Thursday March 17 was our day for a hike in the Barranco do Velho situated north of Estoi. It’s an area known for lavender, in particular, green lavender. Coincidentally, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, so appropriate in that regard. So, Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! This was a repeat hike for all of us, Randy, Patricia, Gary and myself. For me, our original hike was in January 2020 so I heard about the green lavender but wasn’t able to see it. March is the right time of year.
The trail is a loop of 3 or 4 kms beginning and ending where we parked the car. It descends into the river valley and leads back out again. It’s a relatively well groomed path that wanders through groves of cork trees and offers some wonderful views of the valley and hillsides. Today, however, the view was somewhat obscured by the fog/mist that has covered the entire area for several days. It arrived from the Sahara laden with tiny particles of sand that cover and filter into everything and becomes an annoying slurry of mud when mixed with rain. I will post some images from Wednesday afternoon when the sky became an orange/pinkish/brown colour. The photos look like sepia images.
The scent of the green lavender was marvellous but I resisted the urge to pick any of it although it was tempting!
As we followed the trail upwards out of the valley it brought us through a small hamlet of houses. One of the homeowners is very creative and has representations of the Seven Deadly Sins surrounding the gateway.
And then it was time for lunch and luckily Tia Bia restaurant was open and the outdoor terrace beckoned!
Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground 
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