Birds, Barns & Farms!

We had to get up before sunrise to walk to Faro airport to get Bob and Louis off to Cork and I wanted to arrange where to meet Bob on his return in just over two days and as always in Portugal, the sunrise is stunning…

I waved goodbye to the boys and then it was just me and George. I was looking forward to a couple of days of some long walks – I had done some research and realised that we were not far from wetlands and salt marches with an abundance of birdlife. Without the worry of Bobs knee I was going to spend the next couple of days walking.

A quick breakfast and I headed off from the Aire close to Faro airport but also on the outskirts of a forest park much used by cyclists, walkers and dog owners. The terrain was typical of the area, pine trees on dry red sandy soil, along with eucalyptus trees ( if you pick the leaves and crush them in your hand there is a very strong eucalyptus aroma), the odd cork oak tree ( I managed to break a piece cork bark off to take home as a reminder), cactus plants, wild lavender, prickly gorse and lots of flowering African buttercups. The area was undulating with slopes, rocks and lot of worn pathways, terrain that I have come across from the West Atlantic coast and down and along the Algarve. It was a good to be able to let George off the lead as there were no cats or stray dogs around and the weather was perfect for walking – a very sunny 17 degrees during the afternoon with a light sea breeze.

After about 30 mins I picked up the Ludo trail, this is an area in Faro known for its salt marches and wetlands by the coast.

It’s a vast lagoon and is a designated nature reserve with marked paths, wooden boardwalks and info boards along the way so you can see what wildlife to look out for. I was lucky enough to spot White Storks, a Kingfisher, Spoonbills, Cranes, Herons, Flamingo’s, Cormorants, Oyster Catcher and various types of waders that I can’t name – I’m no expert in bird spotting but I wish I had taken my binos with me!!

In the end it was a 7 mile walk, of course I always go the extra mile to see where that takes me and managed a circuit which lucky for me got me back to the aire but not before I saw where I could walk the next day.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading, blogging, catching up with friends on WhatsApp and a light supper following by an early night with my hot water bottle!

The following day I planned another walk but this time I would walk to Faro beach, I had to walk through the same forest park, past the airport, which isn’t so busy at this time of the year but when planes do take off they thunder right over our heads.

Faro beach is on a strip of land with the Atlantic Sea on one side and the lagoon on the other which creates a unique environment for over 220 species of birds to feed, rest or reproduce. It provides a very good migratory stop  being ideally situated and is a rich source of marine animals such as violin crabs, sea horses, various types of crustaceans and molluscs. It is also home to the colour changing Chameleon although I can’t say I saw one.  To get to Faro beach you cross the lagoon along a 1km stretch of road with a wide wooden boardwalk alongside giving great views the whole way.

Once on the spit I headed to the long sandy beach and walked for about a mile on the sand before crossing back over and walking back alongside the lagoon which also had a boardwalk down one end where you could sit and watch the birds. As the tide was out I spotted locals amongst the mud flaps collecting crustaceans to sell to local restaurants. It must have been rich with fish as I was glued to the spot watching the birdlife arguing over the best spoils, every now and then they would all find flight and move to another spot just meters away.

Who would know that so close to an airport there is just so much to see and do, I could easily have spent another 2 or 3 days exploring the walks around here. For golf lovers, my walk yesterday took me through a golf resort with what looked like a very beautiful course set amongst the nature reserve. Faro beach itself has good surf so there’s something for everyone with plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants to choose from in the evenings.

In all I walked a total of 18 miles over the two days and the following morning I had to meet Bob, so I was up early, walked George, showered, cleaned inside van and prepped it ready to go as we were off on our travels again.

Bob arrived on time after his ‘flying visit’ to Cork. Along with Louis and Niamh we have put an offer in on a 4-acre farm near Marcoom, County Cork. Bob popped over to the Emerald Isle to check out the farm so that we can proceed with the sale. Exciting times ahead and a lot of work but we fell in love with Ireland when we were there last September and this way we can spend more time there.