Cumulative Information Actual Distance: 148.9 kms Stage Description - Stingy Nomads Highlights & Challenges "Highlights
Challenges
Another very pleasant and relatively easy 21km walking day. Very quiet in that we met only 2 hikers going our way on varied walking surfaces. Temperatures in the 16+C range with some strong North winds in the 50+ kms requiring tight Tilley hat strap on! The last 2 kms along the Bordeira beach was the best beach walk yet and what a finish was in store for us both 😉!!! Last evening the seafood tasting of Portugal continued. I asked for a recommendation from our server in the seafood section and the clear answer was tuna steak. Well what an incredible meal that was! On one plate are more vegetables than what I have had in a week..and for the first time…no word of a lie…I took the dessert plunge!   This morning started with an impressive spread at our Hotel with many choices. As you can tell from the following picture I had a tough time deciding 😊. |
We left our hotel and made our way on a succession on inland roads over the next many kms. Very peaceful walking all the way.
Then we came the first water crossing which as it turns out was a fairly modest affair.
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| Thanks to the hiker who pointed to the best crossing spot! |
Now if you look carefully you will see socks. Under the socks are my HOKA Speedgoats as in I went. Based on my UK Coast to Coast walk simply best to get all wet…shoes dry walking…socks dry overnight and to date no blisters.
Leonard on the other hand meticulously removed his footwear… put his sandals crossing…then reversed the process to continue walking post crossing.
Just after the crossing I briefly exchanged « where are you from? » greeting with a fellow walker. She was from Italy and had used the same stream crossing process as Leonard.
A little later I heard footsteps rapidly catching up to me…I then met Julia from New Zealand. She slowed down and we chatted for a few kms. An Engineering major who worked in the Royal Navy Julia is currently based in the UK where her partner is studying. She is between jobs so is off exploring. In Julia’s words « may as well do it while I am young and have the time » Well said!
Of course this was the perfect opportunity for me to launch into my New Zealand story…middle daughter Jeanne who spent 7.5 months in New Zealand at 19…where Jeanne bungee jumped from the highest available jump, tandem sky dived, whitewater raftes and my favourite zorbing which is rolling down a hill in a clear rubber/plastic ball with water! Julia thought that was pretty neat.
Julia researches « dangerous animals » before going on a hike…I am NOT making this up! She saw a one meter snake on day 1 and believes it was a venemous one…but it’s bite would not kill you. Holy!
Julia crossed the water stream shoes and all.
So that got me thinking an even 50/50 split of the rather small 4 person sample size…keep or remove shoes. It would be interesting to both have a much larger sample and even better have some a psychologist provide analysis of folks who choose either!
On second thought maybe it’s best not to pursue this given I went charging in shoes and all 😂
Before we knew it Leonard and I were at the 2km spectacular Bordeira beach. We were unsure of the crossing given high tide conditions but all was good. A great walking experience!
A treat was watching a few wind kite surfers doing their stuff. Wow one of them went really really high in the air after riding a wave.
We did have to execute a «little » maneuver around a rocky outcrop on the beach. This is a photo once past the spot. Essentially we had to time our scamper between the outcrop and the receding wave to keep walking on the beach. Had we miscalculated it wouldn’t have been much…maybe the soles of our shoes would have been covered in water.
Finally we were at the end of Bordeira beach and there it was the Bordeira stream…at high tide 😢. We knew this challenge was coming…latest feedback below the knee crossing…no discernable water current.
In I went shoes and all with my poles for balance. At first over the shoes…then creeping up to the knees…then HEY over the knee…hmmm and finally as I came out you would have thought I « peed » myself! Yes just below the waist area! It dried later!
Leonard took a video which I am hoping will remain on the blog for viewing (Blogger sometimes strips videos out). Unfortunately my video of Leonard is a total dud!
The video of this moment 😊
Tomorrow a short 16 km day to Vila do Bispo. Given there may not be much to report I may well include some something a little different that was sent to me. Just for fun!
A few additional photos from the day…
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| Leonard getting ready to cross |
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| An action shot! |
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