Saturday 4th August 2023.
We decided on a trek to link up with the reopened mountain track from Metello to Rontano, which we discovered last week.
Although we had hacked our way through some years ago, and on another occasion Mark and Luke famously got lost on a ‘quick dog walk’, in which they had to walk back on the SS69, arriving back 3 hours later, and having taken no phone, drink or money!
We left along our usual track, with a detour to our favourite view spot, where we hoped we might see the path.
We dropped down onto a vague path, and followed it down the side of a grassy hill, eventually linking up with the Metello pathway, which ran along the other side of the hill, at a rock face.
Although our route so far had all been downhill, the path now dropped down at a much steeper gradient. The path was obviously recently opened, but now beginning to get overgrown, red paint markers on rocks and trees confirm the path.
At last we reached a small square shed, and the sound of running water. A water shed. Then an unexpected wooden fence.
The route was now more made up, as it was the official route to the water shed. However it continued on and on at the steepest of gradients and at every turn we expected to arrive at our destination.
I foolishly made the observation that due to the gradient, the return journey may be easier than the descent!
We then passed through somebody’s wood production property, with a very ingenious method of shooting the logs down to a lower level.
There were several other obvious paths/ driveways off here and there, including one to the cemetery.
At last we found our destination. The carpark at Rontano. The weather was rather showery, but lucky for us, there was a bus stop with a couple of seats, so we sat down in shelter for a snack.
Local residents appeared to set up for some kind of event, later in the day, so we watched for around half hour, before plucking up the energy to face the return journey.
My observation about the return journey being easier was not correct!
We made it back up to the point where our local lane met the ancient path down, and sat for a rest and contemplation of the local scenery before heading back further upwards to home and lunch.
