Sicily & The Aeolian Islands: Etna

We were disappointed to be told when we arrived in Sicily that, because of recent eruptions, it was not currently possible to go to the top of Etna. Instead, once we had been driven to Rifugio Sapienza at 6300' above sea level, we had the choice of:

• an unguided walking from from the top of the cable car (8200') up the 4x4 track to the limit of unaccompanied access at Rifugio Alpina (9570') and back via the same route
• taking the 4x4 to  Rifugio Alpina, then a guided walk to the across the recent lava and back to Rifugio Sapienza

The guided option  was expensive but we thought we'd only be here once, so we packed all the clothes we had with us (and Simon bought a stylish hat) and went for it. It was clear that we made the right choice - the 4x4 track would have been a real trudge.

We started by visiting the lava flow from the 24th April eruption. This was an amazing experience - the lava was like a layer of coke (the coal-like variety) on top of impacted snow, and was very sharp. This was certainly somewhere that you didn't want to fall over. In fact, both the soles of mine and Rosie's boots were a little scored.

Our guide, Rosario, then took us on a tour of the various craters, explaining their history (in Italian, English and French) and some of the volcanology. Fascinating stuff, even in the cold and wind. I think my interest level might have been higher if I'd been reminded at the start that there are no opportunities for comfort stops on Etna. We had lunch on the edge of a smoking crater (that did provide some relief for a few of us) before more exploration and heading across the 4x4 track and downwards.

We then headed across to the escarpment of the Bove Valley which is the enormous (37 square km!) caldera formed  by the collapse of Etna's predecessors 64,000 years ago for a long photo stop and lecture. 

We'd thought the sand descent from Stromboli was fast and long. Now we had another one - about the same speed but probably 3 times as long. The short walk from the bottom of this back to Rifugio Sapienza seemed like a very long way.

This was strenuous day, but an opportunity not to be missed if you get the chance and are pretty fit.

This was the last night of the holiday so booked dinner at Malvasia and met for pre-dinner drinks (cocktails in most cases) at the trendy bar near our hotel. They kept bringing interesting nibbles, and we kept eating them. 

Dinner at Malvasia was great fun. The restaurant was very quiet, and we got the full attention of the family that runs it. The food was fresh and simple, but lovely. The waiter recommended that we had a large carafe of the house wine, rather than order bottles - that's not something that happens often. Alex regaled us with tales of the life in the NHS, pausing often to explain that he was a little drunk.  We were lucky to have had his company on this holiday.

Our flight was until Tuesday evening, so we visited  Taormina's Greek theatre in  the morning, had lunch at La Botte and then relaxed on the hotel terrace in the afternoon before setting off for the airport.

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Sicily and The Aeolian Islands: Taormina and Castelmola

Our stay on the lovely Stromboli came to an end with a a long hydrofoil trip back to Mazzale and then a drive to Taormina.

Alex was booked into the Hotel Isabella right on the Corso Umberto, the rest of us in The Hotel Continental. The jaded wood panelling and the furniture in the Continental made it like stepping through a time warp. Our rooms were similarly jaded too. Clearly, this hotel had seen better days. However, it was clean and comfortable enough, and convenient for the restaurants of Corso Umberto.

There's plenty to see in Taormina, so we explored the town in the afternoon and decided to stop for coffee in one of the main squares and people-watch. Cannoli are a local speciality - deep fried tubes of pastry dough filled with sweetened ricotta - so Rosie and Brenda decided to give them a try. They were disappointing - with stale-tasting tubes. Their comic effect was more successful.

Alex decided to take a break from the rest of us, so we booked a table at Al Duomo, very close to our hotel and highly rated on TripAdvisor. As we approached the restaurant, a French group pushed past us, presumably in an attempt to get a better table. We were therefore very pleased to have a perfect table, outside and overlooking the square, while they ate indoors. It wasn't cheap, but the food was excellent - the best tuna carpaccio Simon had ever had apparently - and the service efficient friendly and efficient. Recommended for a posh meal if you're in town.

Our walk the next day was to Castelmola, which overlooks Taormina from a  long way above. It was clearly going to be a tough walk. After rendezvousing with Alex at his hotel, the first stretch of the walk was up a very long and steep set of steps. Once we got to the top of those,  was a steeper stretch of track and then road to the main square of Castelmola. It's another attractive place, with great views from the square, and the even-higher castle. After exploring both, we found a bar with a terrace for a drink before starting back. Rosie rescued a small bird from a tube which would normally support an umbrella.

The route back was more attractive - it passed a 1st century church before descending gently. We were hungry by this time. There was plenty of choice as we re-entered Taormina, so we chose Malvasia because it  seemed to have most locals, including a large group getting through a large number of courses. They quickly moved an extra table outside for us (even though the pavement wasn't very level). We all chose simple pasta dishes and house wine - all lovely and served with cheer and efficiency.

With no plans for the afternoon, Rosie and I took the cable-car down to Isola Bella, where we braved the causeway to get from the beach to the island, only to find that the island was closed. So we relaxed on the beach for a while.

Dinner was at Restaurant Gran Duca. Service there was poor - we clearly weren't spending enough for them. Food was good enough though.

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Sicily & The Aeolian Islands: Stromboli by day

Stromboli is an amazing place. The main settlement is in the North East of the island that is shaped by two narrow 'roads', one along the coast and another at a higher level. These form a one way system for the three wheeled carts, golf buggies and scooters that pass for traffic here. The local police have a golf buggy with a blue light on the top. There are no pavements, but pedestrians and vehicles seem to get along just fine.

We had a warm but hazy day for our walk to see Sciarra del Fuoco - formed by lava flow. The start of the walk repeated the stiff initial climb from the previous evening, and then contoured around a well-made path at around 1000'. This was very colourful, with a the pink of cistus and yellow of broom all the way. We eventually reached the mule track built by Visconti when filming on the islands, and soon got our view of the lava flow. This apparently glows at night, but all we could see was steam as it entered the sea. We climbed the  narrow track to the makeshift helipad to get a better view and were treated to a few eruptions from above while there. Quite a backdrop for our picnic lunch. The dark grey plumes were presumably there the previous night when we'd been at the top!

We descended the mule track to the aptly-named L'Osservatorio restaurant, where we had a drink in the sunshine and watched more eruptions, then made our way back via the coastal path and the residential streets, stopping for a delicious ice cream on the way.

Dinner was pizzas all round outdoors at Ritrovo Ingrid on the main square. It was Eurovision time, and we amused ourselves by trying to remember the UK entries from the 1970s. 

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Sicily & The Aeolian Islands: Sunset on Stromboli

Our three day stay on Lipari ended, and we took a 2 hour hydrofoil (but less bumpy) ride to Stromboli, via a few other lovely-looking islands.

We were staying at Hotel Ossidiana - a hundred yards or so from the jetty and just across a narrow 'road' from the beach of black sand. Stromboli is another volcanic island - this time with two villages (that can only be reached by sea). The  self-guided walk to a viewpoint was scheduled for the next day. We were advised that a guided walk to the reach the 3000' summit at sunset was available - but that it was only suitable for people 'in the peak of fitness'. We declared ourselves as suitably qualified, signed up for a 5pm start and had a very nice lunch in Ritrovo Ingrid, named after Ingrid Bergman, who made a film and had an affair with Rossellini here.

There was one guide (Antonio) and around 15 walkers. The climb was very steep in places, but Antonio set a steady pace that we could just about keep up with.  Apparently, a couple of French women has been sent back the previous day for being unable to keep up.

It got misty as we got higher, and we could hear the rumbles from the crater. What's more, clouds of volcanic dust rained down on us. We were still in cloud (and a cold wind) when we reached the lower summit and donned our crash helmets and any other clothes we'd brought. However, the cloud lifted as we crossed the ridge to the edge of the crater and we could see that we'd climbed through a lower level of cloud. There were minor eruptions in the crater every 20 minutes or so, sending up plumes of smoke and a spit of lava in the crater. Views were incredible as the sun went down. It really would have  been such  a shame to have come to this island and not done this walk.

The first part of the descent was steep and sandy (top left in the 3D picture below). Antonio demonstrated the correct technique - lean back, put one heel down quite hard and let it slide, repeat with other leg.  Once you got the hang of it, it was quick and easy, but very hard work. It was certainly a fast way down. After that excitement, it was really quite dark, so we put our head torches on for the rocky stretch.

We were all tired but still a bit excited when we got back to the village. Clearly a drink was in order. Thanks to Alex for sharing his pizza.

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Sicily & The Aeolian Islands: Vulcano

Our second walk was a day trip to Vulcano, which is a short boat ride South of Lipari. As you might guess from the name, it's a small island that consists of little more than a vulcano and a small port. Our walk went straight from the port to the foot of the volcano, then quite steeply up to the top (at slightly over 900'). There was a sulphurous smell as we approached the top. The reason became clear when we got there - big yellow-tinged clouds emerging from the earth. It was easy to dislodge a chunk of sulphur from the ground. Breathing at the top was actually quite uncomfortable. Headwater's instructions suggested that it was possible to walk around the rim of the crater. The walking would not have been too challenging. However, it was hard enough to breath out of the sulphurous clouds, and we would have to have braved the worst of them, so we declined that opportunity. We did watch a young (and foolhardy) couple make the circuit.

It started to rain as we desecnded, so we had a longish tasty lunch by the port. Alex decided he would try the natural thermal pool. We offered moral support i.e. we watched with our raincoats on. The pool looked to me like it had been used to mix cement. Our instructions told us to be careful on the black sand on beach - it gets hot enough to burn feet. Not today though, especially wearing hiking boots. Instead, there were hundreds of colourful stranded jellyfish. We took an early boat back, and had another nice dinner - indoors this time. By this time, a large holiday group from The Ramblers was at the hotel. They all talked loudly and incessantly - the noise wasn't helped  by the echoey surroundings.

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Sicily & The Aeolian Islands: Catania and Lipari

In the pub after an Ian Siegal gig, Brenda and Simon agreed to join us on a walking holiday to Sicily.  After much debate, we decided to book Headwater's 'Sicily & The Aeolian Islands' self-guided holiday.

We landed in Catania on the Sunday evening, met Alex, the only other person on the holiday, and were driven to our first stopover - the Hotel Agathae in Catania. This was very comfortable, once we'd managed to get our bags up steep steps and an unusual lift to our rooms. We didn't need dinner, but decided to go out for a drink and ended up in a wine bar called TriBeCa - very loud music, very loud decor and very young clientèle. But fun!

On Monday morning, we took a walk around Catania, which was lovely - the highlight being the Roman theatre. We were then driven to Mazalle to catch the hydrofoil to Lipari. This was a bit too bumpy for Rosie's liking, but she survived. 

Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands, and our hotel was close to the port, overlooking a lovely bay. However, the Aeolian Islands are named after the god of the winds - Aeolus. We found out why that night and had trouble sleeping because of the noise.

After joining us for breakfast on the terrace, Alex joined us for the day's walk. This was supposed to start with a bus ride to the centre of the island. However, while waiting for the ticket office to open, we were offered a good deal by a taxi driver (this was Italy after all)  and took it. The walk took a great route to and along the coast. At one point, we felt we need a machete to cut our way through the eucalyptus trees that were across the path. It turned out that there was a parallel, and much easier path down to the coast.

The coastal section was very dramatic, with cliffs of colours that seemed to be from a 'paint by numbers' set. We climbed steadily up to Pianoconte, where we had a very welcome granita, then descended back to Lipari town.

While the others headed back to the hotel, Rosie and I visited the castle that houses the archaeological museum to see its extensive display of Greek pots. The others pretended to be interested when we described these.

We had half-board on Lipari and again ate and had a few drinks on the hotel terrace before battening down the hatches for a good night's sleep.

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Field work and kitchen avoidance from Great Missenden

Our kitchen fitter was working hard (and loudly), so we were pleased to get up to sunshine. So, after hearing about some of the challenges of kitchen installation, and even resolving some of them, we set off for Great Missenden.
If you hadn't heard:

(a) the people in this area are not chuffed that the HS2 line will pass close by
(b) Rosie is working with communities on the impact of the line in Buckinghamshire

This walk therefore involved a little field-work. On the map below:

• the purple will be a cutting
• the green will be a 'green tunnel' (AKA a 'cut-and-cover' tunnel)
• the yellow will be a bored tunnel that starts in the Colne Valley just East of Chalfont St Peter

The cutting will go through the landscape behind Rosie in the picture on the right.

 

The route took in Little Missenden, which is a pretty village with a pretty church, but also with a lot of road noise from the nearby A413.

We also passed through Little Kingshill, but not without stopping for excellent drinks and sandwiches at The Full Moon. Highly recommended.

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The Chess Valley and the M25

We didn't expect to have a cooker this weekend because of the work in the kitchen. As it happens, it was connected up on Saturday. However, we'd already arranged with David and Alison to have a walk with a 'proper' lunch stop. As it happens, it would have been a nice day for a picnic, but we had to 'make do' with Sunday lunch at a nice pub. We survived.

This is another walk from the Adventurous Pub Walks in the Chilterns book. As written, it would have started in Chorleywood and got us to the pub too early, so we started South of Latimer. Within a few minutes of leaving the car, there was a woman on a horse coming towards us and a cyclist behind us. The cyclist (a man of a certain age) rode past us, stopped quite abruptly and waved at us to stop and told us to 'give the horse a chance'. When the horse had passed, he essentially told us that we needed to be more considerate of 'skittish' horses. We encountered the same horse later in the walk - rarely have I come across a more placid horse. Beware of patronising cyclists when in this area.

The route passed through Chenies, which looks like it is plucked from a jigsaw puzzle. As well as the manor and an attractive church, it has two likely-looking pubs.

As you can from the map, we had a short loop across the M25 before reaching The Cock Inn at Sarratt (with an appetite) at 12:30. Lunch and beer were good, and proper puddings (e.g. treacle tart, crumble) with custard were available. It would have been rude not to....

The highlight of the walk was a lovely stretch along the River Chess. Rosie and I had walked this stretch last year.

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Bluebell walk from Henley

What with the dry and warm March, and cold and very wet April, the 2012 bluebell season has been unpredictable. This weekend was probably the peak, so we were glad to have a few dry hours to do this walk from  Adventurous Pub Walks in the Chilterns. It's an interesting route, starting in downtown Henley (a reminder of what a nice town Henley is), past George Harrison's old place and then uphill towards Rotherfield Greys.

A good, but not spectacular, bluebell display.

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