My thanks for Peter and Julie for walking in the fiery heat of summer in the Douro, a couple of problems with routes were identified and the notes have now been changed. Cristina at Casa de Vilarinho looked after them very very well and they came back raving about her cooking and the wonders of her chocolate mousse!

I have discovered some great new walks these past two weeks including a fantastic unspoilt valley where cars are not allowed - it is very well hidden and will remain so. I will take walkers there but it will not become common knowledge in books etc as its anonymity allowed me to see rabbits and hares, marvel over a wide variety of butterflies and have a honey buzzard glide just above my head. I could go on about the different insects, plants and trees which also grow there but I will refrain..... however in an area where I thought I knew all the terrain this was such a bonus, it was almost as good as winning the lottery!

It is cork removal time and the newly stripped trees are so distinct with their bright orange trunks. There is so much clamor about the preservation of the cork oak with which I agree but I do have one quibble - in order to reach some of the trees the cork strippers have totally devasted the undergrowth, ripping out and mowing down trees and bushes - an important habitat for many creatures.