I HOPE 2012 IS KIND TO YOU ALL

Maybe this is your time to come walking in Portugal? Seasons greetings to you all - Julie x

I have been in the Algarve for a few weeks now and the whole mood of this country is just one of negativity - you have to feel for the people who are struggling to pay bills and survive. VAT at 23 percent is going to be added to everything including electricity, restaurant bills and rounds of golf, tolls are being introduced on the main A22 along the Algarve and there are no Christmas lights this year as the councils have no money! On the brighter side of life - the sun is shining and spring flowers are starting to appear (far too early) but a whole hill side of 'barbary nuts' lifted the spirits of everyone on the walk this Saturday. Actually this was a really great walk down on the Arao estuary and we had just arrived at the waters edge when 2 local fishermen appeared the driver jumped out of his car and before we knew it had removed his trousers much to our amusement - he was about to change in to a wet suit! Of course I could not resist a photo which I duly showed him and he joined in the laughter and then told us they were going to collect razor clams.

There has been considerable interest in the Madeiran tiger with many people wanting to know more about this magnificent beast - I will update you all in due course!

The Madeira Tiger

I have just returned from a brilliant weeks walking on Madeira where I had one of my lifes ambitions realised - I saw the Madeira Tiger (Panthera tigris ssp madeirensis). Little is known about this almost mythical creature that is believed to habit the high wooded mountain slopes of the island, there have been very few sightings but talk to the locals and they will tell you stories about the prowess of this magnificent beast.
I had been joking with the group about the Madeira tiger and of course no one believed me that the creature existed but a walk last Sunday changed all that! I decided at the last minute to walk a different levada to the one planned due to cloud cover and rain. The walk begins through the forests above the levada, it was wet, not cold and we were all in high spirits when out of no where this beast was spotted - for once in my life I was speechless - but one of the group manged to take a photo. It was one of those moments that was very, very special and I just want to take this opportunity to thank Volker, Malcom, Gwyn, Chantal, Sabina, Tracy, Rachel and Margarete (the 'A' team) who shared this adventure with me.

Its amazing how you can take walks for granted and not appreciate how beautiful they are. I have been guilty of that but this week has made me realise what I have been missing. Last Friday I revisited a short walk near Quarteira, it was one of my first walks here in the Algarve and I walked in quite frequently but then I dont know why it just got 'shelved'. But looking for some new walks I decided to redo it and oh boy I am so glad I did - it is just fantastic and the Quarteira gorge is a positive oasis of beauty so close to the tourist town of the same name.
Then yesterday 'All Saints Day' I went to rewalk and extend one close to the village of Pera which takes you down to the beach. I knew much of it but I wanted to lengthen it and get a start from a local cafe which I successfully managed but that wasnt the half of it. A new path I took led me down to some creeks, off shoots of the Alcantarilha river and there while I walked musing over a work problem was a lone flamingo wading in the water just below me. As I walked he/she followed and I just had to stop and talk to it (yes, this is the first sign of madness but what a madness!)this was just such a magical moment and eventually a really good walk.

Portugal is sweltering and so am I - I have almost finished two weeks walking in the north of Portugal where the temperatures have been unseasonably hot. The first week was not too bad but the second week with a private group has been a challenge with day temperatures reaching the high 30's - it has only the thought of that ice cold beer at the walks end that has kept us all going.
In situations like this there is always the debate which is worse to walk in rain or in the heat - I think we agreed to disagree.
The Algarve is also warm (but not as hot as in the north)and I am told that both walkers and cyclists are enjoying refreshing dips in the sea an unexpected bonus that no one expected.
The downside to all this sun is that the country has many areas under fire alert something that the they can ill afford.

Its almost 3 months since I have updated this blog - I had not meant for it to be this long - but once again I say to myself 'where does the time go?' It is the summer in Portugal and for those living in the Algarve they are just looking forward to the end of August when all the tourists go home - but this year I am told there are much fewer visitors than previous years.
I myself have not been idle these past few months, I have managed a holiday to see family, found some new walks, put together a new group walk for the Douro valley (which I am very excited about) and generally been very, very busy which is great. Portugal as a country to visit, to walk and ride in is beginning to capture peoples imaginations. One of the most common feedbacks that we get is how friendly and helpful the local people are and it is so true..... the majority are so kind and would go out of their way to help you; there is a real genuiness about them, no airs or graces just plain no nonsense living - life is tough for the majority of Portuguese these days but rarely do you see them complaining, whingeing or protesting they just get on with their lives. They have captured my heart!

The summer is almost here and in Portugal there has been a notieable rise in temperature. Most people do not seem to realsise that during this time it can be much hotter in the north and central Portugal than the Algarve (that is why many from Porto and Lisbon head south for their holidays). Those that were on the group walk in the north last week can also back me up on this as for two days temperatures rose to 35C! Boy it was hot and not typical for late May, the locals kept telling me these were August temperatures - not a lot of consolation when you are absolutely steaming!
Still there are places where you can walk during the summer without over heating - the Azores and Madeira. Most people think that Madeira being further south must be hotter than the mainland but this is far from the truth - south yes but it is an island and its temperatures are tempered by the Atlantic ocean; during the months of June / July the island is awash with hydrangeas, agapanthus and the flower of Madeira - it is just great for walking. Very few walkers go at this time of year because of the mistaken belief that it will be too hot - trust me it will not!