½ Tour of Bernina + Livigno

Going back to the Alps always feels like going back home, and this time was no exception.

The Bernina Range is one of the highest of the Alps, it's covered by many glaciers and the highest pick is over 4.000m. We heard that the Bernina Tour was like the Mont Blanc one but without the crowds, and since we were planning a family gathering in Livigno, we took the chance and spent a few days walking the easy half in Switzerland. The southern bit is supposed to be a level which would challenge our confidence, so that we opted for the bit from Cavaglia to St Moritz.

Easter in the West Coast

19-27 April 2019

It is now the fourth year that we spend Easter cycling somewhere in the West Coast, and so far we have never regretted it. On the contrary, every year it seems to get better and better! We have hanged a map of Scotland in the kitchen wall, and marked all the routes we cycled through, so that every new trip tends to cover and unmarked bit. This year we put a bit of everything in the blender: isles, some coastal walking, NCN routes, hill walking, ferries. The result was not a continuos death cycle as in previous year, still it absolutely exquisite!

Scottish Cycling Mini Adventures 2019

Sometimes you don’t need more than a couple of days to disconnect from the routine of daily life, recharge your energies and refill your soul with the beauty of nature.
Over the last few years we had a few of this “mini adventures", sometimes they are bike packing kind of trips, and sometimes just improvised last minute ideas, no matter what, so far they always turned out to be valuable experiences which have enriched our memory bank.

Gran Canaria

March 2019

We established a bit of pattern in having a winter break in some warm island, and this year we opted for Gran Canaria, our base being the little town of Agaete.

Patagonia!

December 2018

This year we were determined to avoid Christmas and related crap, and what place is better than Patagonia? This is all we saw about Christmas... 

Alta Via 1 - Dolomiti

September 2018

"The wonderful things in life are the things you do, not the things you have."

Reinhold Messner

Before starting the walk we spent one day in Bolzano and went to visit the Messner Mountain Museum located in Castel Firmiano, this was really a great place to visit and to find the right set of mind for the walk to come. Not only the location is beautiful (the fortress offers fine views of Bolzano and the Texel mountains), but the structure, richness and sense of peace and the impossible adds up to the overall experience. The itinerary starts with pictures of a young Messner climbing barefoot and on others people shoulders, then it went on to explore other parts of the castle, with Buddist's statues, symbol and chants everywhere, on top of paintings, expeditions and climbers all over the place, it was a true hymn to mountains. And the main quote I will remember from this place is:

“The most important thing is to know where the mountain is”

Cycling in the Lake District

(Happy Birthday Paul!)

7 to 10 July 2018

What a better way to pre-celebrate Paul's birthday than a good cycle around the Lake District? We wanted climbs and that's definitely what we got...possibly a bit too much really but what doesn't kill you make you stronger, or just very sore...

We based our routes on the Cicerone “Cycling in the Lake District” guide, very nice and handy wee book with many maps and practical details, although the steepness of the climbs can't never really be described