13 days of walks over 20 days
The first week of this trip was spent with the Gang in Tuscany, based at Montepulciano, and another few days were spent in Firenze, based in Fiesole. But we still managed to fit in some serious walking, some on cliff-rimmed coastline, and some in mountains.
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The Lizard is the southernmost peninsula of the UK, between Penzance to Falmouth, and generally thought of as one of the best parts of the south-west coastal path. It has cliffs and some beaches, and some interestingly diverse geology and vegetation. We spent 5 days doing the 58miles / 93km with c. 500m rise and fall each day along the c. 70m cliffs.
The logistics are slightly challenging. We did the first part of our track, from Marazion to Porthleven (21km), by driving from our base (at Downfield B&B near Maenporth) to Porthleven, and catching the bus west. (The bus was delayed, as the Olympic Flame came past us). The remainder we did by leaving the car at Downfield, walking (the last part of the section) to Falmouth, and catching the bus to Porthleven. Then we resumed the walk eastwards around the peninsula for five days, staying at B&Bs at Mullion (18km), The Lizard (11km) and Coverack (18km). The last day was a little tiring (25km) back to Downfield, incl. fording Helford Passage at low tide when the ferry (punt) wasn't running.
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St Michael's Mount, opp. Marazion |
Peregrine Falcon en route to Porthleven |
Mullion Cove |
The Pound |
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A Fulmar |
Kynance Cove ... |
... and its famous rockfaces ... |
... complete with barnacles |
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The Devils Frypan |
Cadgewith Cove |
Cliffs and Happy Walker |
Tha last kilometers back to Downfield |
One of our favourite places is the top of Val Gardena. Chalet Gerard is rather expensive, but very nice, and overnighting there between Tuscany and the Tirol enabled us to get a quick evening walk in, further up the valley.
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Looking north to the Sella Pass |
Looking SW over the Chalet to Sasso Luongo |
Further up the Valley, looking up at Passo Gardena |
Even more atmospheric, late in the day |
A nice area, but there were fewer good walks than we expected, and the weather was mostly poor.
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Near Valdaora, en route Larch, Kifer and Tanne |
Saalalm, showing why you carry wet-gear |
Walking some way into the Steinernes Meer |
A glacial valley well up into the Hohe Tauern |
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Pinzgauer cattle above the Saalbachtal |
View south across that valley ... |
... to the next day's walk, with brave-faced walker |
On the Schmittenhohe, towards the Grossglockner |
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Path down northwards into the Saalbachtal |
Mitternberg, last day, best walk, best weather ... |
... Zell across the See ... |
... with Fam. Hofer |
Another of our favourite places is the Julian Alps, beside Bled in NW Slovenia. Linda did yet another walk while Roger was at his conference, in wilderness, with hardly another soul on the track. The Triglav Lakes walk begins at the end of Lake Bohinj, climbs a face, then follows up a stark valley that curves N and NW towards Triglav.
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On the horizon, from the left Male Triglav and Triglav (2850m), then Rjavina (2532m). The ridge in the foreground ends in Debela Pec (2000m) |
An average morning outside the Toplice Hotel window |
Looking back down the vertiginous cliff up from Lake Bohinj |
Black Lake, soon afterwards |
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Hut beside one of the Triglav Lakes |
Further on, looking north towards the Lakes |
... and looking back south across Bohinj to Mt Vogel |
Not-so-shy chamois, 'playing silly games' |
This is a page within the Clarke-Spinaze Photo Gallery, home-page here
Created: 14 July 2013; Last Amended: 14 July 2013