As Linda & Russell are leading on monday (& showing me a new route) I'll do an extra one on thursday......but walk is now closed.

Degree of Difficulty ( scale 1:5) : 3 Energetic

Start : 10.00am Montes De Cima

Directions: From Lagoa, turn left on the N125 and go past the turn-off for Alvor. After a few hundred yards, there is a BP station on your right and a road signposted " Senhora do Verde, Vidigal, Casais, Alcalar, Torre" : turn right here. IF you go past the Hotel Penina on your left, you have gone too far.

Go up this road ( M532). After going through a single lane tunnel and after about another 1/4 mile, make sure you follow the road bending left signed Alcalar ; do NOT go straight on.

You should then soon be crossing the motorway. Carry on, passing A Taberna Nicola cafe on your right, and Cafe Andre a bit later on your left. Carry on past O Tasco, on the left. Just past O Tasco, bear left and follow the Monchique sign.

About 5 minutes after O Tasco, you will see a building on the right that used to be a cafe bear left here ( signposted Montes de Cima, Marmalete, Casais ) and drive on for about 3kms till you get to Montes de Cima. Follow the road round to the right to the cafe Taberna da Manel ; park opposite, or a bit further up the road.Please do not park just outside the cafe.

GPS : 37.241448, -8.611435
Lunch ( optional): this will probably be at Café O Caseiro at Arao , about 15 minutes driving down the road towards the N125. They do a very nice set menu ,
but please note new lunch price policy at viewtopic.php?f=39&t=27800
Walking boots/stout trainers recommended and walking poles.

Usual caveats - all walks are at your own risk, and we do not walk if it is pouring with rain...no charge, of course...I will endeavour to put any cancellation note on this site by 0900 on the day of the walk.

Any questions , please ask or ring 282 380015 preferably between 1800-1900 or 8am to 9am but not before 20 February.

Rod & Gail for walk and lunch please.

Frank and Iva would like to do the walk and lunch.

Yes please,
David and Mieke

Sue & Steve for both walk & lunch, thanks

Please include me for walk and lunch
Thanks
Rose

Please add Russell for the walk and lunch and Lindale and Dorothy for lunch only. Thanks

Dan & Trudy for walk & lunch. Thanks

Barb and Terry for the walk and lunch please.

Hi all

Just a quick note to confirm the lunch arrangements .

I have booked 18 places for lunch at 1pm , which should give us plenty of time to do the walk, have a quick beer at the cafe and drive to the lunch place.

As we are quite a large number for them , there will only be a choice of pork stew or grilled pork...plus 1 drink, pudding and coffee ; i have opted for the set-price 8€ menu, rather than the more expensive a la carte. We may need some extra wine, but total should be no more than the usual 10€.

If this restrictive choice is a problem, please let me know soonest, as i don't want to get a bad name with them for booking places that aren't needed!

Weatherwise , it looks as if we might have a shower or two , but I'll put any cancellation notice on the forum by 0830.

Just a thought.....IF its too wet to walk, would people still like to meet there for lunch? Perhaps at 1230? Please indicate below.

Geoff

Well, an eventful day...not helped by the fact that the Forum was down for software upgrade for the last couple of days, and hence communication with walkers was a bit fraught.

Despite the heavy rains & gale force winds, 12 brave walkers arrived for coffee at the honey cafe : Steve & Sue somehow thought it naver rained in the Algarve and did not have any wet-weather gear, but fortunately Russell always travels with spares.

The rain held off most of the time, and we even had some blue sky . Here are the two Sues breasting the slope
and the group :
Unfortunately, the leader managed to trip whilst holding phone, glasses, hat, stick and goodness knnows what else ; fortunately, Dan & Trudy were well prepared & versed in first aid . Not a pretty site!
I reckoned it only drizzled/rained for about 30 mins out of 2.5 hours, c 10km, so we were very fortunate...more so than Gail riding out the Gales at the cafe , where we returned for a well earned drink;
Before driving off to O Caseiro and a good lunch, though at 11€ pp, nothing for ADL this time.