We decided to explore further afield so we walked up through the woods as far as we could until a valley blocked our way with no evident tracks down. We then headed for the cycle track which tuns along the main road and d it until we came to the beachside village of Praia de Falca. I had explored here earlier whilst out for a cycle ride so I knew there was a track in front of one of the houses which led down through the valley and onto the beach. This was a delightful walk past a pond down to a ruined stone building on the shore. From here we walked back along the beach.
After this we ventured even further, passing Praia de Falco to reach the next village, Legua. This time we had brought home made cheese and onion pasties for lunch as well as home made shortbread flavoured with lemon and ginger. Pasties and biscuits were to become walking staples as Scruffbag revelled in having a fully equipped kitchen to utilise his culinary skills.
The beach at Legua is reached via a steep road at the bottom of which lies a handy bench for eating lunch. It is best not to arrive at high tide to avoid a stretch where you would have to paddle. The waves here come in quickly and unexpectedly and can result in a drenching for the unwary.
After our exploration of the northern beaches, something we repeated often, we decided to venture inland. I had again explored some of the area on a lone cycling trip and had ridden a short way down a marked route to the town of Fatima. In non covid times we would have visited this town, a place of Catholic pilgrimage where 3 young girls saw a vision of the virgin Mary. However, at 30 miles distant we only walked a short way along the route. This was an enjoyable walk but some of the track proved hard going in deep sand.
Later we repeated part of this walk to visit the green lake, Lagoa de Saloio.
A further walk in this area took us to the the village of Falhais, a farming community which still had a functioning outdoor laundry. We walked through the village to the Lagoa de Falhais but perhaps we didn't go far enough for we only found a very reedy pond with very restricted access.
One of the things we noticed in this area was what we thought wete insect traps hanging in the trees. We wondered if they were designed to trap the pine processionary moth. This is an invasive moth whose caterpillars can decimate pine trees and it is now a problem in the Algarve and could be devastating for the resin collection in this area. However, we have since been told that they are more likely to be traps for the asian hornet Vespa Asiatica, which is proving a problem locally.
Soon March drew to a close and , with the woods bursting with spring flowers, it was time to leave Sitio and return to Erica
Even the washing lines put out a last burst of colour for us, displaying the traditional Nazare aprons in all their glory.
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