Âncora to A Guarda 8.1 miles plus 4.1
Today promised to be a short day and the last in Portugal. So I left Ancora and it's huge fortifications looking forward to being back in Spain.
I am not sure I did Portugal justice in a few days. The people were very polite and friendly, all the accommodation was spotlessly clean, the coastline I walked was beautiful but I did not find its soul somehow. Nevertheless I had a lovely coastal walk ahead of me and as you can see blue skies are back.
I planned a short day today because I had read that the ferry had a habit of breaking down and also that departure times were unreliable. So true. If it went at all it would not be until late afternoon. Fortunately there is a water taxi which cashes in on the ferry's idiosyncrasies. It was €5 fare but there had to be at least 3 people. €15 for a solo trip was fine but before I pushed the boat out (sorry, couldn't resist) I decided to have a last Portuguese beer and see what happened - sure enough 2 chaps turned up and shared the ride. Good decision.
I was checked into the hotel by a very enthusiastic receptionist who welcomed me warmly and then produced a tourist map. She prodded it repeatedly then drew an arrow to something. "Muy, muy bonito" she gushed, making a circle with her thumb and index finger which she kissed loudly several times. I thought I had finished walking but apparently not. The day was still young I supposed so I took an interest and after dumping a few things in the room set off. What is the matter with me? I was climbing a mountain!
Apparently this is all a National Monument, both a Celtic and Roman hill fort settlement. There are also rock carvings which predate the settlement by 2,000 years
Fascinating though all this is I had no intention of climbing to the top, but maybe just a bit higher
Remember that mountain I pointed out on a previous photo? This was it.
I had climbed 1118 feet (341m) above sea level but I wasn't climbing down. Taxi!!