AWW 11.06.2008 - Suit ( & Boot ) Yourself!

The campaign to keep the season going has reached the second week in June, with a Magnificent 7 turning out for a walk originally advertised as 'Suit Yourselves'. This subtly delineated the option of making your own mature adult choice of whether you wanted to brave the fierce heat of late spring/early summer, and also was to present a further decision on this Rohan/Tilley Optional walk, to enable the men to wear Speedos or fundoshi, and the ladies to regale themselves in tangas, burqinis, or even fashionable swimwear from Mike's youth (see here)

The CB enjoyed an early morning frisson, when Antje telephoned to enquire whether we would be required to tramp through the usual cistus and gorse, because she wanted to know if she could wear her 'Crocs' to walk in. (For the uninitiated these are a form of hi-tech rubber clog favoured by Yachties in Cannes and Monte Carlo). When the CB benevolently replied that the walk would only go where the participants chose to go, she happily replied that she would indeed give her 'Croc's' an outing so that she could "Go naked" on the beach. This seared an image in the CB's brain which was only dispelled when she rapidly corrected herself to say she meant 'Go barefoot'!!

The route:- we didn't paddle for 5 km despite the above evidence!

King of the (Sand)Castle: Paul
Beach Bums: Myriam, Mike, Chris Antje, John H. and Terry M.
Water Dogs: Tiggy and Nandi.

Stats: Total Distance: 13 km; Moving Time: 3 hrs; Total Time: 3 hrs 15 min.; Mov Avg. 4,4 km/hr;
Overall Avg. 4 km/hr; Total Ascent: 31 m.; Max Elev: 16 m.

Due to a slight administrative malfunction, two of the starters (Mike and John H.) decided to RV at the New Railway Station, rather than the Old, where the more enlightened turned up with the Leader. Given the choice, the inescapable logic was that the Old Station was much closer to the bars and fleshpots of the Marina for the post walk Fiesta. Nevertheless, contact was made by video phone ie. John could see the leader when he called on his phone!

(Inescapable logic , my foot! The directions said "the Railway Station" which to most normal people -i.e. Mike and myself - meant the station from which trains run at present, not a ex-railway station, now sadly cut off from the iron way and abandoned in its fading glory, whatever its proximity to the marina bars. JH.)

The Old Station and starters (plus Myriam of course)

The group coalesces at the new Station.

The discussion centres on whether to wake Ian S. (Blue sleeping bag RHS) who had obviously taken up position much earlier so as not to miss the start. Group decision was "No - let the poor old B..... have a lay-in, away from building shelves for Marg!

And so a fashionably early start at about 0820 hrs ('Too late' cried Mike - Too B....y' Early responded Terry!) We set off right to the start of Meia Praia near the breakwater separating the sea from the entrance to the Marina (Lagos Creek). We passed the purpose-built Cat Hotel, sponsored by the 'Nandi' Charity (no relation).

Library photo of the Cat Hotel, with a cat perching on Myriam's rucksack!

The weather was gorgeous - that is why we live in the Algarve- but no breeze from the cooler sea at this hour.
Unfortunately, the tide was fairly well in, which meant soft sand, and more benefit for the calf muscles. Antje cast her Crocs, and both Chris and Myriam went naked of foot, whereas more traditional walkers such as Mike and John H. ploughed on in full walking rig with ski poles!

Barefoot indeed in the Park

The beginning of the beach - Myriam practices the Way of the Stork!

Almost in step - Myriam demonstrates imaginary ski-poles!

You will note that the Senior Member is missing from this formation photo. This was because he remembered an urgent appointment to check his Vetiver in the dunes.

Mission Accomplished!

Apparently all was well, as he emerged a minute or two later accompanied by the faithful Nandi, looking very relieved.

Guesses at the length of the beach were varied but after just over an hour and a quarter, the GPS gave the official figure of 5.2 km. A short pause was taken before we enjoyed the feel of real granite beneath our feet as we headed out to the end of the 'Mole'.

Real granite

No they weren't - honest!

The CB had again forgotten to bring his 'Gorilla pod' (you may guess whose fault it really was!) so the Obligatory Trig Point Timer Photo had to be taken from ground level.

This was the closest thing to a Trig Point on this Max Elevation 16m. walk

And so, having reached the end of the breakwater, we turned back admiring the neat location for the CB's geocache "Mole Mathematics", and set off round the lagoon at the back of the dunes to make it more of a circular walk.

The 'heather' was in full bloom near the lagoon

As you can see from the route picture, we had to go back to the beach for a short stretch after the lagoon to avoid an inconveniently placed golf course, but near Bar 'Quim we took the new wooden walkway towards the car park , and after an unavoidable 300 metres along the beach road we joined a newly maintained track of compacted sand along the railway line.
At the end of the track we cut through the scrub behind the building site that is Dunas Douradas, and across to the railway line near the new station.

There was some blatant trespassing - none of the above being in possession of a platform ticket!

At the finish we repaired to Do Cais Café, where the CB's cunning plan to indulge in the delights of a 'Full English' were revealed.

The afore-mentioned and half-demolished 'Full English'

Unfortunately Mike and John, being early risers had rather jumped the gun, and indulged in their muesli and toast at Sparrow Fart! However Antje couldn't resist the Full English, while Terry and Chris went for the Full French. Myriam predictably went for the Tropical Fruit Platter with a Honey Rider smoothie, which looked wonderful (if you like that sort of thing) but alas the photo failed. I think more walks should end this way!

In the absence of the Gorilla Pod, a passing tourist kindly took this Après Walk pic.

Amazingly, this beach ramble had amounted to 13 km, and in the later stages we enjoyed a cool breeze. I hope the weather and the AWW spirit allow a few more walks - after all Julie Statham is still going - and doing inland ones as well!!

We shall walk on the beaches, we shall walk on the landing grounds, we shall walk in the fields and in the streets, we shall walk in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Walking Group or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Winter Birds guarded by the English Channel, would carry on the struggle, until, in Gods good time, New Walkers, with youth and fitness, will step forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old AWW's."(after Winnie)



Wildness and silence disappeared from the countryside, sweetness fell from the air, not because anyone wished them to vanish or fall but because throughways had to floor the meadows with cement to carry the automobiles which advancing technology produced. Tropical beaches turned into high-priced slums where thousand-room hotels elbowed each other for glimpses of once-famous surf not because those who loved the beaches wanted them there but because enormous jets could bring a million tourists every year -- and therefore did. Macleish, Archibald

And, finally, a movie at the CB's request entitled "Bye,bye Miss American Pie...and AWW's Magnificent 7 are too late to catch the last train for the Coast."