This was the first “more challenging” walk since the summer break
Every third walk I offer something different from our usual valley walks
They are shorter and easier versions of the hill walks we used to do
They include Bernia Fort and Olta circuit
Today was a shorter version of the Iberian Settlement
This was the original walk we used to do back in 2006
It does not include the more recent extension which added an hour to the walk
It is the first time I have offered this walk to our Monday Ramblers group
I was not sure whether it might be too difficult
I expected it to take about four hours, plus about 200 metres of ascent
I explained this in my email to make it clear that it would be the hardest of our challenge walks yet
Perhaps I did too good a job, our numbers dropped from 22 last week to 16 this week
But I would rather describe it as too difficult, rather than too easy
We wanted to do this walk back in May
But cancelled it due to a poor weather forecast
You need good weather both for the terrain and to make the climb worth while
The forecast for today was sunny and 23c
However it was very overcast as we drove to the start
The summit of Montgo was covered in heavy cloud
Fortunately our end was much clearer
In fact we had ideal weather for hill walking
The pace was moderate, with frequent short water stops to admire the views
No one had any obvious problems, and we moved at the pace of the slowest
I think everyone really enjoyed the walk, even if they did find it harder than usual
Temperature – 17-24c
Time Taken – 4.5 hours
Distance – 8 km
