8 June 2023 – Lliber Zoo

 We now start the walk from Lliber square

This is because some members found it difficult to find the car park

Fourteen of us for today’s walk

This included Michelle and Dave, a UK based couple on their first walk

We were also very pleased to welcome David and Sandra back for a visit

The temperatures are still well below the seasonal norm

It was also cloudy today, so no direct sun

This makes for much more comfortable walking conditions

And we didn’t have to worry about shade for our picnic stop on the dry river bed

We also made much faster time than we have recently

There were a few small animals at the zoo

But nothing very exciting

Due to our faster pace we were a little ahead of schedule

So we had slightly longer water breaks on the last stretch

The weather forecast is for much higher temperatures next week

So I have decided to start at the earlier time of 0900

This is our normal summer start, and allows us to get to the bar by 1200

To avoid the hottest part of the day

I was surprised that bar Varetes was much quieter than normal

There were also three tables together so we could all sit together

Temperature – 18-23c

Time taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9 km

5 June 2023 – Parcent to Alcalali

This was our first Monday Ramblers summer walk this year

However we started at 1000 rather than the usual 0900

This is because it has been much cooler this year than normal

According to some reports average temperatures have been 10c lower than normal

We cancelled last Monday walk due to a forecast of heavy rain

In fact the forecast was wrong, and it was dry most of the day

For the past three weeks rain has been forecast for almost every day

This, rather than the heat, is the reason we have started doing the shorter walks

It was good to see Tina again, who has not walked with us since March

 Also nice to see Terry, last walked in April

Good that both have recovered and are able to walk again

There were 14 of us on today’s walk

Good turnout considering we are walking on Thursday as well

I was a little concerned because rain was forecast for 1200 today

And we increased our pace when the black clouds appeared

The clouds disappeared as we reached the Ermita

So we had an extended water break

And a more leisurely pace for the rest of the walk

We were disappointed that the Cooperativa was closed for staff holidays

But fortunately bar Siremar was open

So we were able to enjoy our well deserved cold drink

A great start to our June summer walks

Temperature – 19-23c

Time taken – 4 hours

Distance – 14 km

1 June 2023 – Jalon to Alcalali

We cancelled last week’s walk due to a forecast of heavy rain

So we were all looking forward to today’s walk

The forecast was for rain at 1300

Sunny and clear sky as we left the rastro car park

If anything it was a little too warm

In fact we had to find shade for our water stops

This was our first summer walk

But due to the unusually low temperatures we started at 1000

If it gets much warmer we will start an hour earlier next week

Our usual summer walks are 0900 to 1200

 Only ten of us for today’s walk

But we are walking Monday and Thursday this year

In previous years we only walked one day each week in June

At present there are enough to walk twice a week

But if numbers decline we may reduce to one a week

It was so warm that we decided to have our water stop at the Ermita

We can guarantee shade in the porch

As we arrived we noticed black clouds gathering

We increased our speed and got back just as the rain started

We went to bar Claudia where we had a good view of the short storm with heavy rain, thunder and lightning.

Temperature – 19-23c

Time taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9 km