Who lost the car keys
This week we planned to do a 18 km section of the GR7 from Alcútar to Valor. There were 9 walkers up for the long day out on the hills and the weather forecast was excellent, at long last the clouds have gone and the sun has returned.
Because there was a large group we decided to take 3 cars up to Válor,leave one there, and then drive the 20 km over to Alcútar and walk back to Valor and then, drive back later to recover the cars. It would be a lot of driving on slow roads, but at least you don’t have to rely on taxis that don’t turn up or buses that leave early.
Because of the distances involved an early start was called for so we arranged to meet at 7.30 in Beznar.
Plym arrived with bad news, Mark had suffered an accident to his foot and was in hospital. A little dispirited we set off for Valor.
In Valor we found a convenient place to park Plym’s car outside a bar, ready for our return. We then drove up to Alcútar in two cars. By the time we got there it was coffee time so we walked up into Burchules and found a bar. Refreshed, we set off again up through the village and then down into a thickly wooded, steep sided valley. With all the rain we have had recently the trees and plants were bursting with life.
There were three brave walkers in shorts and plenty of Nettles and prickly bushes, I don’t know why they were hurling insults in my direction.
We have all learnt over the years that, when you go down into a deep barranco there is always a steep climb out, this was no exception. As it was a linear walk we could enjoy the descent and ascent in the certain knowledge that we did not have to come back this way.
The sign post had said it was 5 km to Mercina Bombaron, one of a number of villages we would be passing through today, but you can never trust them. By the time we got there we had clocked up 7 km. It was a glorious day and we refreshed ourselves in the village fuente. The village itself is on a steep hillside and we plunged down steep cobbled tracks, impossible to drive up, thank goodness we were only going down.
Continuing the downward theme we continued on a stony path down towards Colco, an isolated little publeo halfway down another barranco which we had to cross.
In the past we have had problems when we have tried to do what we were attempting to do today. The problems have always revolved around cars, specifically with the keys. We have arrived at our destination to find that the car keys are not with the driver, but are in another car 20 kms away. I don’t know what made Mike think about it but he said to me, “Do you think Plym has got the car keys with her?”
We have all come to know Plym as the sensible one within the group, never one for taking rash, impulsive or bonkers decisions. Of course Plym would have the keys, after all she was not carrying anything else, but I thought I would just mention it when I caught up with her.
She was slightly puzzled by my question, off course she had the key, and went to her pocket to prove it, then the other pocket, then the coat pocket. Then she accused us of having it. Reality slowly dawned, the key was missing.
We were now half way into our 18 km walk, with no way of knowing where the key was. It could be in the car in Valor, on the path we had walked on, the bar in Burchules or a car in Alcútar.
Graham, using his usual diplomacy, said it was always the Dutch who lost the keys until it was pointed out that the last time this happened it was he, himself who had dunit. Mike took exception to being classed as Dutch as he has also dunit. I owned up to losing the keys and phone on one walk, resulting in an extended walk home.
We had no option but to turn around and retrace our steps, keeping 8 pairs of eyes wide open looking for a key.
We stopped in Mercina Bombaron for lunch, this being the only place we had seen with some seats, at least it kept Dave happy. We then slogged it uphill and down dale all the way back to Burchules, stopping off at the bar for a quick beer and an enquiry after a lost key, no, he had not found it.
Arriving back in Alcútar, there, on the back seat, having fallen out of her pocket, was the key. If it had not been there we were planning to make Plym walk the 80 kms home.
I thought Mike was a worthy candidate for a Brownie Point but the consensus opinion was no, It was only worthy of a mention in dispatches. I think there may be some tactical voting going on here.
A message from Plym
Just crawling out from under my rock of shame and degradation for a minute to offer you all my profuse and abject apologies and accept that my attempts at posing as an eminently sensible person are in tatters. Plym
It was a very enjoyable walk, taking us to new villages and on new tracks.
Mark will be out of action for a number weeks after losing an argument with an angle grinder.
On the walk Kees, Mike, Rene, Julie, Dave, Graham, Plym, Stuart.
Distance walked on the route today 8.3 km Total distance on route 189.3 km
Distance walked today 17.6 km Total distance walked 253.1 km
Height climbed today 889 metres Total height climbed 8668 metres
Distance driven today 200 km Total distance driven 1113 km
