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Stage 6 - Lake Garda
I was expecting a scenic journey from Lake Como to Garda....but first there are a series of lengthy tunnels concealing any views of Como, but the route dropped out of the mountains and became slow and urban, including Brescia and Bergamo. The traffic was quite heavy, and then there are crazy Italian drivers....tailgating at speed is insufficient, some will then take an inside lane to then squeeze back in front, even when there's hardly any gain. Italian men 🤷♂️😂
If I thought the initial impression of Lake Como was poor, heck, Garda was truly awful. Yes, take away people and cars, I guess it's quite attractive (although not in the Alpine league)....but it was snided. Worse than Como though, the valley is even tighter....queues of cars and buses, often getting stuck behind cyclists of all varieties, who even used the plentiful tunnels.
On advice I went to the far north, Riva del Garda, apparently a centre for outdoor activities, and in the foothills of the Alps...but that was packed too....I went to one campsite, and the nice lady suggested I should drive an hour further on, to Lake Molveno - she said Garda was full of Germans, who's school hols haven't finished yet...all campsites would be full of mobile homes of various varieties....I didn't want to stay anyway, so off north I went, for another hour....
Stage 6 Proper - Lago Molveno - Brenta Dolomites 30th Sept to 2nd October
And what a lucky escape that was! I'd always wanted to visit the Italian lakes, almost like I was missing out...but really, Como was OK, but Garda was awful....I won't return.
The topography changes dramatically. Tbh I didn't realise I was in the Dolomites, albeit a western corner....The Brenta Dolomites. And Molveno is in such a beautiful location, by the lake, but with an amazing backdrop of those sawtooth peaks....mesmerising. I got a spot on a very busy campsite (for ref 34€ per night, most expensive yet), but it didn't matter.
I had to try the pizza in the evening, when in Rome, well, Italy...and it was nice: Quattro Stagioni!
I'd planned a route for the morning, although a little concerned about the do ability of the terrain. So before I left the village, I had a chat with a nice guy at a MTB hire place. He verified it and thought the gravel bike may struggle in just one part of the route....good enough for me!
So up the valley, to a slighter larger ski resort, Ándalo, to catch a gondola, up to over 5,000ft (well, I wasn't going to climb that high up from the valley, THROUGH BLOODY TREES too!). And what a cracker of a ride! The first section undulated, but more or less stayed at the high level, facing opposite those quintessential sawtooth peaks of the Dolomites.
The difficult section, was barely 400m, and I even managed to force ride sections (I'm dangerously slowly getting fitter, and having to find my old climbing legs!).
Most of it was perfect gravel, with occasional sections that were a little too bumpy. I simply had to take it steady...I eventually came to huge multi hairpin single track road, that went on forever....the valley floor seemingly not getting any closer!
Some lovely villages (see the mural from one) and soon I was sat by a small lake: Lago di Nembia - beautiful, calming, the BOLLIX! LTD en serio ❤️
Gravel all the way back into Molveno adjacent the lake, followed by 45 mins of sat on the grass, basking in the sun, I even took my socks off! It really is a lovely all round resort...but I'd guess a far greater proportion of visitors are "active" in some way, MTB probably the biggest sport.
If this is a taster of these Dolomites, I cannot wait for the next few days, and the gorgeous forecast continues!
So on my journey again in the morning, after more pizza....and soon to be more Dolomites!
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