Waymarking Explained

There is a Waymark table for each section of the walk. The following is a brief explanation of the terms and abbreviations used, together with some further notes on landmarks.

Terms used

L, R, ahd

Left, Right, ahead.

Elec pole, phone pole, pylon.

Concrete power poles, wooden poles, national grid.

Trig

Triangulation pillar. Portuguese trig pillars are larger than their British relatives, and therefore more useful as landmarks. Each is given a name on the Portuguese OS maps. They come in two sizes - smaller cylinders, white with a black band round the middle, and taller obelisks, similarly decorated.

Ground stone

Waymarks placed on stones on the ground. These stones have often had to be placed in position. They are not set in with concrete etc, and many could quite easily be moved or displaced by traffic or by further clearance of pathways. Don’t be too anxious, therefore if you can’t find one of these. Use the other indicators.

Ruin

The Algarve is still littered with ruined houses, but these are being rescued all the time. What we have recorded as a ruin in 2006 may well be a mini-palace two or three years later. Do let us know if you come across such changes.

NWM

No Way Mark. Sometimes there is simply nowhere to set up or paint a mark at a junction, especially in the forests. On other occasions, it was thought sufficient to provide the other indicators and a landmark or two. Marks have also sometimes been omitted where local routes coincide with the VA, and we have indicated that you should use these where available.

Hunters' Signs

Hunting is still a popular pastime in the Algarve, though there has been some decline, and some tightening of the rules, in recent years. Hunting is allowed on Thursdays, Sundays and Public Holidays, and hunters are not always too careful about their aim. Hunting zones are marked by small red and white information boards as you enter them, and by smaller red and white diamond-shapes on thin poles along the tracks.
Be alert on hunting days, but don’t be put off. Simply take extra care if you hear gunfire ahead, and perhaps be more noisy than usual!

Boundary Stones

Just as in Britain, all the land belongs to somebody, even if it looks like a wilderness. Property boundaries are set out and jealously guarded. The markers are usually small cuboids of stone or concrete set upright in the ground, and they frequently have on them the initials of the property owner. This practice is yet another useful one for the walker.
Remember that unless a fence or other man-made obstruction stands in your way, you can walk where you will, with the same courtesies you would extend to landowners anywhere else.

Much thought has been given to the method and frequency of marking the route. Initially the intention was to mark minimally, but experience has shown the need for more frequent waypoints, especially on the more difficult sections, so more have been added. The waymarking logo chosen for the Via Algarviana is a modified gum cistus flower, white with a yellow middle, placed as necessary on the most convenient piece of stone, rock face, electricity pylon or other (hopefully) permanent feature of the landscape. White direction arrows are used alongside the logo as appropriate.
- Where local walking routes have been marked coinciding with stretches of the A.W., these are used instead of or as additional help alongside the cistus logo. Most of these are the standard regional walking signs, with red and yellow bars mounted on wooden posts or painted on rocks, and the occasional red and white of long-distance paths.
- We have not normally provided waymarks in urban areas, but street names are given, along with compass readings where appropriate.
- At almost every waymark point, GPS readings are provided as a check on position. Compass directions are also given at each point, indicating the direction to be taken immediately after the mark. Occasionally double readings are given, when a hairpin bend is involved, for example.
- Finally, compass bearings to landmarks visible from each waymark point are provided wherever possible.
- All of the above details are provided in tabular form on a sheet, one for each part of the walk, corresponding to the leaflet series. Under the heading ‘Waymarks and Orientation’ on the contents page, you will also find a key to the way the tables have been written. Perhaps the most important thing to stress is that there are some points where readings have been taken but, for lack of a suitable place to put it, no waymark has been placed. These are indicated on the sheets by ‘NWM in the waymark position column.
- In addition, the walk description in the leaflets provides a detailed guide. It is assumed that anyone undertaking a walk such as this one, or even a stage of it, has experience, and knowledge of the necessary techniques of route-finding. We have tried to indicate in most places where turnings are to be ignored, but we would expect that in the absence of a clear instruction, the widest, most worn or current path or track would be followed.
- Points where waymarks have been placed are indicated in the text by a number in brackets- red on the pdf leaflets.
- Our best advice, therefore, is to use a combination of these methods of confirmation. Above all, do not panic if no cistus symbol is seen for some time.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you find marks removed, concealed by vegetation or obliterated by time/weather etc. If you can deal with a problem without wasting too much of your own time, it would be much appreciated. See the introduction for contact details