Day 84. Friday 30 May.

A peaceful night in an idyllic setting was the promise. The church bells continued to ring until 2300 – and for some reason rang twice each hour, two minutes apart. Then the rooster started in the early morning! Not hourly, but every 15 minutes or so. Promise not delivered – could have been made by a politician. T’s earplugs didn’t cut it; the rooster continued to crow. 

But the day is brilliant. After breakfast, checked out an information board and started on the 3.5 km round trip walk along the Riu Duran. 

We passed through the village, seemingly mostly deserted – it reminds of Thredbo, and we suspect the chalets are mostly for winter time skiers. The rough track meandered through bush and meadows, with the sound of the river, cow bells and small birds constant.

We were delighted to come across a swarm of white and blue butterflies on a short seepage of water. It reminded us of the Barbara Kingsolver novel Flight Behaviour and also cycling through swarms of Blue Tiger butterflies in Mackay.

At the 1.5 km mark there was a rather doubtful looking bridge to cross, but we did so safely, if pretty cautiously. The stream was too enticing on what was now a very hot day, so T had a quick dip of the feet. (D edit note: and everything else), Water was freezing, of course.

The second leg, about 1.9 kms, was a bit harder, as it climbed up and over several ridges and had a couple of very boggy patches. The perfume of broome was ever-present amid ash trees and small flowers. Eventually arrived back at our start point, crossing a far more substantial bridge over the river.

A quiet afternoon, listening to the thunderstorm brewing. D has pre-washed the Peugeot in anticipation of a good rinsing. T played with some fabric, unsure of its final outcome but it includes a cotton beach towel from way back…perhaps that day in Nerja when we just had to drop into the sea.

Dinner: A ‘clean up’ of salad vegies and anchovies, with some (stodgy) crepes and salmon slices. A little rain cools the air…hopefully the rooster is in hiding.