Tag: distance trekking
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Via Francigena – Up & Down, Up & Down
Day 4 We anticipated a long day (15 miles) with lots of climbing (2300 feet) as we made our way to our next stop in Gambassi Terme. After a stretch of road walking the path took a turn onto a dirt track, plunging us into to the quintessential Tuscany countryside. We followed along, up and…
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Via Francigena Tests Our Readiness
Day 1 Rain ushered us out of Lucca Friday morning. The guidebook mapped out a city walk for today, but also suggested an alternate, rural (muddy) route with some climbing. We chose the easy, flat city trek for the first day out. This was probably the right choice given how tired our legs and backs…
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Our Via Francigena Begins
The journey gets real. We arrived in Lucca, Italy today where our Via Francigena begins on Friday – tomorrow.With help from an incredible taxi driver (he refused to leave us stranded), we left luggage at the appointed spot, a dingy bicycle shop attached to a car park garage, where the Friday pick-up driver will transfer…
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Via Francigena Prewalk
After three plane flights, a train ride and a 25-minute walk to our Bed & Breakfast, we arrived in Florence, Italy for a two night recuperation stay. Several months ago I stumbled upon a blog post by the Jetsetting Fools featuring a free walking tour in Florence. Perfecto! I stashed it in our Italy email…
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Camino in France -Mountains and Farmlands
Day 1 – Le Puy to Montbonnet That’s a glimpse of our first day. According to our guidebook: 9 miles. GPS tracked us at 13 miles. Whatever…it was all uphill! Day 2 – Montbonnet to Monistrol-d’Allier Day 2 was a tough day. Tomorrow starts with a massive climb. We’ll need a good night’s sleep.
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South West Coast Path: Cream Tea Saves the Day
The weather this morning shot the day into first place for our worst trekking weather ever! Drizzle soon turned to rain compounded by gusty winds as we continued forward to Woolacombe, our next stop. Fortunately, today’s trail led us between hedgerows rather than out along the steep cliffs, so we felt it unlikely we’d be…
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The Way of St. Francis: Ups and Downs on Day One
Pieve Santo Stefano was our destination today, an easy stage according to our guidebook. And I guess it wasn’t too bad, although we did climb 1,700 feet before arriving at this lush green meadow. The meadow was irresistible and knowing that our feet were not yet trail tough, we enjoyed a snack and the view,…
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