Algarve Wednesday Walkers: March 2006

The meaning of Blog

Received by email yesterday a rather disturbing note from "Worried" of Asparagus House, questioning the meaning of 'blog' as we enter our third blogging month. It is reproduced below uncensored and in all it's grisly syntax. Please stop here and DO NOT READ IT if you are sensitive, easily influenced or of a nervous disposition!! I hope this seditious undermining of the principles of Blogdom can be nipped in the bud. Oh and BTW, I feel that female bloggers should be referred to as "Blogarinas" !! The doubter in question appears above in bamboo stick form in Empire Builder shorts and holding hands with his new best friend!!

Dear Chief Blogger,

I have spent a disturbed night, not attributable to indigestion or to Wine Mine’s latest brew, considering the implications of the Path of Blogs down which you have set us.

Is our august body of walkers now no more than a bunch of Bloggers? I fear that, if so, we may be distanced by our friends.

In this regard you could perhaps clarify whether it is polite or politically correct to address someone as ‘A Blogger’. What is the female version – A Bloggeress, Blogerette or what? And how can we expect our lovely and charming lady companions to view such titles?

In the case of Thyl and myself, do we suffer from being somewhat blogged beneath our walking hats?

Again, I have to think how I may appear to Oscar in my new role. I am not sure whether he will regard me with the same sense of respect as hitherto if he becomes aware that I have ceased to be a humble Algarve Wednesday Walker and am now no more than just another Blogger. In any event, how should I now address him? Is he a brown woolly blog?

Perhaps, in reply, you could supply a suitable 'bamboo stick' drawing as to how you envisage a male or female walker-blogger should appear.

Yours, in bloggedness,

Mike the Blog

Any offers of counselling to cope with Mike's identity crisis would be gratefully received.

Ian's Bordeira inland walk; 29th March 2006

Is this a forgery!!
A rare find on this week's walk, was this poor copy of one of David's V.A. Cistus waymarks. Not only badly stencilled but sporting a pair of contradictory arrows. Is there a V.A. rural terrorist out there - or could there be a rational explanation. Comment awaited!!

Ian's report below:

Leader: Ian.
Present: Caroline, Caro, Thyl, Paul & Myriam, Mike, Tim & Shirley, Hedley.
Muffin, Oscar, Xana.

A group of 10 arrived at Bordeira for the walk to start at 9.45am. This was more than I anticipated as quite a few of our members were away. It was a beautiful clear blue sky and we set off on time. Within half a kilometre I unfortunately led everyone up the wrong path, but we quickly recovered the situation by finding the correct path and then set off to what turned out to be a very good walk. We walked initially over some high ground with good views towards the sea and then we very quickly dropped down into a valley along which we travelled east for 10 kilometres. This turned out to be very pleasant as the sun was quite warm and we were in the shade. We then climbed out of this valley out onto the high ground again, then travelled south, then west where at 1pm we sat down for lunch and Thyl made friends with a local dog which seemed to take a great interest in him. We then headed west again from the lunchspot and I decided to take a recommendation that Rod had given me last time we did the walk to head west along the track, instead of going north along the original valley. This turned out to be part of the Algarve Way and we saw a couple of the cistus waymarks. After about an hour we descended into a valley with a crystal clear river running. We then headed north again to, hopefully pick up the original westward track back to Bordeira. This we eventually found and arrived at Bordeira at 3.30pm. I think generally everyone knew they had done a walk.

Comment: A splendid green walk, with Algarve at it's finest, sunny, a cooling breeze, and green hills and valleys - wonderful while it lasts. Once again recorded in 'bamboo diagrams' in case Ian and Pam desert us in the future, and a true accolade, Shirley and Tim delaying their return to Dublin to participate in the walk! Still some issues with recorded distances, my pedometer being very optimistic according to learned guesses at how far we had actually walked, and Mike's GPS suffering from narcolepsy! Conclusion was that the walk was 20km +. The Bamboo diagrams recorded a distance of 24.7 km and exactly 5 hours walking time, not including lunch, rests and navigational uncertainties!!

After espying the V.A. waymarks, there was a spirited discussion led by Mike who recalled a capella near Vila de Bispo which was dedicated to a saint, whose name he could not remember (patron saint of walkers?) and which was visited by pilgrims before (or after) they crossed the Algarve. I opined that it should be Saint Paul, who reputedly was on a long walk to Damascus when converted. Another option, Saint Michael was thought to be the patron saint of undergarments, but conceivably walking socks were within his brief too! There didn't appear to be any claims from Saints Ian, Hedley or Thyl, and Saint Timothy was merely a convert of Saint Paul, who at one stage, because of his frail health was urged by his mentor to "take a little wine" for his digestion! What a compassionate person Paul was - and still is!

Late news: Check http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/patron00.htm No one specifically for walkers, but 'wandering musicians' is close!!

Green Spring day - the cast!

A portable 'Cistus V.A. Waymark'!

Thyl meditating on the sandwich Xana wants!

Apres Walk - the best bit?

Hedley's Walk; Wednesday 22nd March 2006

Walk from Rasmalho on the Monchique Rd
Approximately 17 Km - about 5 hours

(Report delayed as roving reporter Hedley had trouble with his 3G Satellite link!)

Leader : Hedley

Present : Paul, Myriam, Stan, Elaine, Vitor, Dina, David, Terry, Pam, Ian, Caroline, Tim & Shirley McGuire (guests).
Xana, Muffin, Nathan

Met at café "Casa do Pasto Riba e Serra" in Rasmalho to take caffeine on board followed by a short drive to the start point north of the village.
A flattish stride out for about 4 Km (heading north) round the lake and up to the village of Casas Velhas. A long haul up to the edge of the eucalyptus plantation, past the ruined house where Myriam lost her dog lead about 60 years ago! A lot of the terrain very wet underfoot after the recent rains : the water table should be really high by now which bodes well for the summer. Continued along the eucalyptus (much of which has now been cut) before swinging north again down a long descent featuring a solitary blue blob from the first walk ever set by Hedley (reputedly thought to be in 1996). At about the 8Km point a vicious downhill to the river which was crossed with only one wet foot,(apart from the 12 used by the dogs between them)! Lunch followed by a scenic stretch along an old shepherd's track, in single file, with steep drops to the river below. This path featured a profusion of wild flowers with spectacular displays of gladioli. (particularly in the steep rock garden cultivated by a family of German's who had appropriated Hedley's original path!!) Joined up with the main track along the Ribera das Canas and after about 15 Km decided that the approach of a cloud front made it desirable to shorten the original plan by walking throught the water meadows where it was revealed in conversation that our resident technogeek (S**n) was not au fait with the term "phishing" (don’t ask me either). Shortly after, the natural history lovers were rewarded by a very rare sight - a view of a bare leg displayed by Myriam as she applied medication after falling (gracefully) off a wall. A final burst through the Aloe Vera plantation to reach the cars and back to the pub.

Comment: I could be accused of getting rather 'anal' about estimated distances and times (see last week), possibly because of my frenetic dealings with Builders, Quantity Surveyors and Architects on our forthcoming (hopefully) rebuilding project. This time I took issue with Hedley re his reported kilometrage from the Silves junction to the start Cafe (He said 3.2 and the G-Wagon made it 2.7), and his estimated walk distance (16/17km) when my pedometer made it 13.3 MILES. In view of the fact that the G-Wagon is on oversize winter tyres, and I found that my pedometer had reset itself to an inch further than my current stride, I feel that I maybe slightly out in my figures, so I unreservedly apologise and promise not to comment on distances again - until someone else gets it wrong!!
Another thought - why did Hedley asterisk the two middle letters of "our resident technogeek"s name. Most of us would have deduced who it was from the cast list at the top of this blog!! Asterisks are usually used to faintly disguise a profanity - or something unpleasant. Surely it couldn't be because S**n was a Lawyer in a former life, and Hedley had a subconscious reaction while penning his piece! I will leave you to decide!

Myriam shows a leg!!

A relatively dry crossing

Top of the "Undulation"

WW 15th March 2006

(Note: Below please find verbatim contribution by Walk Leader, MP,)

Walk Name: Sancho Panza (i.e. the clockwise version of the Don Quixote version that we walked about a year ago)
Leader: Mike;
In attendance: Pam, Ian, Rod, Mike, Gack, Blackie (Guest of Gack), Peter, Stan, Elaine, Paul and Myriam
Dogs: Archie, Oscar, Pookie, Muffin, Xana and Brontes.
Total: 46 legs.

Distance: 16 miles according to Paul but disputed by Mike whose GPS gave up en route. Notified distance was “say 16 kms”. If the standard factor of 1.609344 is applied to the word “say” the distance actually covered conforms precisely with Paul’s calculation.
Time: Stated in the notice advertising the walk as 5+ hours. Using the formula below for calculating ‘+’ when MP is walk leader actual time was spot on.
Conditions: cloudy to start but sunny later.

The following simple formula should be used for the purpose of calculating “+” to arrive at actual walk time

+ = y - [r+F+c+x+b+a+w2] ¸Ê*À

Where:
r = Pine Processionary Caterpillars (Thaumetopea pityocampa) of the family Thaumelopopeidae. Sight of these cause total panic and require Red Alert Action Stations preparatory to possible walk abandonment.
F = Enforced walk stoppage whilst satisfactory rest room facilities are found in the nearby undergrowth
y = Notified length of walk in hours
c = Prolonged lunch break to allow vista gazing
x = Time taken for PAdeV to draw four black pigs on his bamboo chart
a = Time taken to extract walkers from bar at start
w = Time taken in disciplining whingers and whiners
Ê= Time taken for RF to calculate the speed of a windmill blade to complete one revolution
À = Time take to reach group unanimity on the spelling of ‘Brontes’
b = Time taken to agree on whether Sir Alan Sugar is a ‘Schmuck’ and whether he fired the appropriate Apprentice on the previous week’s BBC programme

Comment: Regrettably the onerous duty of correcting the reasoned argument above, to forestall a welter of complaints from pedantic readers, falls to the honourable Chief Blogger. Fact: The correct reported (by me) distance for the walk, measured scientifically by an Oregon Scientific Pedometer set precisely at 32" per pace to conform with the owners anatomy, weight and vigour, was actually 15 miles (including the distance to the bar and back to the terrace). Then if the "standard" factor for correction to Peaseometers was applied, the Walkers were in fact cheated out of almost exactly one mile of the advertised walk . Those especially disappointed should apply to M.P. for a refund.
I cannot argue with the '+' correction formula for the time of walk, but it may be significant to take into account the writer's tendency to inaccuracy, of which an example occurs in his attendance list. I am sure all readers have performed the calculation, and arrived at the sum of 48 legs (12 human and 6 dogs) - against a stated total of 46. I resignedly await the arrival of yet another 'correction' factor, or an argument that Myriam and a.n.other have such short legs that they only count as one each!!
I have been urged by certain participants to refer this walk AND MP's first walk of the season to the Sub-committee for Accuracy in Descriptions (S.A.D.)

Other Highlights: The sight of a small 'chain' of processionary caterpillars crossing our path caused a minor flap, (Xana getting rather a lot of time on lead through pine groves), but it is probably getting towards the end of the season, and although there were numerous nests, no other caterpillars were seen on the ground. Further info can be found at:
http://web.cortland.edu/fitzgerald/PineProcessionary.html

Conversation of the day was between Stan and Ian trying to calculate the tip velocity for the larger wind turbines, using half -forgotten GCE maths, and concluding that 'it was nowhere near the speed of sound'!!

The 'Bamboo diagrams' for this walk were compiled in real time by both Paul & Mike, and as soon as the means can be found to upload them, then they will be available so that any of the WW's can use them, should they wish.

WW 8th March 2006 - Go East!

Regrettably, Myriam and I were embroiled with our ongoing building saga, and missed this walk, But David has very kindly submitted the following notes which have passed the Censor!

WW Weblog. Wednesday Walk, 8th March 2006.
Walkers:-
Twolegs:- Terry A, Rod, Stan, Elaine, Hedley, Mike, David L.
Fourlegs:- Pookie, Oscar, Nathan.
Walk:- Mainly Tavira Camara Route PR4, with additions and subtractions to avoid tarmac. About 14k, taking in the villages of Feiteira, Castelao and Parizes, to the east and north-east of Barranco do Velho. The general feeling seemed to be that this is a very attractive circular, well worth repeating. There is a case for a working party to clear a lane at the end of the walk, avoiding the need for a clamber up a ploughed field. The walk is available in a leaflet published by C.M. Tavira. Terry, Rod and David L have copies. It involves two testing ascents and two stream crossings plus a 30m stream-bed plodge, but is otherwise free of obstacles other than the aforementioned blocked lane . There are two bars at Parizes, but the one actually on the route does not seem to open very often.
The Day
The small but perfectly formed band gathered at the Tia Bia for a 9.30 rendezvous, and went on to Feiteira in two vehicles. We walked out along the Castelao road, which was the first error, since the walk proper starts some 200m further into Feiteira, and joins the road a little further on. The day began under cloud, but cleared steadily to leave us walking very warmly under blue skies for the bulk of the time. At Castelao we left the prescribed route to avoid more road-walking, and ventured onto a section of the Via Algarviana from there to Parizes. Here the two walks coincide for the descent to the Odeleite, and then divide once more as the PR4 turns steeply back towards the N124. At the road, the bold decision was taken to rely on the OS map for a couple of k in order to cut off more blacktop - and it worked! In fact the valley we discovered was one of the highlights of the day, with a very attractive ‘green road’ running through it and back up to Feiteira. It was here, on the last 300m, that we met the blocked lane. Back at Feiteira we saw, but did not go up to, the old school which is now one of the three bunkhouses in the area, on the route of the 45k GR23. The group returned to the Tia Bia and sat for a rather longer than usual apres-walk in the sunshine - partly, it has to be said, because the detour had shortened the route somewhat.
Highlights:-
The leader’s suggestion that lunch be taken ‘because we’ve cracked this hill’, when, true to form, we were only halfway up it.
Rod’s innocent question - ‘ Whose stick is that?’ (pointing back the way we had come) just as we were all safely across the second stream and had donned our boots. Had the energy been available, harm could have been done.
Sadly, no photos this week, as no cameras were carried.
Our best wishes to those walkers unavoidably absent through irrness, summit confelences and tiring ellols. DR.

Farewell to Esme & Maurice - WW 1st March 2006

Wednesday 1st March - The first day of Spring, St David's Day, and a wonderful clear, cool but sunny Algarve Walking Day.

Leader: Rod
Present: Myriam; Paul; Mike; Terry; Stan; Elaine; Hedley; Pam; Ian C.S.; Gack; Ian W.; David; Ian S.
Xana; Oscar; Muffin; Archie; Pookie.

Walk from Casa Casinha, Silves area approx 20km - 5 hours

Assembled in good order, caffeine applied and set off after a short wait for 'Terry the Navigator' to find the RV. Susan having done Rod's recce for him on horseback the previous day had alerted us to some free range piglets, with their mother sows, on the early part of the walk, so the potential pig-hounds were leashed as we walked past the damp valley where the aforementioned were as proverbially happy as reputed! A bit 'hilly' as is usual with Rod, but some fine ridges and clear views all round, until the climb to the Trig Point for the lunch break, which proved a hill too far for Ian S. and Gack who lunched at the lower altitude of base camp. Archie however did make it to the top only to be whistled down by Gack. He didn't appear to mind!
Downhill from there, Rod went to round up the 'Lost Sheep' and Archie, and the rest of us descended the West Face with caution.
We arrived back at Casa Casinha shortly after 1430 hrs. to meet Maurice and Esme, Dinah, Diane, Jyll P., Susan, Joy, Anna and Maria. No-one had thought to lay in the beers for our arrival, but this was swiftly done, and a table and chairs moved into the road in the sun for Maurice's comfort. A very convivial session, - Rod said a few words, paying tribute to the enormous contribution of Maurice and Esme in the formative days of the WW's, and a special presentation of a portion of Picota rock, adorned with an exact replica of one of Maurice's notorious 'Blue Blobs' and a small plaque inscribed to 'Esme and Maurice from the AWW's - "Amigos Para Sempre". The presentation was from an original idea by Ian S. who personally harvested the rock from the top of Picota, with words by Myriam, and the execution and finishing arranged with amazing speed and accuracy by Maria.
I think I can safely say that both Esme and Maurice were touched by the occasion, (although it didn't stop Maurice from luring a rather attractive lady to his car window and propositioning her at length), and it is with regret but with all our best wishes, that we see them return to UK at the beginning of April, after a long and rewarding stint in the Algarve.