AWW 9.04.2008 Start Your Engines, or Terrapins and Virgins.

Most of the group came well-prepared for lousy weather, and it was indeed a dark and stormy morn. Now read on.

The Leader's report:
"Despite the doomsday warnings in the walk notice, a number of members had expressed interest in joining this "Start Your Engines" circumnavigation of the "Autodromo Internacionais Algarve" located north of Mexilhoeira Grande. However, after some 50mm rainfall the preceeding day and night, only "The Lunatic Fringe" of the AWW were actually present for the Starter's Flag,numbering 6, to wit:

Leader: Mike "To Blame" Pease
Fellow Lunatics: Lindsey (the one lady present,but in trenchantly good form); Hedley (returning to UK shortly); Terry M (always a mine of information and a photographic contributor to this blog); Thyl (recently emerged from the forests of Nicaragua - but, on this occasion, without his usual straw hat but wielding a City brolly and, despite his misgivings about blog photographs and blogs in general, another able photographic contributor); and JohnH.

4-legged Friends: zero.
Just as well as they would have had to have been manhandled over the various obstructions we met. (Fair comment; Mike "To Blame" had obviously done his recce, but "various obstructions we met" !!! Strewth! There were more fences to negotiate than in your average, run-of-the-mill Grand National and Aintree's Stewards would surely have had something sharp to say about the amount of barbed wire, never mind the width of the Becher's Brook which came later)

Tilley Hats: zero.
Rain: see below.

Walk Statistics (to keep the CB happy in his Shakesperean retreat):

Distance: 16.5km

Moving Average: 4.6 kph

Moving Time(no record of what we did when not moving): 3.36hrs

Actual Time od Circumnavigation: 4.hrs 35 m

The Starters

We reached Penascobo trig point (157 M) in 30 minutes flat, from where we had excellent views of the remarkable progress in construction of the motor racing track and its linked facilities. Hedley had assured us that, whilst it would be cloudy for most of the day, the sun would come out briefly and we would probably have no rain. That is precisely what happened - just a few drops fell towards the end as we free-wheeled in to receive the Chequered Flag.

A strange pair of hands by the trig point

Much calculation was made as to the likely length of the perimeter fence (two-thirds of which took us about two and a half hours to get round). Thyl estimated that he could easily fit 10 golf courses of 60 hectares each within the race track perimeter.

"How many golf courses did you say...... ?"

The circumnavigation necessitated much walking alongside the perimeter fence and cistus bashing but we were able to view track layout, pits and infrastructure development from various angles. We crossed several minor fences with no ripped clothing (apart from JohnH's trousers).

"What boots it at one gate to make defence,

And at another to let in the foe?"

(Samson Agonistes)

Having crossed the Pereira to Senhora de Verde road, we commenced the ascent towards Boi (125m.), where - earlier potential meadows having been vetoed by Lindsey on account of unacceptable bovine smells, and this venue "above the poo-line" meeting with her discriminating approval- we had a pit-stop for lunch, pleasingly and refreshingly overlooking the surrounding countryside.
Below Boi, we took the path known as that "The Wise Virgins". That of "The Foolish Virgins" ascends to Boi and then rejoins the main route by way of much cistus bashing. As we ploughed our way through the considerable undergrowth, there was considerable discussion on the derivation of the nomenclature for such a particular group of young ladies, on its relevance to the AWW, and also disappointment that it had nothing to do with sex. Terry M. scores top points here by correctly identifying the source material as one of the Gospel parables (Matthew 25. 1 - 13 to be exact) and that it was a matter of home economics, candles and Tesco's "Best Buy Lamp Oil". (Just ask Terry.)

This learned discussion came to an abrupt close when we had to face up to a totally unexpected stream in full flood. Undaunted, however, we all girded our respective loins and leapt across the deluge, happily without any repeat of the recent unfortunate incident involving the Chief Blogger.

I know it's a leap year but this is ridiculous

All safely across, the route provided few challenges, but Hedley espied a terrapin plodding along, perhaps in search of a FV terrapine. Poor fellow - we picked him up, carried him in my hat (never mind the smells!), and released him into a nearby dam. No doubt, he will be complaining of the injustices of life. (Sub-editorial: why is it that we all assumed Hedley's Terrapin was a male? It could equally well have been a female out on the razzle)

Hedley's Terrapin

And now, if we're lucky, a movie.

Our very own David Attenborough

Excitement for the day now over, we coasted back to Cafe-bar Goncalves at about 2.10 pm."

The Survivors

To conclude, some shots of the race track construction site, around which no doubt Paul and Chris will be hurtling in a few month's time.

For afficionados and for the simply curious, there is, so I am told, a website for the Autodromo Internacionais Algarve, and that is http://www.autodromodoalgarve.com/en/index.html.

CB's motivational nugget:

What is there that confers the noblest delight? What is that which swells a man's breast with pride above that which any other experience can bring to him? Discovery! To know that you are walking where none others have walked; that you are beholding what human eye has not seen before; that you are breathing a virgin atmosphere. To give birth to an idea, to discover a great thought -- an intellectual nugget, right under the dust of a field that many a brain-plough had gone over before. To find a new planet, to invent a new hinge, to find a way to make the lightning carry your messages. To be the first -- that is the idea. Twain, Mark

Well done John, with the first video blog - shame there was no more detail about the contents of Mike's hat or whether he donned it again!