AWW 30.09.2009: Traipsing round Torre e Cercas.

My cunning plan to involve the AWW Community to be inclusive and compile contributions to this blog, by inviting 12 extra Walking Authors to sign up and post, seems to be foundering. So far only two have taken up this privilege, and there are ten outstanding invitations which have been ignored. Regrettably, (for me) one of the two takers is inundated with visitors, and has passed on the posting task to me, while he sips 'pinkers' by the pool, and indulges his better known skills as a raconteur!

"Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale."   Shakespeare, William.

The Tale of the Traipse:

Stats:- Total Distance: 15.6 km.
Moving Time: 3 hrs 41 min.
Total Time: 4 hrs 17 min.
Moving Average: 4.2 km/hr
Overall Average: 3.6 km/hr
Total Ascent: 261 m.
Max Elevation: 123 m.

Degree of Difficulty: 1*  (New Feature!!)

The track (thanks John H.)

Leader: Rod

Present:  Janet, Ingrid, John and Hazel, John O’, Paul and Myriam, David, Lindsey, Patrick and  Judy (friends of Rod) and Bijou (friend of Dina and Vitor)

Dog;      Misty

 At the start - 13 walkers

We met at 09.30 at the Bar Casinhas  ( closed  of course, but as this had been foretold grumblings were ignored) and the day was warmish and somewhat humid, indeed later thundery but without any downpours.

Walking away from Monchique - for a change

 

This was a gentle stroll around semi suburban, agricultural tracks, devoid of serious hills, or serious anything else for that matter,  and meandering through farms growing a variety  of citrus, other fruits and assorted local produce; certainly more intellectually challenging than physically for once.  Even so some half way round Judy and Bijou felt that they had had enough and as this was all in our leader’s home territory, Susan F was summonsed from travails in the garden to give them a lift back.

The 'ambulance' goes off!

   

A quiet corner amongst some cork trees seemed like a good spot for lunch and then on we wandered. 

Lunch Ladies!

Shortly after, the hanseatic Herr Bärbel, guarded by his fearsome Belgian Shepherd puppy, provided a brief interlude expounding through an impenetrable mesh fence his progress in achieving total domestic self sufficiency.......could be he has something there in this day and age!

At this point a diversion was ordered:  we needed to add a few more kilometres as well as ascend to the obligatory trig-point. 

Rod's personal Trig Point

This of course provided excellent views not only of the local countryside but also of our leader’s domaine.  This once had ‘blue blobs’ indicating an AWW throughway but is now securely fenced, thoroughly irritating Myriam who was caught red handed stretching over to nick his precious pomegranates!  

Anything outside the fence.........

There was then little else left other than to drift down through the orchards back to Bar Casinhas, now open, for barely earned beers served by the delectable Victoria!!

Barely broke sweat....

Comparing GPS notes!

Some Hopes!

Caption competition (by email or comment please)

Since AWW began, Leaders have obfuscated and given vague details of their intended walk, often causing mildly warm discussion when a walk has gone over the intended length by more than 10%, or the Leader has lost more than 10% of the starters during the course of the walk, so I propose a pilot scheme whereby Leaders can predict a 'Degree of Difficulty' for their walk based on a Star Rating.

   Below is a template for discussion, and possible use, bearing in mind that the stated criteria have to be reasonably brief, or there would be more scope for nit-picking. I would like to have included the availability of coffee and toilets at the start, and of Sagres Bohèmia at the finish, but since neither of these eventualities are common, decided to leave it out.

Guide to my new system of Degree of Difficulty (DoD)

1*:  Up to12 km.; good wide paths; gentle ascents; Total climb <= 250 m.
2*: Up to 15 km.; mostly good paths; moderate and gentle ascents; Total Climb <=500 m.
3*: Up to 20 km.; some more obscure paths, some vegetation to push through; mostly moderate ascents perhaps one or two steeper ones; Total Climb >500+ m.
4*: Up to 25 km; expect detours into the scenery; several updulations where the leader has to wait at the top; Total climb >600 m.
5*: 25 km or more; new 'paths' to be pioneered, secondary jungle; severe updulations where breath has to be caught on the way up; butt-clenching descents; Total climb - more than expected. RTC 2009.

Next weeks walk will be a 3*