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Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Mountain Houseleek - Sempervivum montanum
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A Sunny Morning at Rifugio Garelli
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Monday, 6 July 2009
Monday 6 July 2009 - Day 2 - Pian delle Gorre to Rifugio Garelli (1965 metres) - A Short Day
Day 2 Stats: 7km, 1000 metres ascent, 4.5 hours including 45 min stops.
Another cloudless morning saw us breakfasting at 7.30 and away by 8.40.
More mixed woodland kept us shaded from the sun most of the way up to Gias Madonna (1653 metres), where we lingered in the shade with binoculars for a long brew stop in view of chamois (we now think, not ibex) and marmots.
Then we dropped down a little before contouring on a gently rising path up to Rifugio Garelli via Gias Soprano di Sestrera. ('Gias' means shepherd's hut.)
The ground was fairly moist from snow melt and numerous small streams in this limestone area. The building, pictured above, was in a 5 metre snowdrift back in March, according to the guardian.
The rifugio was rebuilt around 1990, following its destruction by fire in 1987. It's a very hospitable place.
I was travelling even lighter today, having left my torch under my pillow at Rif Pian delle Gorre. What will be next to go, I wonder? My loose memory chip?
We enjoyed a lunch of spaghetti with garlic and chilli, washed down with cans of Moretti beer. Then, should we carry on to Rif Mondovi, some two hours away, or should we stay here?
A mixture of lack of inertia and low cloud building up nearby led us to opt to stay for the night, leaving a whole afternoon for R + R.
A nearby alpine botanical garden kept us occupied for a while, plus various mini excursions to nearby beauty spots with fine views towards the Marguareis summits when the boiling cloud allowed.
It's a lovely spot, we have a dormitory to ourselves, the beer is flowing, and we have enjoyed another four course work of culinary genius (by rifugio standards)....
There are 12 of us staying tonight. The five of us, five Italians based in Turin, and last night's two quizzical Germans. It turns out that Sue and I met them last year on our IBR walk - hence their curiosity - they had recognised us.
It really is a small world!
We've enjoyed a lovely sunset - the clouds having partly cleared. We are happy and replete.
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Enjoying a brew at Gias Madonna
We can idle the time away watching ibex and marmots, and listening to the cuckoos in the woods, etc etc.
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Ascending to Gias Madonna - 1653 metres
Where better to spend a Monday morning?
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Sunday 5 July 2009 - Day 1 - Limone to Pian delle Gorre
Our other readers seem to be wisely silent or, like us, away enjoying new adventures and only an occasional signal.
The Touring Hotel was friendly and fine, if a little pricey at €45 pp for B+B, and just a bit noisy at 2-3 am when the nearby Irish bar 'chucked out'.
Luckily the 'Vespa Club of Torino', who had earlier filled the town with 2-stroke fumes, had either left town or gone to bed early.
Today's path took us from Limone to the route of the 'Giro del Marguareis' - a short trek that very few English will have heard of, but one that passes through fine country and will link us with sections of the GTA (Grande Traversata delle Alpi) for the final few days of this biennial 'Famous Five' trip.
We travel light and use Rifugios. It's very relaxing. For the rest of the trip I'll be even lighter, as my walking poles disappeared during the course of the day. A shame, as they were my 14 year old original Leki poles, bought to provide support pending an ACL replacement. They, like my knees, have been through a lot.
So, this morning we headed out of Limone on paths not described in any guidebook and marked only vaguely on our 1:50000 map. We were pleasantly surprised as the good path wound gently up the hillside through lovely old woodland towards Colle Almellina, 500 metres above Limone.
On the way we paused at a bench overlooking Limone, causing a friendly man with a small friendly dog (all Italians and their dogs appear friendly) to have to queue to sit down to read his paper. "That's a long way" he remarked, when we told him where we were heading for.
Above the colle a vague but waymarked path led directly below a floating eagle and past skipping chamois towards Colla del Vaccarile, below which we stopped for a long lunch whilst several of the party, unused to being at an altitude of 2000 metres, were glad of the hour they were allowed, to recover their breath in the oxygen deprived environment (or so they claimed).
We descended past marmosettes into cloud that had been building on this fairly humid day. The path was vague and no longer waymarked. The loss of my poles was discovered. I returned rather energetically to our lunch spot. Some re-ascent was involved. No poles. Hey ho. The others waited patiently in their cloud. I returned. We continued to fumble our way down the hillside, encountering shepherds' huts marked on the map, and paths that were not so well recorded.
The views cleared. The flowers continued to delight (most of) us. We entered more lovely woodland and passed a roaring waterfall before emerging at Rivendell, a lovely grassy area thronged with Sunday picnickers from Cuneo, with this delightful rifugio (pictured) at one end of the meadow.
It came on to rain (it's for the heat - as Showell Styles used to accurately observe) but we didn't mind, we were happy with our beers, and later with an excellent four course meal involving polenta, beef, sausage, chicken, salad, cheese, parma ham and tarte tatin for pudding. There was a fine veggie option for Jenny that arrived on time - the Sport Hotel in Arabba could learn a thing or two from this friendly establishment when it comes to dealing with vegetarians!
Thoroughly satiated in almost every way from the day's activities, we adjourned early but happy to our en-suite room for five people.
There are just 8 people staying here, the 5 of us, 2 Germans who are looking at us very quizzically, and a lone elderly gent. It's all very pleasant, and much quieter than the GR5, our original plan for this trip.
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Sunday, 5 July 2009
St Bernard's Lily
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Lunch at 2000 metres
Just as well, as the 30 year old Camping Gaz stove (we knew that only the old style 'piercing' gas cylinders would be available in Limone) is not the fastest stove - it seems to be rationing the suppy to the burner in a way that would even impress the Liverpool airport security staff, who much to our surprise failed to apprehend the stove yesterday.
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Now then, which bath shall I take?
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Gaining Height
Fab...
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Sunday 5 July 2009 - Day 1 from Limone
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Saturday, 4 July 2009
Five Go Hutting in the Maritime Alps - Prologue
Andrew picked Sue and me up at 3.45 am, then Richard and Jenny were collected en-route to Liverpool, where the five of us managed a quick breakfast before being EasyJeted to Nice.
It was sunny there, but all a bit manic at the railway station, as the Tour de France cycle race started today in nearby Monaco. Lots of would be spectators were laying siege to the station in their efforts to get to Monaco and line the path of today's time trial.
The 12.36 to Cuneo left on time and spent a happy couple of hours rattling slowly up to Limone. The air-con was most appreciated at first, but as we rose gently up to 1000 metres the mountain air provided welcome respite from the heat of Nice, and indeed of Timperley over the past week!
Mountain Weather. We arrived here on 1 July last year, on our Italian Border Route, to be greeted by a storm. Today, as we exited France through the last of many tunnels, the sky blackened. Luckily Hotel Touring in Limone is only a very short walk from the station, so we didn't get wet. But it did storm, with huge flashes and claps, as we sheltered under a canopy with beers (pictured), before embarking on forays for food and gas.
A nap was in order before a good meal and passable Madonna di Como (Barolo) at La Diligenza restaurant - well named, they are certainly attentive.
Limone is a pleasant town. Big enough for a satisfyingly comprehensive after dinner stroll, but small enough for us to still manage a reasonably early night.
We managed to avoid breaking sweat today.
Tomorrow will be different!
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Gare de Nice Ville - Nice - Gateway to the Maritime Alps
Apologies to those who prefer piccies from Timperley!
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Thursday, 2 July 2009
A Postcard from Timperley
Yes, that's what it says on the tin, so here are today's views from sunny Timperley.
As you can see, it's a very exciting place...
...for ducks and fishermen and cyclists.
The canal stretches seemingly endlessly in both directions, but this 180º panorama makes it go round a corner!
That's exciting!
It was very hot.
Hotter than the Dolomites.
Hotter than the South of France?
Hmm, now there's a question...
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Images from The Dolomites (1)
It's a quiet week here in Timperley.
The camera is taking a well earned rest.
I'm trying to 'process' several hundred images from last week, and will reveal slide shows in due course.
Many of the images are of flowers - they will have a separate album - there was a stunning variety of them last week.
Here's one to whet the appetite - Trumpet Gentian - Gentiana acaulis - it comes in many different shades, even white.
We had some great walks, including some assisted by wires. It was a pleasure to have my son Mike along - his first holiday for many years.
Here he is, enjoying the scramble up the easy Piz da Cir V via ferrata, this time last week. Was it really that long ago!
He made the summit! Fabulous views here, towards the Austrian Alps.
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