WAGS 2026 02 25: A Sedate Stroll At Poço Frito

- March 02, 2026

Those arriving early at Café Martins on Wednesday 25th were greeted by the sight of an apparition swathed all in black from head to foot. This, when it had removed its black plastic and tin helmet, revealed itself to be Yves who had seemingly cast his Mercedes limousine unceremoniously aside in favour of an equally all black Motor Bi-Cycle.

Like a well-oiled machine, the whole team met for the early start, arranged our lunch reservations, posed for the Starter photo and set off at a commendably prompt 09.45 hrs. In addition to Yves rejoining us, there was also Hazel attempting her first outing since mid-December. The Leader mentioned that he would be moving slowly because he did not feel very energetic: little was he to know that the rest of the group would take this as licence to dawdle as much as they pleased.

As we went along all sorts of little things caught our collective eye. One of the first to do so was a very large footprint

which Lesley and Yves attributed to a Yeti. Courteously, I refrained from mentioning that the Yeti, otherwise known as the Abominable Snowman, is notoriously fussy about his environment and demands unlimited snow. Still, there is no reason why the print could not have instead been that of a Bigfoot or Sasquatch which cryptozoology confirms could survive in the Algarvian climate, especially now that the threat of drought in these parts is over. As that great philosopher Fats Waller observes at the end of this piece "One never knows, do one?"

Talking of the recent rains, we could see the effects they have had on the orange crop. Thousands of the fruit have dropped off the trees. And even the sport of seeing how far one can kick an orange when it is down has lost its charm because the fruits are all sodden with water and split into pieces as as soon as they are even touched. All one gets is orange pulp all over one´s boots.

Yves soon got the ladies to pose for an elaborately staged photograph or two as they wandered down a by-path.

And it was here that we came across a new feature -which was a very substantial wooden gate. This occupied our attention for the best part of 10 minutes as we studied it in close detail.

A gate this size clearly has to have a purpose but what that purpose is has to remain a mystery for the time being. The field behind it was a perfectly ordinary insignificant little field with nothing in it as yet that might require such a level of protection. Clearly, we must return this way sometime to see what might develop.

On we went, increasingly slowly. The Leader was getting a bit weary at this stage, not from walking but from waiting for the others to catch up with him.

Here they come, at last. It turned out later that they had all been looking at bee orchids !

At last we got back to the Poço Frito area where the Caravela urbanisation continues to grow, with some of the more precipitous sites now being developed.

Yves managed to catch the noon up-train to Faro (on his camera, that is) as it raced towards him, its horrisonant claxon warning him to stand clear.