APAPS 2017 no.8: Mind The Gap

 

This opening picture has nothing whatsoever to do with our walk on Wednesday 16th August. It is a picture sent in by Antje from their moorage on Loch Aline, a stretch of water off the sheltered north-east coast of the Isle of Mull, where in the old days the MacDonalds, the Lords of the Isles, would keep their war-fleet. More peaceful nowadays, no doubt, as the Whittles enjoy a life of sybaritic luxury aboard their mega-yacht.And quite a contrast to the sun-parched Barrocal near Silves where we struggled this week.

When we gathered in Encherim just before 7 am, certain subversive greybeards opted out of the Starter shot saying that it was beneath their dignity to cock a leg in public, but one of them did at least condescend to take the picture. But whether it was from his bloody-mindedness or his incompetence, who is to say, but only half the picture came out. And that neatly gives us a excuse to announce this week´s competition; for details, see the end of this post, but do read the small print.

Actually, it´s rather like Strictly Come Dancing. One or two personalities contribute mightily to the initial sense of entertainment but as things go on they don´t quite cut the mustard when it comes to the final stages of the event and have to be voted out - John Sargent and Ed Balls come to mind - and it is then that the overall standard of the remaining participants noticeably improves. And so it was with us. No Paul, no Rod, and the result is an almost flawless display. (Tais -toi !, Aristotle, this is the second stage of the age of Confusion.)

A 7 am start had been planned but, with coffees and whatever at the Café Prata across the road, we finally moved off at 7.20 am. And then, after only 5 minutes, we had to pause while the leader pointed out where the canal running from east to west from the Barragem Arade (right to left in the picture) simply disappears for about 200 metres before resuming its flow in upper Encherim.

                                     The Gap (canal in yellow)

                                   The Gap, seen from the hill

           The buttresss to the west of the Gap where the canal re-emerges.


No aqueduct, no visible tunnel !? How does it work ?

This engineering conundrum was all so totally engrossing that Janet had to stop to apply her distinctive red knee reinforcement and then we moved on.

A little further along the way, we passed a Tilley Girls hopeful. Gloria, perhaps ?

At this stage a liitle dog joined us and proved impossible to shake off.

 e then tackled the formidable hill that Hazel had been itching to climb ever since this silly Summer season started.

 

After about 2 kms of this torture,  Paul wisely decided to retreat and he did a Grand Old Duke of York back to to bottom of the hill while the rest of us struggled on and up. In fact, although we didn´t know it at the time, he then did a round trip into Silves to suss out the location of Mediaeval Fair, clocking up, by the time he rejoined us, 9 kms all told, which was more than the rest of us did.
Meanwhile, up in the uplands, the morning breeze was invigorating, and we had the usual liquorice refreshment stop courtesy Myriam.

We passsed through what is by now pretty familiar territory, although it was noticeable how much land clearance had taken place, particularly under the electricity lines, as fire precautionary measures. And we went on upwards.

There was a goodly proportion of Tilley Hats in the contingent, with Myriam´s smart new edition meriting a special photo after we had accomplished the long descent from the summit. But there are still a few who have yet to buy into the Tilley Hat ethos. After this, when we turned for home along the low road of the valley floor, a minor mutiny occurred with two stragglers deciding to take the high road.

                                                      Mutineers on the ridge

                                   

                              The Loneliness of the Lost Leader

We then threaded our way along Lingerie Lane, so named after the discovery there in mid-2016 of a suspended cornflower blue lacy confection. Then and now.

 

Sic Transit Gloria, or Sick Transit of Venus

The remnants are still hanging there. As Rod shows, little of the original structure or colour now remains, the extremes of sun and rain having taken their toll, but the label is clearly determined that, if any one should reclaim the item, they will at least know how to launder it properly. Well done, H & M; as the words of the old song by Irving Berlin might have put it -

                    "The fabric is faded but the label it lingers on".

Click on
https://youtu.be/f8HfKYWZqUA
for a musical diversion.

Nearing home, we came across a fine example of ecologically sound recycling - two old refrigerators and an old bath tub filled to their brims with water.

Our two dogs, as well as a little local one who had joined in for most of the circuit, certainly appreciated the drink but we didn´t know exactly why they were there.. In conversation later with Sr. Zé Bento, the paterfamilias at Retiro dos Pescadores, Maria established that it is the local hunting association  (Associação dos Caçadores) that supplies the water, which is for the deer. Conservation rules, OK

Back to the starting point by 9.30 am, another close run thing with breakfast imminent; even so, some stragglers still straggled a bit, stopping to talk to a group of local worthies at the Encherim gardens.

Apparently, their conversation was something to do with the pros and cons of nude sun-bathing in one´s front garden in down-town Encherim. And, if I am right, the gentleman in dark blue is the same one who was the subject of a photo study by Yves last year which is well-worth recalling.

 

And now to the breakfast:-

 

 

At the Pescadores, we were grateful to the three volunteer kitchen staff who kept the food and the buttered toast coming. Terry´s breakfast looked and went down a treat, and most of us had no complaints, even if Hazel and Maria looked a bit more circumspect in their critical appraisals. 

 



 

Grapes and plums to round things off.

 

Conversation at the senior or window end of the table was decorous, of course, but I did hear that at the distaff end it was a touch more ribald. I would blush to put any of that stuff in the blog so I won´t touch on it.

 

Myriam warning her audience about the proclivities of the average Japanese male.

 

 

 And Myriam excelled with her catch-them-unawares photos.

 

 



The Track and the Statistics 

 

 

Distance: 7.96 kms. Total time: 2 hours 29 minutes. 

Moving Time: 2 hours 2 minutes.

Total ascents: 333 metres. Average moving speed: 3.9 kph.

 

And now to the small print of the competition. Read carefully. 

 

 

Give the names to the owners of each of the sets of legs appearing in the Starter shot, from right to left. The picture is repeated above. Points will be awarded for each correct individual identification and points will be deducted for each wrong or out-of-sequence identification. The number of points added or deducted is entirely at the discretion of the administrator -total randomness rules.

As identification alone is a pretty easy competition which makes it likely that there would be multiple winners, competitors are required to add a succinct comment to each of their individual identifications, with points being added for wit and erudition in such comments and points deducted for blatant lapses of good taste in such comments, again all awarded at the sole discretion of the administrator.

Answers are to be submitted by email only to the administrator at hopejh@sapo.pt.  The winner will be announced in the email giving details of the APAPS walk for 30th August. The prize will be non-alcoholic, and will be a free APAPS breakfast for one on Wednesday 30th August, the winner having the option of eating the breakfast him/herself or of nominating someone to consume it on his/her behalf.

Overseas entries are welcome. The administrator´s decisions and the admistrator´s interpretations of all or any of the above conditions, now or in the future, are and will be unchallengeable.

 

And now fr the obligatory quotation for the week:-

 

"Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit."  (Oscar Wilde)

 

(Hmm - discuss.)