Jo’s Monday walk : Around Salir

You knew I’d end up back in the Algarve hills eventually, didn’t you?  I love to travel the scenic route up the N2 to Barranco do Velho.  When you look back down, the vivid blue of the sea has faded to a smokey distant haze.  This is cork territory and the ancient holm oaks enfold you as you turn off towards Salir, on the N124, in the foothills of the serra.

It’s a small village, notable for its loftily perched water tower, but one that is often bypassed in favour of prettier Alte or the mighty Rocha da Pena.

I didn’t have to worry too much about my route as I was following a walk leader.  What I did have to worry about was keeping up with the ‘Striders’. Not so easy to focus on the beauty all around whilst keeping half an eye on the walkers.  Blink, and they’d gone!  From the sports stadium at the back of the village we were quickly out onto a country lane, with views across to the Rocha, standing proud in the distance.

Oops!  Don’t miss that sign!  The trail leads steeply uphill (the Striders do seem to love hills!) to the left of the house.  Calla lilies caught my eye, and another of those precious water tanks, so vital for the hot summers.

There’s not a lot to tell about Salir.  It’s a sleepy place, with a benign 16th century church and a few castle ruins from the 12th century, keeping watch over the surrounding fields.  The softly curving Serra de Caldeirao forms a lovely backdrop.

It’s a lovely time of year.  The colours sing out, begging you to capture them.  So what, if I get left behind!

It would be well worthwhile, because look what I found, growing in the long, damp grass.  Wild orchids!  They are so exciting!

A quick scurry to catch up, but there are a couple of signposts.  This walk crosses the Via Algarviana, which spans the Algarve from Alcoutim in the east right across to Sagres in the west.  All around, the cistus are cheering me on, their crushed paper faces turned to the sun.

On this walk we’d been asked to bring a picnic, a bit of a disappointment to those of us who relish the usual restaurant stop at the end.  A couple of stone benches by a fonte made a good resting place, then we were striding off again.

I often remark to people that the Algarve is full of surprises.  Passing the cemetery at Palmeiros and an oddly colourful wall, we crossed over a bridge and made a right turn down a narrow country lane.  Expect the unexpected!

A battered drum kit in the garden told the unlikely tale.  The rest of the walk seemed almost anticlimactic after that, as we meandered back towards Salir.  The pace of the walk slowed after lunch, allowing more opportunity to chat.  Another water wheel or two and we were back where we started.

That’s the first of my recent Algarve walks completed.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Let’s put the kettle on now and see where everyone else has been.

Thanks so much everybody, for your company and kind comments each week.  I love walking with you.  If you’d like to share a walk, the details are on my Jo’s Monday walk page.  If not, just sit back and enjoy!

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I do like to introduce someone new on my walks, especially when the scenery is this good.  Meet Chandi  :

The Pathway of the Gods- Italy’s Most Stunning Hike

Versailles seems a long time ago to me, but Drake has brought it all back!

More glimpses of Paris

Lady Lee has been cavorting in water parks with the family :

Our Subic experience

Opulence personified from Jackie this week!

Hearst Castle

Richard has a crack at climbing the highest cliff in Cornwall :

Cracking Crackington Haven

While my Sunshine friend is making the most of the blossom in our capital :

London- A Walk in thePark 

And please, don’t anyone accuse Woolly of being full of hot air!

Jo’s-Monday-Walk2017-Wk15-Hot-Air

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it!  Or, in Paula’s case, take a wonderful shot…

Unbroken

Can you imagine being smothered in cherry blossom?  Cathy can!  She’s in Tokyo at sakura time :

Cherry blossoms in the rain at Shinjuku Gyoen

Denzil has begun a new undertaking which proves, yet again, that Belgium has quite a lot to offer :

GR121, Stage 1: Wavre to La Roche

Does this look familiar to you?  Yes- me too!

Walking in Florence

I even accept wordless walks!  Especially when shared with my lovely friend, Meg :

Wordless walks : Jemisons Beach and headland

Finally, some great hills for rolling your paste eggs down, with Kathryn :

My weekly ramble

Wonderful, aren’t they?  It’s been a bit cool and damp in my part of the UK this weekend, but then, it was a Bank Holiday.  I hope you’ve had a good Easter celebration, and maybe a bit of walking?

142 comments

  1. Jo your pictures looked bright and sharp with the amazing light of the Algarve. Orchids are my favourite flowers so lovely to find them out in the wild. Loved the arty murals. Thank you Jo:)

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  7. There’s so much in this post….
    Landscape,flowers,trees, graffiti, bugs….All so well captured and told about!
    I wish I were there this morning….!
    Thanks , JO , for this share…

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    1. Bank Holiday Mondays can be a bit manic here, Anna, so we just tootled as far as Durham this morning. But at least it was sunny… for a while 🙂 🙂
      Yes, I’d rather like to be back there too. Thanks for your company, hon.

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  8. oh what a wonderful walk . . . something for everyone. I’d been with you hanging about at the back scurrying into the hedgerows and looking over walls!

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    1. An easy one, for a change, Becky, except where Pete tried one of his shortcuts over a wall and through some overgrown brambles. (and then we had to retreat! 😦 It’s not only Mick who gets it wrong 🙂 )

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  13. Ha, I did laugh about the Striders! A good description, and the reason why I don’t walk in groups; I too would get left behind and maybe lost while I kept stopping to identify a wild flower. And what gorgeous wild flowers you were able to identify; I love those orchids. And dear old John, looking as young as ever.

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  14. What a lovely yomp Jo, so much variety on offer! I can imagine you hanging around to take photos, then trotting to catch up. It’s great to walk with a photo friend and you got to see the orchids, hooray 🙂 Happy Easter Monday x:-)x

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    1. Hello, darlin! Lovely to have you back 🙂 🙂 I was just over chatting to Meg before I get my lazy legs walking. Are you still in Plymouth? Have a lovely day! And have a few hugs! 🙂 🙂

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      1. Hello again, I’ve just read your news about James, you must be so relieved, wonderful! I was only in Plymouth for Sunday, today I’ve been to the woods with the dogs and I’m shivering now! Hugs to you and well done James 🙂

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  15. Your photos are simply invigorating, enlivening and uplifting, Jo. You’ve certainly given my spirits a good walk. The house with the green door! The delicious orchids. The extraordinary roadside mural. Just gorgeous.

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    1. There’s an old joke about going for a tramp in the countryside, Tish, but I wouldn’t dream of telling it here. 🙂 🙂 Lovely, isn’t it? What a privileged person I am. Thanks for your company and happy Monday! Beavering away in that garden again?

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      1. It’s raining at the mo’ so I might just get out the sewing machine and do some piled up jobs. Promised G a new set of mango shorts (i.e.from left over curtains from our Zambia days; local cotton with mango trees on it; they’ve made 3 pairs so far). It’s a sight to behold of course 🙂

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  16. what a wonderful walk, Jo…full of lovely things (orchids, crinkly petals) and surprising things (the murals of Dali, the Beatles)…. Oh that, I could have been there….

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      1. Thank you, Jo, and have a lovely Easter Monday yourself…..I’m off to brave the roads, not sensible, I know, but visiting a friend who will be back at work tomorrow…..

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  17. A great walk, Jo. Got my week off to a healthy start (or were there cakes in that picnic?)
    You had some gorgeous shots in there – the opening one, the damp wild orchids and those crinkly petals. And plenty more!
    Have a good Monday!

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    1. Cake? I’ll have you know that I had a banana, young lady! Mick might have scoffed an apple turnover when I wasn’t looking 🙂 🙂 Thanks, darlin. You too!

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