All things Aquatic. How about you? I know that Paula’s partial. Pick a Word in December over at Thursday’s Special.
A fascination with…
Algarve
Jo’s Monday walk : Querenca to Fonte de Benemola
Another of the Algarve’s sleepy villages, Querenca was looking idyllic on the last day of my October holiday. Our walking group were meeting at the cafe on the left of the photo above. It’s quite a drive up into the hills and a ‘bica’ of coffee is always appreciated before we start walking.
Surrounded by rolling hills and leafy green scenery, Querenca breathes pure tranquillity. Excepting when the Festa das Chouricas takes place, at the end of January, and the waft of spicy sausage rouses the locals. In honour of St. Luis, the patron saint of animals, the celebrations give thanks for the pigs, bred locally, that feed the villagers throughout the year. I rather fancy trying chouriço à bombeiro, where the sausage is doused in brandy and set alight. Bombeiros are fire fighters, in case you wondered. Time to set forth.
We leave the village square in a downhill direction, over lovingly worn cobbles. I’m too busy admiring the scenery to realise that the return route could well be steeply uphill. There are 13.7 kilometres to cover first. I’ve walked to Fonte de Benemola in the past, but this route is unfamiliar.
Portuguese street names do sometimes seen inordinately long. And did you notice that cat, giving me such a baleful look?
Continuing downhill we find the beginning of the trail to the Fonte, or spring. A lush green valley leads beneath lofty cliffs, the arid red of the Algarve soil revealed in the fissures. It reminds me greatly of my trip to Rocha da Pena, but today the weather is impeccable.
The trail winds along dustily, and becomes quite rock strewn in places. In Spring these nooks and crannies will be dressed in the finery of rock roses and lavender, with the promise of wild orchids. This late in the year colour is harder to find.
When finally I reach the Fonte, the bamboo and rushes are bleached almost colourless. A soft shushing noise betrays the presence of the water, a sign ‘olho’ pointing hopefully. A young couple are balanced on the rocks, trying to capture on camera the bubble of water as it rises and swirls in an ‘eye’. I carry on, knowing that I’ve seen it in far less parched surroundings.
These natural springs prevail throughout Portugal’s hills. This is ‘the eye’ in Springtime.
As we follow signs back to the village I wonder if the cheery basket maker is still there, with his whistles and bird imitators. I had purchased a wicker bowl last time, feeling sorry for him as he sat alone in the woods. It serves as a slightly wonky erstwhile fruit bowl. Many new arrivals are enjoying the unseasonally hot weather, and I feel sure that he will be enjoying good trade in his shady dell.
Remember that climb back into the village? I confess I had forgotten all about it. It took a while before I was puffing and panting back into the village square. There just has to be a reward, don’t you think?
Much later I discovered a video of the Fonte that I thought you might like to see.
There are a number of routes around the natural springs. Walking Trails of the Algarve pages 76 and 80 will give you shorter variations on this walk, or you can simply follow the signboards. This video will give you a glimpse of the basket maker. Please ignore the advertising. I hope you’ve got the kettle on, ready to join my walkers from your armchair?
Thanks so much, everybody, for your kind contributions to my walks. I wasn’t at all sure where to lead you this week but in the end I opted for sunshine, as Winter wraps itself around us here in the UK. I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to contribute anytime the details are on my Jo’s Monday walk page. Just click on the logo above.
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I do like a tinker in a museum and a browse round a market. Geoff can tell you a story or two as well :
From Paddington to Page#walking#london
Woolly likes a little stroll, with not too much effort and some classy cars :
But sometimes he gets a little further :
Jo’s-Monday-Walk-Geelong-Foreshore
Jackie’s by the York River, in Yorktown. Virginia, of course!
Nothing like a good fumble around the Albert Docks with Drake. He’s in his element!
Does anyone know what Pargeting is? Jude does, and I really love it :
Becky’s counting to 6 this week, but there are lots more than that!
There are pomegranates in the tree
While Carol’s fossil hunting and has found loads!
Or you could join Kathrin for a delicious trip to the beach :
How do you follow the legend that is Badfish? Why, with devotion, of course :
ONE FINE DAY in BRATISLAVA : Part III
That’s it for now. I think I’ll be walking in the UK again next week. Feel free to join me but, more importantly, take care till then.
Six word Saturday
Lazy leaf or a beach ‘bum’?
Drifting to the end of Verena’s Festival of leaves. You have one more week for sharing. Join Cate if you have six words spare.
Have a great week, and don’t get stressed over Christmas. It’ll come and it’ll go.
Jo’s Monday walk : The Masmorra Trail
In total contrast to last week’s walk, I’m taking you up into the Algarve hills today. Winding 43kms north of Tavira on a delicious roller coaster of a road, you will find the sleepy village of Cachopo. We can stop there on the way back, but for now we’re following signs for Martim Longo. High up, the scenery is beautiful, even though wearing its scorched autumn gown.
A left turn and you’re on barely surfaced roads that lead you, slowly, through three scarcely known villages to your ultimate destination, Mealha. Why so much effort, you might be wondering? Dolmens, or standing stones are the answer. I’m taking a step back in time to the 3rd millennia BC. But first, the village of Mealha, not without its own charms, including these witches’ hat buildings.
These circular buildings, with a conical roof, are known as ‘palheiros’ and are designed to store hay for cattle. Made of slate, the roofs are constructed of reeds from the river bed and ‘thatched’ with hay. Up to 6 metres in diameter and 2.5 metres high, it is not unknown for them to have provided dwelling places in the past. A little cramped, I think.
Distracted as I am, taking photos of the pointed huts and wells, I leave navigation to my partner. He’s usually reliable, but on this occasion it takes 3 false starts to escape the clutches of the village. Despite knowing smiles and hand signs from the villagers, we find ourselves scaling walls, only to end up in a cabbage patch. Not shown on the map! We cross the ‘ribeirinha’, the river bed, and fortunately dry, in entirely the wrong place. Eventually we manage to get back on track, but never with any great conviction. It’s a warm day and I am concerned to conserve our water rations.
Some of the confusion arises because there are 3 trails leading out of the village. We are attempting to follow PR8, which we take to be the Masmorra Trail featured in our guide book. Much of the route seems to be uphill, but the sky has cleared to that lovely blue again, with a nice cooling breeze. More uncertainty as the trails cross over each other, but upwards seems to be the right choice.
Not quite in despair, we are very relieved to spot, in the distance, a pair of ruined windmills. Thank heavens, we are still on course, and we know that the dolmens are close by. True to form, I almost pass them by.
“They’ll only be tiny” said the voice of reason. I hadn’t expected them to be huge, but I could quite easily have gone romping down the other side of the hill and missed them completely. Fortunately, one of us is paying attention. After all, how big does a burial chamber need to be? Somewhat irreverently I hop down inside, in hot pursuit of a dozing lizard. In seconds he is alert and shimmying off into a crevice.
The Masmorra ‘anta’, or burial chamber, is 3.20 metres in diameter and comprised of 9 vertically positioned slabs. The access would have been covered and was through a lower corridor, facing east and aligned to coincide with sunrise at the Summer Solstice. The coverings have disappeared but the slab for the chamber would have been very large. The ‘antas’ are always positioned on high ground, and often marking a territorial boundary. They helped to dissuade unwelcome visitors with their magical, religious aura.
The route back to Mealha was short, downhill and very straightforward, which had us wondering if we mightn’t have been better to tackle it the other way around. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. You might like to compare my account with that of Becky, who was there last year.
Did you realise that I was going to link this post to Paula? It’s perfect for Traces of the Past, isn’t it? Then we’ll have a swift look at Cachopo. The intention was to have a leisurely lunch and rest our weary feet. Palmeiras bar had the prettiest little vine covered garden, but no food. Trying her very best, the lovely lady behind the counter produced a dish of fresh monkey nuts to accompany our wine. Oh, well…
This walk is featured on page 104 in Walking Trails of the Algarve, should you decide to give it a go. If not you might prefer a little wander in the back streets of Cachopo. Now let’s get the kettle on, shall we?
Another bumper selection of wonderful walks this week. I know it takes time but do please find a moment to visit. So much effort goes into these walks and I’m very appreciative. If you’d like to join me, details are on my Jo’s Monday walk page. All are welcome.
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I know nothing about Williamsburg, but Jackie’s soon going to put that right!
Violet Sky has a real treat in store this week. Don’t miss this one!
Jesh always has something a little different for you :
30 years of walking sounds fearful! Only joking, Geoff :
Making the most of this lovely Autumn with Little Miss Traveler :
An autumn stroll around Burley-inWharfedale
And I have a lovely new contributor- welcome Woolly!
BiTi has more wonderful photos from Yosemite :
Yosemite National Park- between sunrise and sunset
And Jaspa trespasses on Jude territory. Understandably, he seems to like it!
Wheal Coates UNESCO Tin Mine, Cornwall
Tish Farrell is one of the most emotive writers I know, so it was a real pleasure to share a drowsy afternoon with her :
All Gold On All Hallows’ Eve in Bishop’s Castle
I love the west coast of the Algarve and I know you’ll enjoy seeing it with Jules. Please go and say hi!
Five days alone hiking the Fishermen’s Trail
Drake, meanwhile is in the very best of company, down on Mathew Street :
I’m sure most of you know Andrew, but if you haven’t had the pleasure…
Greek Islands, Amorgos and a Walk Through History
Denzil has a few ideas for keeping the family entertained on your walks :
The Fun of Finding and Photographing Fungi
Kathryn takes us on ramble no. 20, California style :
And Tobias bestows a little sparkle and shine this Monday morning :
I can’t imagine anybody less idle than my lovely friend Meg. Here’s another treat from her :
Fabulous, aren’t they? Thank you so much for your company, and I hope you all have a great week.
Jo’s Monday walk : Rocha Delicada
I’m sharing another walk from the Walking Trails of the Algarve this week. You’ll find Rocha Delicada, or Elegant Rock, on page 30 of the guide. This is a bit of a walk on the wild side, but I think my bird watching friends will love it, and I loved the variety of the landscape.
It’s very easy to tootle past the exit on E125 for Mexilhoeira Grande railway station, where the walk begins. I know, because we did. Faded grandeur is too kind an expression to describe the station, reached along a bumpy track, but do persevere. It gets better.
That’s Mexilhoeira Grande, over the wall, but you won’t go anywhere near it. Instead you cross the railway tracks and follow the signs. It’s an 8km circular walk, following the edge of the salt marshes out to the estuary of the Ria de Alvor.
As usually happens, the dog barks ferociously, but wags his tail at the intruders. An equestrian centre is something of a surprise, as are the snails adorning the wayside shrubs. The ripe figs are no surprise at all. And then you’re out amid the salt marshes.
Did you spot my heron friend? He kept trying to give me the slip but I was persistent. I wasn’t so lucky with the red dragonflies, flitting always just beyond my focus. And then the landscape opens out in a broad sweep, right across to Praia de Alvor. It’s a mesmerising sight. All along the shore couples, families and solitary pickers spend back-breaking hours collecting shellfish.
Because it’s so flat you can see for miles. All the way back to Mexilhoeira Grande, and across the lagoon to the resort of Alvor. During the autumn and winter migrations there are large numbers of waders and passerines. I gather that raptors pass through, but I can’t claim to have spotted peregrine falcons, kestrels or little owls. My partner has much better eyesight. I make do with heron.
The shellfish seekers stay out until the tide rolls in. Far in the distance, my partner spots a sight that amuses him greatly. It’s very warm for October and a parasol flutters, providing just enough shade for the dog, while his owner works.
The walk is now heading directly towards Rocha Delicada and I wonder how steep it will be to climb. My attention is temporarily diverted by a flock of flamingos, initially just specks in the distance. I half expect them to fly away at my approach but I’m able to get quite close.
One adventurer steps out determinedly, in search of better foraging. After a slight hesitation, the others follow. I watch, fascinated.
I’m not on my own because a number of cars are parked at the back of the marshes, to observe the birds. As often happens, we could have driven to this point, but where would be the fun in that? I’m slightly relieved, though, to find that access to the Rocha itself is prohibited. The walk returns over gently undulating farmland, with the odd sympathetic ruin for company.
There’s still a little excitement en route. A small plane circles overhead, discharging paragliders as it goes. We pass the aerodrome on our way back to the E125. ‘Maybe next time?’ I ask. ‘No way’ says the husband. But think of the view!
I’m half tempted to take you into Alvor, across the estuary. There’s a wonderful boardwalk to enjoy, after you’ve had a bite to eat on the waterfront. That’s what we did, but perhaps I should save it for another day. If you go looking for it, the Mexilhoeira Grande station turn off is on the E125, between Portimao and Lagos.
Once again I’d like to say thanks for all the good wishes and kindness since Dad died. It’s slowly becoming real to me, but I’m lucky. I have so many happy memories.
There’s a bumper crop of walks for you this week. Please take time to read and share. As always you can join in if you’d like. Details are on my Jo’s Monday walk page. Many thanks to all of you for taking part.
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Meg shares so much beauty in this post. You won’t be able to resist :
I really like Violet’s sculptures. Well, not hers personally… you’ll see what I mean :
Chairlifts, mountains and marmots- another winner from Anabel :
I’ve seen many sunrises but I’d love to see one in Yosemite. Thanks, Biti!
I’m a sucker for a lovely garden, as Becky very well knows :
There are so many trails to explore
And while I’m down south, how about an outing with a Rusty Duck?
Geoff and Dog- the perfect partnership :
Woolwich to Grove Park#capitalring#walking
Kathryn takes the kids for a bit of a jaunt. Why not join her?
How well do you know Wellington, NZ? Let Amanda show you some highlights :
Drake knows Alsace pretty well. Such atmosphere in these wonderful ruins!
Adding a little drama and adventure to the walks, don’t miss Jill’s latest episode :
Night time jungle walk, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
And there’s always space here for Becky. This is a less well known bit of Lisbon :
Still following Susan’s wanderings, but I’m a little behind :
That’s it for now. Happy Halloween to you! Hoping you have a great week.
Elusive shadows
It was hot in the Algarve last month and I spent a lot of time searching for Shadow. Here on the waterfront at Olhao I found a good vibe.
The island of Armona is one of my idyllic places. Just a ferry ride away. Sangria anyone?
The palms don’t offer much shade, and I’d have to dress up for the pousada. Those cloisters do look inviting though.
Faro is an uber cool place for strolling. A little arts and crafts. Maybe even an ice cream?
When evening falls it’s still warm, and those shadows are ever more elusive.
Is it any wonder I’m planning my next trip? Thanks, Paula, for giving me another opportunity to share a place I love.
Spring balls
Mimosa vibrates
With colour, to lift the gloom.
Small beacons of bright.
For years I’ve admired these small balls of Spring fuzz in the Algarve, not knowing what they were. I guess the knowledge is worth a celebratory haiku. Gilly is feeling rather sad this week, so I hope this might cheer her up.
I don’t know how much laptop time I’ll have this weekend, as I’m eagerly anticipating the arrival of my daughter. I’ll be around if I can, but in case I miss you, I wish you all a peaceful and happy Easter.
Six word Saturday
Strange place to find yarn bombing!
Being in Saltburn last week reminded me of an unexpected find on my recent trip to the Algarve. It was a grey and slightly surly day, with just a hint of sunshine, and I was strolling the seafront at Quarteira, seeking distraction. Near neighbours with Vilamoura and its extravagant bevy of yachts, Quarteira is a rather more ‘homely’ resort. Market day on Wednesday draws a crowd, and there are inevitably folk ‘taking the air’ on the long promenade. Efforts are being made to lure holiday makers further along the coast, with a new stretch of promenade and cafes beyond the small fishing harbour. Always nosy, I was wandering over to take a look when I spied these.
They couldn’t fail to brighten up a grey day, could they? I’m quite looking forward to seeing if Saltburn brighten up their pier again this summer. Do you remember last year’s yarn bombing?
Hope you have a colourful weekend. Mine will be full of washing. I guess that’s colourful enough! Have fun, and maybe pop in and see Cate at Six Word Saturday. See you on Monday for another walk.
Six word Saturday
What made you happy this week?
I was very slow to warm to street art, but an hour or two last year in the Algarve’s graffiti capital, Olhao, finally convinced me. It can transform the ugly and unloved. If you haven’t seen any of Dario Silva’s work, you might like to follow the link to Olhão.
Kazimierz, in Kraków, is another of those ‘grungy’ areas where imagination has been allowed to roam. Who wouldn’t be happy ‘Singing in the rain’?
This little lady gazed artfully at me from a shop doorway in Faro. Using her womanly wiles to sell. I resisted, but she caught my attention.
Paula’s theme of Urban Art in Thursday’s Special gave me the opportunity to post something that made me very happy. In Drama in the Streets I was drawn to the striking lady figure, who seemed to recall a painting in my memory. Try as I might, I haven’t been able to find her in the art world. If anyone has any ideas, I’d be grateful? But more importantly, have a happy weekend!
Drama on the streets
I”m so pleased to see that the subject of this week’s Thursday’s Special is Urban Art. Wandering through the back streets of Faro a few weeks ago, I came upon this down-at-heel, ramshackle building. It stopped me in my tracks. I’ve been wanting to share it ever since.
It’s a total jewel, transforming the corner of a drab street. I hope Paula likes it. I love a bit of drama. Don’t you?
restlessjo 
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