3 of little faith stuck to the coastal path.   It made little difference....the car park is so enormous that practically no one could miss it.  

It was so difficult to find anywhere for the habitual post walk tostas and beverage that we (well minus Ingrid and Tony and even Paul who was unusually overcome with guilt at abandoning Myriam who was involved in domestic redecoration)  finally repaired to the Apolonia Supermarket cafe in Lagoa.

Amazing....ample at the door parking, pleasant outdoor shaded terrace, helpful smiling staff, a choice of Pao Caseiro or Forma for tostas and some highly refreshing Strongbow cider on tap....somewhere to be remembered indeed.

The walk, despite the bald statistics below.................

seemed quite demanding for a couple of the party, but despite the late difference in return routes, all returned in better shape than the leader of the AWW's the previous week!

The pace was fairly sluggish even by WAGS standards, and the overall average on  my GPS was elevated by a late sprint by myself to get home before evening.

    I have a new App on my phone supplied by Public Health Education UK called 'Active 10', and it appears the idea is to motivate seniors - or at least those that have and operate smartphones - to do at least 10 minutes continuous 'brisk' walking either 1, 2 or 3 times each day, depending on the target selected. There is no definition of brisk walking, but from experiment I have determined that it is marginally faster than an old lady leaving Tesco's (or Waitrose') with two bags of shopping.  Sadly the pace of the WAGS on this outing failed to exceed Public Health UK's established criteria. The App reported to me that I had walked 189 minutes in total, of which 10 were 'brisk', and I am willing to wager that most of those 10 were during the last stage of the walk when i did my own route back, unwilling to risk Rod's unreccied path becoming a 'David Littlewood'! That his unerring sense of direction resulted in a fairly direct if bushy return to the car park is testimony to his leadership and navigational skills, but I must say I arrived contemporaneously with my prickle free route.

      The only other item of interest, was a Praying Mantis on route, who had misjudged the return of the rains and was a resplendent bright green amid the arid brown of the landscape.

What he was praying for perhaps only Hazel could tell us!

"Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience."

• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• on
• patience

WAGS 20.09.2017 First Footing in the Forest

Yes, a new season, signalled by the end of the summer APAPS, and the AWW moving into gear in their usual polished and efficient manner, but much further East..

Only one person appeared to have the correct walking equipment

We managed a congregation of 8 for the opening walk from Barao Sao Joao.

Hazel, Rod, Gita, Janette, Myriam, Thyl (showing his good side) John

As above except Paul vice Myriam

The usual time delay option was not available for the starter photo, as the |Creative Director wanted to include the mural of the Algarvean Shepherd in the picture, and the Chief Photographer claimed that 10 seconds would not be enough for him to sprint from his car where the camera was firmly gorilla-podded, to include himself in the picture. Ergo, 2 starters' photos and a 'Spot the Difference' contest.    The Chief Photographer had led the APAPS for so long that he automatically assumed the position as soon as the camera was pointed at him.

    Thyl was nursing his arm in a sling after an off-season moped accident, but bravely carried on uncomplainingly.

    So after a meeting for caffeine infusion in Vadibar, in the company of many worthy inmates of BSJ, at the standard (WAGS) time of  10 am we set off into the Mata Nacional. We also took the precaution of asking if the kitchen was up to preparing 8 tostas mistas for our lunch. They were!

         At this time of season it is getting a little warm by 10 am, but after a summer of 7 am starts, the leisurely Wednesday start is welcome. Although later there were a few comments about the heat, until the wind fans started working.

   The intention was to take in Sculpture Hill on the way down, and end up coming back through the shade of the umbrella pines on the wiggly path when it was hotter towards midday.

        

Political commentary: Are the people really sucking the State dry and excreting percebes?

Sculpture Hill was really the main opportunity for photos.

Financial Proctologist: Do I sense a theme here?

The walk was fairly amiable and uneventful, except that all precepts about keeping the walker in front in clear view were abandoned as there appeared to be a marked difference in pace and fitness levels, only to be expected after the summer recess.  There were opportunities to shorten the walk to about 8 km, but this was unanimously ignored.

Getting strung out

  At about the 9 km point, the leader was way behind on the scheduled pace, so as one or two had expressed a need to leave early, a shortcut down to the bottom wiggly path was devised.

Downhill shortcut

    The umbrella pines provided far less luxuriant shade than hitherto, and indeed it looked like some forestry had been practiced. Nevertheless the return path was obvious, and Rod hoping to get his tosta before returning home, and Myriam and myself who had a quick visit to a former gardener before lunch, accelerated away heading for the end. And we would have been there much earlier if another promising shortcut had gone where it looked as if it was going on the GPS. Alas after veering round to the west again, the shortcut was retraced and we descended to the original path below.

       Mission accomplished we  repaired to the Vadibar, which as the only place in town, was standing room only in the smoking seats outside, so we sat inside and awaited our tostas and in Myriam's case, her soup.

A rare shot of John drinking Iced Tea, but Thyl sticks with a more traditional beverage.

Tostas poised.

Myriam declared the soup, grandly described as Julienne, but as we know better 'Sopa de dia - Legumes', as tasty and served at the correct temperature. The tostas were adequate but lost marks on generosity of filling, and use of 'Pao Forma' rather than the sought after Pao Caseira. Very reasonably priced too.

The GPS showed that this was a high end WAGS walk, but well within the capabilities of those attending, albeit not at the usual standard speed.

This shows a distance of 11.61 km in 3 hrs 24 minutes, the overall average of 3.4 km/hr having been boosted by the acceleration over the final 3 km.  It was a start to the season after all.

Really I don't like human nature unless all candied over with art.

• Virginia Woolf
• on
• nature

• 
  

WAGS 03.05.2017: Conspiracy Theory - Rod and the Drone

Did the Apollo missions really land on the moon?

         Was it all Hollywood, or is this verified photo a mockup only for training purposes?

These thoughts began running through my head when I received Rod's solo, uncorroborated report on his activities on May 3rd, as Myriam and I were enjoying a canal cruise in St Petersburg.
   I publish it below verbatim for you to judge for yourself whether the 'facts' were in fact a finely constructed conspiracy to fool the WAGS into believing that Rod had  done 'The Real Thing',or had he mastered flying a remote drone to take pictures of himself ascending the mighty peaks of the central Algarve.

Here it is:

Walk Report! 

Once again I was left in solitude to undertake this week's effort and decided rather than complete the statutory 10k, to face the prospect of a challenging solo ascent.  I opted for the mighty TP Torre Cercas, one of the three highest peaks in the Freguesia de Silves.  

I set out from Base Camp on a bright sunny morning and could just make out the summit shimmering through frequent gaps in the clouds. The ascent was steep and, without crampons, ropes or oxygen, proved one of the toughest challenges I have faced

   Here I can be seen attacking the final few metres before summitting...nearly at the end of my tether. ( Fortunately one of my donkeys was at the other end who would have saved me from certain oblivion had I slipped)

 Here I may be seen triumphantly on the summit   admiring the stupendous views of the Silves citrus forests spread out below me.

      Below me here are the forbidding rocks of the so far unclimbed North Face of the Torre Cercas. This is a challenge to be faced on  a future occasion when on a  solo WAGS venture. 

On my eventual return to Base Camp supplies of Tostas Mistas  and Bifanas had run out so post climb revival was on coffee and digestive biscuits.

And now for a well earned holiday in the Azores. ...perhaps a quick shin up Pico next Wednesday!? 

Fotos by personally operated high altitude drone.

Well I will leave you to judge for yourselves. The third photo is quite compelling as you can make out the skull of a former climber who did not have the tenacity or endurance of Our Rod!  Perhaps a Mallory or a Captain Oates of a bygone expedition.

    Rod will be open to interrogation on his achievements at the next WAGS event, which hopefully will be on 24th May, if Rod has recovered from his exertions in the Azores and M and I are back to full strength after 14 days of sustained Baltic Tourism.

"Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs."

• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• on
• society

WAGS 26.04.2017: One WAG and his Blog

Foreign travels and apathy conspired to almost drive the WAGS to extinction this week.
It is at times like this that we need a hero to step up to the mark, and we had one in the shape of Rod.
Some say that if he were ever to stay at home on a Wednesday, unpleasant tasks like cleaning the Augean Stables might be allocated to him.

And so it was, our hero accompanied by his two,  four legged sidekicks set off at an undisclosed hour to maintain the honour of the WAGS.

Little evidence in the form of photographs or affidavit was furnished to support his efforts, but he did submit a perfectly plausible report, which has been confirmed by AC12 after perusing CCTV cameras in the area.
    Here is the report.

For the record lest anyone should imagine that the WAGS should have been overcome by sloth,  there was at least a modest turnout of 10 legs...Misty and Ember led by Rod...on a somewhat gloomy rain threatening day. Unsurprisingly and somewhat unoriginally  the route was along various well worn ( at least for the participants!) tracks in the Serra de Silves. Whilst there are no stats or map or regrettably even fotos as evidence the leader is satisfied that WAGS norms  of around 10k and 2 1/2 hrs. were comfortably achieved. Post walk refreshment was limited to a couple of cups of tea. Any chance of a slightly larger turnout next week? 

For the record on Friday 28/4 the leader was also responsible for a walk of similar proportions organised for the St Andrews Society which was joined by WAGS John Hope and Maria.  This time it was followed by a more comprehensive and excellent lunch at the by now quite well known Retiro dos Pescadores bar restaurant.

Cheers 

Rod

Let's applaud the effort and hope for a bigger squad next week.  

Just for padding here's the thought for the day.

And if you are interested in Time Travel, you can join this walk last Wednesday at 10 am!