AWW 26.12.2007 The Tale of the Killer Hill,or Terry in a Tiswas

Christmas Survivors:
Mick, Hazel and John, Elaine and Stan, Jill and Terry, David
Chef: Dinah
Plus Shorty in a starring role.

Whether the proposal to walk on Boxing Day was the highest wisdom or the deepest folly remained to be proved as the band of brave souls assembled at around 10.30 at Casa Benjamin. Stan and Elaine performed a variant on the Lost in Loulé theme by losing Boliquieme altogether and having to find their way through the former. Mick arrived looking as if he had been up all night, which indeed he had.
Fortified by a shot of mulled wine spirits rose, and almost all managed a smile before departure:

Stan Tries to be Inconspicuous

Terry had agreed to lead, as David’s planned walk had turned out to include too much undergrowth for a gentle stroll. The route took us from Covões along the track to Portela da Nave before heading up onto the side of the ridge leading towards Montes de Cima, (according to the OS map) or, as the village sign would have it, Nave das Sobreiras. (insert Portuguese shrug). At this point Terry, as they say, must have lost his presence of mind, as a track up and over the ridge inconveniently disappeared, and it took a couple of ritual comings and goings and a variety of muttered oaths to coax it back into this universe from whichever parallel one had claimed it.

Stan Succeeds in Being Inconspicuous

It was here last week

The Doctor has found it in the Galaxy of Omega 6

A blessedly short traverse of the ridge top finally brought us out onto the aforesaid lost highway and the descent to the valley, where the Algarve Way was joined for a short time as we walked through Almarginho and Fonte das Figueiras. A very short but memorable old donkey track was one of the highlights of the day.

I'll give him 'I know it backwards'

They've Stopped Again!

The Gateway to Omega 6?

The track along the valley back to Ponte de Salir was pleasantly even and flat, and only Terry and David knew what awaited them at the end of it. The climb back to Covões is, to say the least, taxing, especially on the day after Christmas Dinner. David had pressed on ahead to give the chef warning of the approach of empty stomachs, and so was spared the sight of the group tackling that particular obstacle.

Killer hill
On reaching the yard at Casa Benjamin, a transformation was effected from scruffy walking group to elegant luncheon party, with John undertaking what looked unnervingly like a strip-tease. Sadly David was unable to retrieve his camera from the house in time to record this for posterity. (Thanks for small mercies:not a sight for sore eyes. Sub-Ed)
There followed more mulled wine and an excellent lunch, selflessly prepared by Dinah while the rest were enjoying themselves (it says in the notes she gave me). As a reward, Dinah was allowed to tell her side of the saga of the Visit to Frankfurt and the Disappearing Airport, (It’s all lies, I tell you!!) as well as the heroics of Terry and Jill in carrying out a rescue involving a mercy dash of some 700k to Jerez.

'Off went the plane, without us in it'

Mick felt his soul leaving his body

So embarrassed was David that he took himself off to play with his new coffee machine, which only compounded his anguish, as the shiny object at first refused to deliver more than a few drops and then sprayed coffee over a small area of the kitchen worktop.

Waiting for a Fair Trade.

After a relaxing hour or so of coffee and conversation, the party dispersed, most to their firesides, Mick to his bed, from which, rumour has it, he did not stir for at least twelve hours. He was, however, sufficiently awake to record the distance walked as 11.9k. No further statistics are available. Christmas waistline expansion was not considered appropriate for this blog.

'God Bless Us, Every One, said Tiny Terry'

(I think that's what he said)