WAGS 2025.09.24: The Bensafrim Air Show

 On the first walk of the new WAGS season, we were well entertained by the Bensafrim Air Show. Although without the variety of aircraft one can expect to see at the Farnborough or Paris Air Shows, we were treated to a non-stop flying display for nigh on 3 hours. And we spent a great part of that time in waving our cameras at the sky, with varying degrees of success, it not being at all easy to pick out a small plane in the viewfinders of miniature cameras and mobile phones. We really needed the expertise of the absent Yves, with all his airshow experience and professional camera equipment to get the best shots.

The Leader´s report has found its way to the Blogger with unsurpassed speed this week so here it is, plus a few editorial insertions.

"The western Algarve was all action in view of the quite serious fire between Aljezur and B. de São João...but having checked that Bensafrim was clear of smoke...blowing well to the west in fact, we, John & Hazel, Antje, Myriam, Polly Deacon-Elliot (friend of Paul and Myriam), and Rod, gathered at the Market Square Cafe. 

Unusually the market was actually open perhaps to be able to give any assistance to the 600 plus trusty fire-fighters involved nearby. It also enabled Hazel to photo some very expensive shellfish.

Yours for Euro 100 per kg - perhaps valuing the shells rather than the meat.

Leaving the village, we paused as usual to chat to Myriam´s old friend, Almerinda Bárbara.

She told Myriam that she was 87 years old, when in fact she is 92 .

So, after that interlude, off we set up the long slope to the well-walked undulating ridge to the north of the village. It was clear that hill climbing had not formed part of the itinerary of many walks during summer months so progress was slowed by much puffing and panting, moaning and groaning...to be expected no doubt these days.

 Progress was slowed even further, more so perhaps, by the excitement of observing squadrons of fire fighting float-planes circling continuously to pick up water from the nearby Barragem de Bravura (must be nearly empty again by now!) and dumping their load  to dowse the fire to the west. 

They were flying right overhead with full floats so any inadvertent release of their load would have dowsed us for sure as well!

We reached the Windmill, so well known to us, and which the fire-fighting planes seemed to be using as a landmark before commencing their water-dropping runs.

We could have spent hours more watching the planes but the all important lunch hour was looming so we were obliged to take the shortest way back. The return trip was enlivened, for some, by our trusty(?)  leader's apparent desire to have a bath in the absence of any shower from overhead. 

The bath, conveniently located outside a ruined  farmhouse, was not prepared for occupants however and dumped him, most unceremoniously, on his back-side. 

Rod is brushed down by two solicitous bathing attendants

Laughter having subsided we made our way back to the restaurant, right on time, to find inevitably, Paul, Chris and Polly's husband, Rob, already comfortably ensconced."

The Track and the Statistics

Not exactly the longest or fastest WAGS walk on record.

The Lunch

This was at the Rota Algarviana, newly fitted out with an impressive menu board.

and this was our waitress, according to Myriam named Neusa who said it was a pleasure to serve us. Wow! Were we on our best behaviour for once?

Sardinhas asadas

Frango grelhado

Feijoada deBacalhau

Carapaus grelhadas

Polly had a rather special cappuccino

and Hazel and Myriam found someone they could look up to.

More than 6 and a half feet tall

The Fire

As Rod said at the start of his report, this was quite a serious fire. It nearly entered B. de São João and necessitated some evacuations. Fire-fighting seems to have lasted three days at least. We were able to see over the quite large area stretching from Bordeira to near Aljezur. This map covers most of the threatened area.

and Myriam has provided this video showing something of the skills required of the fire-fighting pilots. I don´t know if she took the video.

Thanks to Hazel, Myriam and especially Polly for extra photos in this blog.