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Next we headed to Riva del Garda, up the narrow tunnelled route that follows Lago di Garda up its western shore. It turns out that the tunnels are round and Bertha is square, so there's little choice but to drive in the middle of the road watching out for headlights coming the other way.
Riva del Garda is quite an upmarket town so it's not full of campsites, unfortunately for us. There is one, but with the fair being in town, the place was crowded. A quick tour around the site and we sense the hostility from the fairground owners and staff staying there - we've clearly invaded their space. Best to move on.
Through two more tunnels, we find Torbole, a sweet and very quiet town with three great campsites that all back directly on to the lake. Parked right next to the windsurf school, now closed for winter (probably for the best), Katy and I agree on a summer return.
The town is quiet and peaceful at this time of year. One shopkeeper explained to us that when November hits, the shops, restaurants and cafes shut for the season. With just enough open to keep us going, we decided we like Torbole - if nothing else, the lake's micro-climate had pushed the temperature up from a chilly 8 degrees to a comfortable 14. We decided to make the most of this, and the next day re-started our health and well-being kick with our first walk in this dramatic landscape.
We walked up along the east bank of the river, with stunning views back towards Riva del Garda. This place is also a downhill biking Mecca at this time of year, with fewer walkers and tourists around. We climbed up a really steep section of the walk and sat at the end for a snack, just as - with great speed - a German biking looney literally flew over the whole section we'd walked as if it was a pebble. Maybe we should have just cycled down the hill and used the lake to break our fall! Fancy it, Katy?!
The next day, both feeling tired, we took a trip up the rock that separates Riva del Garda and Torbole. Starting to get into the swing of it and with the weather on our side, we made a round trip of it with great views and surrounded by gun emplacements from WWI.
With Riva soon shutting down for the year too, we fancied a change of scene. 6km away, we found Arco, a gem of a town and a climber's paradise. It was refreshing to see that Arco seemed to be just starting its tourist season, since lots of skiers head there on their days off the slopes. All the windsurf bums from Riva and Torbole seemed to have found Arco too, waiting to become ski bums instead. But for us, via ferrata was on the menu.
As you'll all know, I love climbing, and via ferrata to me is like climbing's greatest hits. To Katy, it was like some obscure 80s mix tape, and she couldn't quite work out why I like it. Nothing else for it - it was time for Katy to experience it for herself and see what all the fuss is about. And oh, look! We seem to have parked right at the bottom of a 2A route, perfect for newbies. Time to put on the calming Enya album and for Katy to take a brave pill!
We made our way through the forest, debating with each other about whether the route was quite vertical or not. The walk to the start was steep enough, and the route itself started with slippery, polished limestone. A few minutes in and we decided that Katy's 10-year-old walking boots had seen their final days, but not before getting her to the end of this route to complete her first via ferrata.
I wasn't quite sure how this would go, so I was carrying a bag laden with rescue apparatus ready for any eventuality, including Katy demanding to be hauled off the mountain immediately. But without a second thought, Katy happily scampered up the first 10m of the climb and I started to relax. The only concern I had was her getting stuck half way up with few options, but every time we encountered a "tricky" bit, we worked it out together and carried on.
The "walk" was exposed, but Katy kept focused and in good humour. We topped out to a beautiful sunny sky, and I kept my promise of a glass of Prosecco when we got back to Arco. Oh, and some new walking boots too...
Katy's first via ferrata, and a brilliant grade 2 at that. Time for another tomorrow!
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