Down, up and up some more

The previous day’s walk around the Foresta Umbra was a good test for my ankle, and walking on the wood chipped paths was more comfortable than the tarmac roads, but completing the walk was good for regaining confidence in my ankle, and of course the support helped massively. It was good to know that I could walk distances on it without too much pain and little swelling as the next walk was a ‘moving on’ walk, and it was a big one.

Once again it started with a transfer to the far edge of the forest where we joined the San Michele Pilgrim Trail as we headed the relatively short 8.6km to Monte Sant’ Angelo. But don’t let the short distance deceive you over that distance we would descend 315 metres, and climb 485 metres. It was tough as it was also a warm day, and at times I wasn’t sure that I’d ever book another walking holiday again, but the views were fantastic - and there’s nothing like an impending rain cloud to encourage you on your way is there?!

The trail would take us across open farmland and up to Gargano’s highest village, Monte Sant’ Angelo on the southern spur of the peninsula. We had a picnic and our usual supplies to sustain us, and once we found our bearings we were off.

The paths were varied and the sort where you had to look at where you were going. There was plenty else to see, but it wasn’t until the dry stone wall ended that we really got our first view of where we were headed, and what lay ahead of us.

Yes, that squarish looking block of buildings in the centre of the picture was where we were heading, but there was a valley in between us and that. Eyebrows were definitely raised at this point.

But clearly the only option was walking! As we navigated the winding path up, before following the zig zag trails down to the bottom of the valley there was plenty to distract us - and actually walking down isn’t that bad.

We encountered a couple of ‘interesting’ gates, which as we approached looked as if they were simply fences, making us question our capability of following the walking notes. Even when we were much closer it wasn’t obvious how they opened, but of course they did.

But the views were stunning, just look at the sky too - amazing.

Reaching the bottom we decided it made sense to stop to eat our picnic in the relative shade, and before heading way up there. But it couldn’t be put off, and so we started our ascent.

There was a lot of up!

And with stunning views. But still up we went.

It was good to see the now familiar signs to confirm we were still on our intended path, but by now as you can see there was a big black cloud following us.

But only if you looked in one direction, elsewhere there were wild roses and blue skies.

And the largest puff balls I’ve ever seen.

And glorious gorse, and still that black cloud.

And still we went up.

And up. The town was now in sight, but it was still quite a bit higher than us - and more than it looks in this photo.

But we got there ahead of the black cloud, which we were both grateful for.

But there was still more up as we walked through the town heading towards the Santuario di San Michele dedicated to the Archangel Michael.

The Holy Cave, some 86 steps down into the rock is the site of the apparition of the Archangel and the heart of the sanctuary. The Holy Cave became a destination for pilgrims and crusaders, including many Kings, Popes and illustrious figures and it has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.

The steps down were met with some trepidation - as what goes down, must also go up and all that. But the 86 steps down, and the 86 steps up were well worth a visit to this unique place.

We continued on to our hotel passing the Castello di Monte Sant’ Angelo, but by now feeling definite signs of rain in the air so we continued on to our hotel.

By this point we weren’t surprised at all that there was more ‘up’ to do - it was the theme of the day, but I vowed to MOH even if our room was on the first floor I was getting the lift!

We were in our room (and yes, I got the lift) and within five minutes the heavens opened with absolutely torrential rain. I’m so glad it held off, as having to press on in the rain is absolutely no fun at all. But at least we knew our next walk - to the coast - would be downhill, mainly because there was no more ‘up’ left, and we really did feel like we were on the top of the world!

Post Comment Love 22 - 25 August

Hello there, and welcome to this week’s #PoCoLo - a relaxed, friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any blog post published in the last week. We know you’ll find some great posts to read, and maybe some new-to-you blogs too, so do pop over and visit some of the posts linked, comment and share some of that love. It’s a bank holiday weekend here in the UK so the linky will stay open until 11pm on Monday

Please don’t link up posts which are older as they will be removed, and if you see older posts are linked then please don’t feel that it’s necessary to comment on those. If you were here last week it was great to have you along, if you’re new here we’re pleased you’ve joined us.

This week we’ve finally made great strides in getting the garage sorted, and by we, I mean the Royal ‘we’ - we’re (and that’s me) almost close to ordering some racking which will help both in the shorter term and longer term to get organised and to finally get things out of boxes. Neither of us can wait.

It was also the week that the air base a few villages along held their Family Day, and once again we benefitted from a spectacular air show above our own house. I was pleased to see the Red Arrows back this year, and especially pleased when I looked at the photos I snapped. There’s a couple of great ones despite the clouds, including the one below.

Have a great week.

Gardening in 2050?

* I was invited to this year’s Gardeners’ World Live and provided with a pair of tickets to the show, therefore all my posts will be marked as 'Ad’ though as usual my views and opinions are very much my own.

As I stepped into the shed, which was the entrance to this garden, I knew I was going to like it. They say first impressions count, and this to do list (who doesn’t love a list?!) and mix of vintage items, along with the humour had me hooked. Entering through a shed was definitely a point of difference so hats off to the garden’s designer Vivien Mosely, and of course to The Botanical Gardener who brought the design to life.

The garden offers a glimpse into the future, so the blurb said.

It’s set in 25 years time, where water resources are limited and the landscape is parched. Which unfortunately may be a realistic outlook if this summer and it’s four heatwaves (so far) are anything to go by, unless we get better at capturing water, as there was certainly plenty of it about in the first few months of the year.

But also, 2050 is 25 years away - surely 2050 is in a future space age, not within actual reach. We can all remember 25 years in the past (well, if we’re old enough to) and often it’s forty years ago that feels like it was much closer.

But anyway back to the garden.

2050 is a garden that invites visitors to consider how gardening will change, and what plant species we can plant in our gardens today that will also thrive in the future. And my own increasing addiction to succulents isn’t lost on me either, here they’re used in a stunning and dramatic way to replace the ‘lost’ water.

By using derelict artefacts and features evoking a sense of nostalgia the garden reminds us that we don’t miss the water until the well runs dry, but also that we can create something beautiful as we adapt to the changing climate.

There’s definitely something to think about there, and how we adapt our planting now, whether we do that consciously, or sub-consciously as the garden centres change their offering looking towards the longer-term.

And this garden shows, it can still be beautiful and attractive. I’m not one for a water feature in the garden, but a fountain of succulents, now that would be something else wouldn’t it?

While at the show I was keen to eye up seating areas, especially those that might be on gravel. And this one delivered all of that. It’s something I’d been thinking about for our garden here - though I’m not sure if the gravel would work in reality. It’d be like walking across lego once you’d kicked back and kicked off your flip flops wouldn’t it?

I like the architectural detail around the sunken seating area, and spent quite a while thinking if a sunken area could work in our garden. Then I realised it would probably annoy me, and make me feel constrained, and that along with the prospect of finding much builder’s rubble consigned the idea for our garden to history!

But it doesn’t make me love this garden any less, what do you think?

* With thanks to Gardeners’ World for inviting me to Gardeners’ World Live, it was quite a show! I’ll be sharing more from my visit to this year’s show throughout the year - I hope you enjoy them as much as I did the show.