Up the River and Down the Wow with a small detour!!!

It is the beginning of a new week and the temperatures are set to rise which is good but this morning the sunrise definitely looked like it was trying to break through a sky filled with Saharan sand again.  We decided that we would walk as we had missed doing so on Saturday and I had used Komoot to plot a mainly off-road route above Latchi and to the left of Neo Chorio.

Our first challenge was to find the start proper.  We found a place to park off the main road and then walked up towards Neo Chorio looking for a track which led off to the left.  We came across an old bridge which we had never noticed before because in a car you cannot see it.  The track was supposed to be somewhere near here and actually we did find the start but this was a road less traveled that is for sure - it had obviously been a road at some point in its past but a long time ago.

Two minutes from the main road we were walking on a beautiful old track which was filled with wild flowers and a magnificent view of Latchi (or it was once the sun had burned off the sand laden clouds).  We followed the path which was easy and sadly one which hunters use regularly as we walked past plenty of spent gun cartridges.

At the end of the first part of the track we came out onto a side road which we crossed over and followed for a short way and then we were told to turn right which John wasn't too sure about but we could see a track which was leading us up away from the coast and along the edge of a ravine.

What we soon came to realise was that this old track followed the edge of a water course and after the recent rains it was quite free flowing and the air was filled with the sound of big old bull frogs.  This was so unexpected and actually pretty breath taking.  At this point John didn't think we would be walking up high enough to cross the ravine - I didn't like to tell him otherwise!!

Our progress was monitored by goats who stood spookily like Red Indians on the top of the ravine passing the information back to their leader!!!  Our progress was slow as this was an area that clearly people rarely walk although amazingly there was a stretch of about 10 metres or so of concrete for some reason!!

It was muggy and sticky and we made slow progress up up up - John said he couldn't believe I had plotted a Lisalotte off-piste walk without Lisolotte being available to experience it - she likes off piste and she likes hills and this had both!!

Nearing the top we came across an old bridge which no longer spanned the water and we needed to get across and continue up according to my map.  We had to check it was safe to do so and with a bit of scrabbling we made it.

We then had a very sharp and long uphill stretch which was ok as we were on track but then we realised that our route now had a fence going across it and although there was an open gate we didn't know whether or not we would be able to get out at the other end.  

We tried to ascertain whether or not the track just followed the fence but clearly the track was on the inside and we were conscious of time and we were getting rather warm so we made the decision to climb up on the outside (which was pretty difficult) and stop at the top and decide whether or not we could pick the trail further on.  Fortunately we were on land which seemed to only ever be traversed by goats so we were happy we weren't tramping through someone's farm land and crops.

We walked across this terrain heading towards where we hoped we might pick up the track and we need not have worried because this is exactly what we did although it had cut out quite a section of what I had planned.  What we plan to do is approach the track from the opposite direction to see, where it is intersected by the fence, whether there is a gate at that end which would enable us to walk through keeping close to the perimeter.

John said he really loved this walk.  I did too because I have never seen such beautiful wild flowers, orchids and anemones and things I don't even know what they are called and the views were unbelievable and unexpected.  I think it is the best walk I have done so far - it wasn't too long, it was a bit of a challenge but it was so worth it.

I don't want to sound evangelical about walking but it has really awakened in me something which I never knew was in there.  For me it isn't all about the exercise - I am just blown away by the views and the flowers and the diverse landscape and the fresh air and the open spaces.