Jo’s Monday walk : Portagem to Ammaia

It’s always good to start a post with a flamboyant flower, don’t you think?  Though in this case it has only a little relevance.  How many circular walks do you know that start and end by a river, exploring Roman ruins along the way?  I can actually think of one other, in the Algarve, but I was quite unprepared for the scale of these ruins, at Ammaia, in the Alto Alentejo region of Portugal.  Ruins I’d never even heard of!

I have to say that the last walk was a very hard act to follow.  Having seen the valley from the lofty heights of Marvão, I was curious as to how the village would look when viewed from below.  Driving back down didn’t seem half so difficult as the haul up to it had been.  As usual, I wasn’t doing the driving, but gazing out at the scenery.  Sleepy Portagem was a lazy dream of a day in early March.  Come back in July and it might be a different story, with screams and splashes echoing up the valley from the river beach.

Yes, that’s Marvão, right up on the top.  No wonder it’s serene and peaceful!  I read that the village hosts a Medieval Fair in October.  What a sight that must be!  And yet, for once, I’d opted for serenity and loved every moment.

It was, pretty much, also what we found on our descent from Marvão.  A river beach has been constructed on the River Sever and, alongside it, a smart pool complex.  Totally deserted, of course, in March.  Used, as I now am, to an early Spring in the Algarve, I was astonished to find bare trees, just awakening to the gentle warmth of the sun’s rays.

Looking at the sign boards there seemed to be a choice of two walks, PR1 and PR5.  So long as we didn’t have to climb all the way back up to Marvão on foot, it didn’t much matter which.  The river curved away into the distance, beneath a beautiful old bridge.

Crossing the bridge, a decision of sorts was made.  Inaccessible castle ruins and a more modern calamity, ripe for renewal, directed our steps.

Poppies danced overhead as we followed a grassy trail around the back of the village.  I stopped to admire a haphazard clump of irises, triggering a frenzy of barking from behind the fence.  Buried among bright green foliage, could that be a wild orchid?

Moths and butterflies fluttered by, intent on the beautiful day, and a patch of tiny, jewel bright violas.  A narrow road led between fields full of olive trees, where a farmer and his wife were clearing and burning tired, old tree branches.  They surveyed us with curiosity, nodding at our greeting.  I doubt if too many strangers pass their way.  Set back against the hillside, we became aware of some ruined structures, and speculated on what their purpose might have been.  The sign Fornos do Cal da Escusa suggested a connection with ovens.  We later found that these had been lime quarries, quite possibly dating back to Roman times and the nearby city of Ammaia.

In the distance, across the fields of olives, vines and sheep, Marvão kept watch from on high.

We had circled back towards Portagem but, just before the village, a right turn took us through the tiny hamlet, São Salvador da Aramenha, home to some beautiful camelias.  Past the church and a diminutive café, a left brought us to the Roman ruins, unimposing behind a locked gate.

Thankfully they were simply closed for lunch.  Just beyond the gates, a small museum, with a film show relating the history of the site.  Then we were free to wander, full of expectation.  The website Ammaia can provide details.

The site is surprisingly large, and actually spans a country lane, but much of it has yet to be excavated.  Remnants of the South Gate, the Forum and a bathing area are clearly visible.  Ongoing since 1994, progress is slow and reliant on students and volunteers.

There is enormous potential here, and in the stillness of the surrounds you can let your imagination roam.  Romans, gossiping in the Forum, languid in the baths, or patrolling the walls with Marvão on the horizon.  Meanwhile the grass grows long, sprinkled with wild flowers of lemon and blue.  Leaving the site, it was about another half hour, through the dappled shade of fragrant pines and yet more olives, back to the village of Portagem.  I think we mostly followed PR5.

But where’s the cake, I hear you say?  Well, there’s plenty at Su’s place, and Jude has some luscious meringues to share.  Perhaps you’d like to join them.  In this sleepy corner of the Alentejo, I was hard pressed to find a cake shop.

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A few more walks for you this week.  Please, keep sending them.  I don’t mind if they’re just of your back garden- it’s all fresh air, and a pleasant distraction for each other.

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Alice has a beautiful walk for us in these troubled times :

Prayer Garden

But nobody says it better than Drake :

Lonesome Avenue

Fancy a little climb with Irene?

Top of a Sand Dune

Meanwhile Natalie is staying positive :

Looking Forward to Spring

And playing in the waves.  Wish I could!

Fit and Fun Walk: Waves

Nobody captures beauty better than Lynn.  Treat yourself to a walk with her :

LOCAL WALKS: Signs of Spring in the Pacific Northwest

Wonderful Italy!  Cathy shares a journey I always wanted to make :

The Cinque Terre: Monterosso al Mare

Still in Italy, Sheetal takes me across the lagoon, to one of my most beautiful memories ever :

Colours of Venetian Isles

Stay safe out there!  We’re all traveling by armchair now.  Might as well get comfy.  I’d better go and find some cake!

103 comments

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    1. Doing my best, Sue. Up on the roof watching the washing and trying to sort out when I might see family and friends again 😟. T’ai chi and Portuguese lesson done. Got a good book. Might have a wander but I doubt it. Beautiful at the beach yesterday. Take good care darlin 💕💕

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    1. We’re good, thanks, Carol, with much to be grateful for. We can still laugh, and keep ourselves entertained, and yesterday we had a beautiful beach walk. How about you and Glen? Teaching will have stopped. A little spare time at last? Stay safe, darlin! 🙂 🙂

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      2. So you’d be looking forward to the break anyway. The UK was due to start then too but closed them yesterday. Logan has work to do at home. Here I’m not sure if they do, but the schools have been closed a week or more. All very strange!

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  12. I am so glad you continued the walks, Jo. Exercise is so good for us, and I fear some people will wallow into depression if they don’t get outside. I am happy to walk virtually too. Are you still heading home soon, or staying on?

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    1. I don’t have a choice, Amanda. My flight was cancelled. My home is here, for better or worse. I don’t have a UK home any longer, but I so would have loved to see my son. We Skyped tonight. He is laid off work on 80% wages so will be home to care for the youngster. Had we been able to get into Britain I would probably have needed to self isolate. He looked relaxed and happy tonight. Time will tell if he has a job to return to. And I walked on a beautiful beach today. Life isn’t all bad. 🙂 🙂

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      1. Not a bad spot to be home, even if you can’t leave. There is always an upside to it, but I do understand missing your son. My daughter has lost her job for the time being, and my son part of his work also. Both were casual workers. So I have one son still employed, on a scholarship and part time teacher. The Government, people and country are paying a hefty price for the heavy slant on permanent casualization of the workforce.

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  17. All your posts from Portugal make me long to see it. Hopefully I will one day. I love seeing the irises, and the ruins, and the blue sky…and I think you’re right, it does look like a wild orchid! 🙂

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    1. There is quite a variety of wild orchids here, Lynn, and some of them more obvious than others. I love coming across them like this, when I’m not even looking! I think you’d like it here, but then, you have such beauty on your doorstep. 🙂 🙂

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  18. what a wonderful walk, Jo. it seems that you have this serenely beautiful space to yourselves. thanks for sharing as always. yes, i was going to ask, where’s the cake? 🙂 🙂

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  20. That sounded like a very satisfying walk, Jo, and I’m glad you got such lovely images to show us. I wonder when you’ll run out of places to go? Possibly never in your part of the woods. We’re in near-total lockdown here and I can’t even go for a walk along the beach without someone glaring at me and telling me I should be home. It’s like an end-of-the-world disaster film. Enjoy your area before it is taken from you – temporarily, of course.

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    1. We went to the beach today, Mari, not at all sure what we’d find. Would there be tape across the boardwalks? Fortunately not! We have such long swathes of beach that it’s not hard to get away from people, but I do know what you mean, because walking anywhere with people around results in accusing looks. 😦 I have a few more walks to come but I’m looking forward to being inventive when I run out. And there’s always cake! (except this time 🙂 ) Take good care, hon! Hopefully a new normality will be restored soon.

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