WAGS 16.11.2022: That Dam Walk After All

 

The barragem (before the drought)

Well, Rod was determined to inspect the Bravura reservoir so, after a week´s delay. off we went. Here is his report, interspersed with a few editorials and, of course, with some pictures.

Herewith a report, shorter and more boring than usual but with the excuse it was written in the cerebrally hazy morning following the St. Andrew´s Ball.

The Starters

John & Hazel, Frank, Dina, Antony F ( he with the drone...not manufactured in Iran) Ian Angus ( he who was one of the stalwart 7 who christened the Via Algarviana / Algarve Way in 1998) and Rod gathered at the habitual café in Odeáxere on a dry but gloomy morning. 

(One notes that Rod uses the old-fashioned spelling of the town which Google tells us was used until about the 50´s of the last century. The current spelling is more usually Odiáxere.)

 After the usual coffee we drove  off in a couple of cars to B'gem de Bravura from where we started.  This was a walk we had last more or less done a year or so ago. 

(Antony with the drone almost immediately launched his magic machine; a selection of his drone pictures is at the end of this blog. They are worth looking at, so do persevere to the end.)

There she goes

 Rather inevitably the water was considerably lower than  it was then ....almost certainly lower than we have ever seen it.  Indeed it would seem that an additional pump had to be installed in deeper water to access sufficient water. 

September 2016

May 2021

November 2022. Note the additional pump

 We wandered along the lakeside path generally uneventfully. meeting only a couple of guys who seemed intent on engaging us in conversation...they turned out to be a couple of Americans, of the US variety, who had relatively recently taken up residence in Lagos.

Of the US variety

After 2 or 3 k's the lakeside path rises sharply away from the water and over a ridge. From the top one can either drop down to the north to rejoin the lake at the small village of Guena or loop round to the south to walk back along the high ground. We opted for the latter. 

There has been extensive eucalyptus extraction going on around this area and new tracks have been created. We stuck to the high ground with a few undulations but with wide-ranging views all round. This then leads to the very sharp, but at least quite short, ascent leading up to the final ridge which looks back down towards the Dam and from which there is a steep and narrow path back down to the water and on over the Dam and back to the cars. 

The short sharp ascent.

(Antony with the drone raced ahead at this stage back on to the dam and photo-ed us as we came down the steeep narrow path.)

Antony on the dam

We returned to the café and enjoyed their consistently agreeable lunch.

Roderick Frew

We returned to the café and enjoyed their consistently agreeable lunch.

Roderick Frew

+351 935587382

The usual camera man was so busy sipping his wine that he forgot to take the usual Gourmet´s Delight photographs while there was still food on the table, but this empty plate testifies to a thoroughly enjoyed omelette.

In mitigation, one might note that up-market food photographers working for the glossy magazines usually have a team of people to help them. For example, in one recent article the star photographer thanked not only the chef and the chef´s staff but his own assistants, including a Food Stylist, an Assistant Food Stylist and a Prop Stylist. So, no complaints please.

Now, as promised, a selection of Antony´s drone pictures.

And as an additional  bonus, here are some pictures of Paul and Myriam´s cruise.

Embarking

Leaving Cadiz

"We are walking too" said Paul. "1300m on Santa Cruz La Palma"

Under the Ponte 25 de Abril before docking

Did he mean that they had climbed 1300m, or walked 1300m? We should be told.

And to conclude, here is a brain teaser from the TV programme Only Connect. The task is to sort out four groups of four connected words from this grid.

Solution next week.