Saturday July 30th

Anti-Clockwise to Monte Cavo

Today felt slightly cooler, so we decided to attempt a longer walk, this time to Monte Cavo. Monte Cavo is visible from the Palazzola and distinctive because of the vast array of listening masts on the top. We wanted to have a circular walk so David worked out (eventually!) how to get Komoot to plan one as an alternative to a “There and back again” one- by adding another destination and finding the “Circular” option on the menu. 

We set off on the usual route, through the grounds of the Palazzola, past the tennis court and into the woods. It was a lovely sunny morning and the dappled shade of the trees was really welcome. 

After a couple of kilometres we crossed the road to begin the ascent of Monte Cavo and bumped into a huge group of walkers. We wanted to make sure that we weren’t entangled with them so David looked at the lines on the Komoot route and we dashed off to escape the hordes. Unfortunately, David missed the (tiny) arrows on the route lines and it turned out that we were following the route in reverse!

The route up was fine for the most part- especially when we remained in the forest, although there was a section on forestry tracks which were super dusty. The compensation was that when we reached the ridge, the walk opened up, the air was cooler and we were on a designated footpath which was far better underfoot. There followed a long section through the woods until we eventually reached the summit “Restricted Area” which was full of masts and feral cats. We went down the tarmac road slightly and encountered the amazing Via Sacra. To our right, it led up to the summit as we remembered it. 

Via Sacra to (almost) the summit of Monte Cavo 
We dropped down the Roman road slightly to the viewpoint where we stopped for a very welcome lunch. 
Lago di Nemi (left) and Lago Albano from the Via Sacra viewpoint 
We offered a little cheese sandwich to a very hungry but shy gattino. 
Gattino on the prowl for lunch
We made our way down the Via Sacra, pausing at the occasional grotto. 


Wayside grotto 
The Via Sacra was built in the 7th Century BC with spectacular interlocking basalt stones. 

More rocks than stones or slabs, all carefully fitted together 
The Via Sacra led up to a temple at the summit of Monte Cavo (no longer there) associated with the god Jupiter Latiaris. 

A hot, dusty but very enjoyable walk. 

10.3 miles, 620m ascent. 

Popular posts from this blog

Saturday December 31st

Image
 Lyme Park- Bowstonegate, Dale Top and Cluse Hay Our last walk of the year; less ambitious as it was not that clear what the rain would do. In the end, we enjoyed a dry and slightly different walk of a bit under four miles around Lyme Park. We parked at the top by Bowstones Farm and followed the path more or less south outside the wall of the park. Clear division between Lyme Park (right) and agricultural land The track looped around to the south west, giving us a view of the dreaming spires of Manchester. Dreaming Spires of Manchester Further on, we had a nicer view, the dovecote on Cluse Hay, one of the key buildings in the park. The dovecote on Cluse Hay After the dovecote we headed across and through the woods of Knights Low to reach the usual uphill route to Bowstonegate and the car. A pleasant walk and a satisfying end to our bumper year for getting about in the countryside- at home and abroad. 3.7 Miles, 250m ascent.
Read more

Friday December 2nd

Image
  Western Edale Circuit The forecast was for low-level cloud/mist and possibly clear tops so we abandoned our original plan to do the "Frisky Cows" walk from Castleton. We'll definitely save that for another day. An obvious alternative was to walk from Mam Tor and over Rushup Edge, and then see where we went to from there. On further reflection, starting from the Mam Tor car park would mean that the final stretch of the walk would be uphill so we took the sensible option of starting from Edale and having a coffee in The Penny Pot . As with our walk last Friday, we walked up to Hollins Cross. Although the mist was blowing in and out, we still managed to have some typical views. On the way up to Hollins Cross- Grindslow Knoll in the background At Hollins Cross we turned right rather than left as we had last week. As we made our way up towards Mam Tor it became more and more misty. Into the mist on Mam Tor Having walked over Rushup Edge we stopped at the junction of the path...
Read more

Friday November 25th

Image
 The Great Ridge, Lose Hill and Kinder The forecast was for a dry and sunny day and it certainly didn't disappoint. There was lovely sunshine all day and this only changed as the sun went down, just before 4pm and we were virtually back at the car. We made an early start- stopping for a coffee and a warm-up at the Penny Pot. Warmth at the Penny Pot We walked up, a pleasant walk under Cold Side (the landslipped side of Mam Tor) and up to Hollins Cross on The Great Ridge. Walking past Cold Side. Back Tor and Lose Hill in the sun ahead Arriving at Hollins Cross. Edale, Kinder and Grindslow Knoll in the background We had brilliant views all around, including back to Edale, across to Kinder and Grindslow Knoll, and to Mam Tor. Mam Tor, with the closed road below We then made our way to Lose Hill which is a great landmark. It felt easier going up this side than the other and it was a pleasant walk. We stopped for a snack at Lose Hill and made our way down to the outskirts of Hope an...
Read more