25 May 2026 – Parcent to Alcalali

 17 walking today

Started an hour earlier at 0900 because the temperatures are higher than usual for this time of year

Needed to find shade for our water stops

Where we also met this particularly friendly dog

Comfortable temperature for the first part of the walk

Had our first water break when we reached the start of the pipeline

Lorraine and Tina looking very happy so far

Plenty of shade on the pipeline

Lorraine caught the chain of her bracelet on the webbing of her backpack, Pierre cut it loose with a scalpel which he just happened to have in his backpack.

Thanks to Tina for this photo of “the leader of the pack”

Never tire of the views of Parcent, especially on a lovely sunny morning

Second water stop under the tree at the end of the pipeline section

Surprising how much cooler it is in the shade

More shade just across the road from the tree

The rest of the walk is open and exposed with very little shade

Fortunately there was a light breeze

And it was mostly downhill

Thanks to Jim for this group photo

We were all pleased to reach the banana stop at the Ermita

Always plenty of shade here

No hurry as we had walked faster than usual.

The last part of the walk was the most exposed

But again there was a light breeze

And we finished the walk at Parcent cooperativa well before the 1200 deadline

And were rewarded with a very welcome cold drink

Temperature – 20 to 25c

Time taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9km

 

18 May 2026 – Alcalali to Parcent

18 of us today

Less than last week, but I prefer less than 20

Everyone seems to mix much better is smaller groups

Despite this we do miss our regulars who are not walking

Today we had two river crossings and a field full of bee hives

The first river crossing is usually dry, with the water underground

But today it was quite high and fast, and we had to use the stepping stones

I soon became aware of new signposts

Very welcome because this track is not easy to follow

Before the second river crossing there was a signpost indicating a new route to the river

This would avoid the bee hives and also the more difficult river crossing

However the track quickly became overgrown and covered in plastic sheeting

Before the river there was a steep and slippery section

I left the group and did a recce to the river itself

I was disappointed to find it was just as difficult as the original crossing

We decided to stick to the original route

We are always careful crossing the bee field, both silent and avoiding the hives as much as possible

I have done this walk 20 plus times, and only once has anyone been stung

However today we had our second bee sting

The second river crossing went without incident

Though we got our boots wet as the river was higher than expected

A more challenging walk than expected, but everyone seemed to enjoy it

And particularly the after walk drink at bar NoNombre in Alcalali

Temperature – 18 to 22c

Time taken – 3.5 hours

Distance – 9km