WAGS 04.05.2022: Furadouro and a Record Report

 

Well, we don´t have to waste any precious time this week with News Wot You May Have Missed or any other such filling-in stuff.

“Why not?” I hear you ask. Because the Leader´s report came speeding in on Thursday afternoon. Here it is. Hot off the press, as they say. Over toRod.

Afternoon John....must be a record......or what Terry's lunch did for me !

Another way up  to Furadouro...and back!!

On a splendid warm and sunny morning that a few days earlier was forecast as being wet, John & Hazel, Ingrid Maria, Yves, Terry plus Claire and Colin, Antony and Rod gathered at the Mira Rio Restaurant. 

We set off across the bridge and turned away from the river through, or rather round, a gate that bore a sign indicating a Private Hunting Reserve. We have been up this track before but there has never been any hunting.. then there rarely would be on a Wednesday!  It's a pretty valley.... lush and grassy now with lovely wild flowers. This winds slowly upwards past a now seemingly abandoned hunting hide and up to a ridge opening up views towards Monchique.

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The good doctor distributes remedies against altitude sickness

  In the past from here we had taken the steep track straight up to the Furadouro Trig Point but this time we took a contour track towards the east which wound round the top end of the valley we had just ascended. This eventually hit a wider fire break track which headed north a long a ridge with views along the Falacho Valley to the east. 

 This track involved a few steepish ups and downs accomplished with  but a minimum of grunts and groans.

 This  swung round to the west again until we eventually arrived at the Trig Point. By the time most of us got there Maria was already gracing the top of course. 

Antony then produced his drone...hotfoot from Ukraine perhaps...and some daredevil piloting revealed.  how nimble these things can be. Maybe some footage from the on board camera will form part of this blog. (Maybe !)

After quite a  while we descended,  this time more to the west, down a winding track that eventually took us back down to the main road but considerably further west.  

 It was intended that we should find some sort of a footpath that kept us off the road on the river side. At this point discipline broke down and there were a number of different variations of paths...well there were very few really except near the three or four abandoned houses between the road and the water.

The short tracks from the road to these houses have disgracefully been used as  dumping grounds for builders rubbish...the Câmara should be doing something about it. 

Maybe the Camara have plans for this area; here is a newly erected replacement bus stop

 At other points the would be paths encouraged you to either  walk across the aqueducts  if you dared....only Antony did (once!) ..or down the gulleys below which risked a bootful of wet slime.

Our leader was the only one who did this, twice...and kept his boots dry both times.....all ye of little faith! Eventually at varying points and times we all arrived back at the Mira Rio. 

 Service seemed a bit stretched however and Tostas and Bifanas were off the menu. The pratos do dia were ample enough for those indulging in such fare....

others had to make do with rather less,  or in one case or two...nothing!!  Perhaps that is what they had earned anyway!

The two who had to do without

The Track and some Statistics

Distance: 5.6 kms; total time: 2 hrs 46 m; moving time; 1 hr 48 m.

Ascent; 141 metres; moving speed (if you can in fact call it a speed -more of a petty pace) 3 kmph.

And two bits ol cheerful music to close