The restaurant at the end of the valley

Walking in the Sud Tirol series links: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Wednesday 21st Sept 2011 - Sud Tirol walking day 3

Today we caught the public bus up to Predoi to start a walk right up to the end of the valley. I say we caught the bus but it's all a lie. Just as the bus arrived I realised I'd not got my GPS and not wanting to lose it I vowed to get the next bus (30 minutes) and catch them up. The GPS was in my room (not lost at all) so while waiting for the bus I asked the hotelier for our walking guide's phone number just in case I couldn't locate them.

Just on my way to the bus stop and the hotelier's husband pulls up in his Merc - jump in, I'll take you! What incredible service, they really are amazing people and a real loss to the industry as they retired the week we left.

Pulling up at Predoi the group were waiting for me - I was lost for words and genuinely touched by them enduring me being such a numpty.

We set off up the hill and walked through the woods, the day looked like it was going to be a scorcher.

Out of the woods and looking down
the valley towards our start

Never take a picture into the sun -
rubbish; this one looks great!

I admit it - I'm trying to get a
photo in the brochure

A snow fuelled river

Everywhere you look there's a photo
that needs to be taken

Having driven up the valley before we even started I was soon surprised to notice that our altitude was higher than I'd managed to achieve on my hard-work solo walk the day before.

This was an easy walk, we were simply following a gravel road alongside a stream up the bottom of the valley. I detoured off on my own immediately after the church pictured above to go and find a cache ("Italy North") about 40m up a couple of fields. This turned out to be quite a scramble with the sun really beating down on me. It was a tricky find, helped along by a noisy but soft-as-a-brush dog from the nearby farm, which took me a good 10 minutes to locate. I signed the log, stopped for a rest, water and some suncream, before descending back to the road and then pushing myself to catch up with the group.

Nancy leading the way



Easy going as we head toward the
end of the valley

We walked about four miles to the end of the valley where I was surprised to discover a restaurant - this probably explains the good condition of the track/road. Here we were at an altitude of 1850m - the highest I'd been so far but even this would be dwarfed the next day.

We rested a while before returning back the way we'd come and then stopping at a restaurant a couple of miles further along where we all had excellent food.

Starting the walk back



Almost back to the start



The total for today was 9.3 miles with a steady altitude gain of 326m. An easy walk but nevertheless a beautiful one which I heartily recommend to all.



Our route today.
North is about 10 o'clock.