Stage 3 Resiutta to Kellerberg - 10th
June - 102km
 |
| Resiutta to Kellerberg |
 |
| Resiutta to Villach profile |
 |
| Not a road - One of the tunnels on the cycle path |
 |
Busy Valley Looking left from an Iron bridge
The Autostrada |
Looking forward to getting away from the Hotel and heading up the bike path
this morning. Booked breakfast for 8am. The Restaurant was in darkness but
someone surfaced after about 15 minutes so I could take breakfast and pay my bill.
Then it was a walk, or was it a run, across the road to the start of the ride. No rain, a great
surface with massive snails being the only obstacles. The river valley itself is
quite busy with road noise from the old and new infrastructure. My bike route
was superb until Chiusaforte Station where it suddenly stopped being a bike route and became a disused Railway Line again. I was a bit disappointed as I left the track and joined the road.
 |
Looking right from an Iron bridge
The older road bridges |
 |
| Chiusaforte Station - steam ready |
Not too
busy on the S513 on a Sunday Morning and a wide shoulder made for pleasant riding. Must say the road surfaces have been excellent and have had no problem at all with the Italian drivers. It was a riverside road with just a gentle incline so my good progress continued. There are no signs to indicate it but I knew
that I could resume the bike route at Dogna. Had to ask directions in the
village from a lady cleaning her car by the roadside with the radio blaring.
 |
| Short and steep at Dogna |
 |
| View over Dogna |
Her shouted instruction proved accurate and I found the very steep hill up to the old rail line which had now become a bike path again, whoopee! I imagined what it must have been like puffing through some of the tunnels on an old steam train. Better keep the windows closed. I was certainly steaming along the wonderful flat ride, possibly puffing just a little.Absolutely superb and smoke-free ride with just a couple of route aberrations through to Pontebba. Tempted to have a coffee stop but I was enjoying the cycling too much. After riding through Pontebba there was actually a signpost telling me to turn left, back onto the cycle route. To my great relief the Alpe Adria signs were now
becoming more regular and reliable.
 |
| Great Surface all the way down the line |
 |
| Camporesso - an Alpine Town in Italy - the highest point. |
 |
| After Pontebba |
The
route shadowed the Autostrada for a while but then diverged and the
scenery was stunning and the going easy. The stage had climbed gradually from 400m at Resiutta to 800m altitude
by the time I reached Camporesso, the highest point.
It was now all
downhill. Tarvisio sprawls down the
valley. It's obviously a ski resort but I did not really see much of it as I passed on the bike route. Obviously lots of options for cycle touring in this area in Summer.
 |
| International Junction - left for Slovenia? |
 |
| Cross-country skiing area near the border |
 |
| First signs of Austria |
 |
| Pick your tour? |
Beautiful scenery all around now. Getting very close to both Slovenia and Austria. I
had my passport ready for the border but there was nobody at home as I entered Austria. The passport booths were deserted. Oh well, always nice to be in Austria. The bike
path was now alongside the road as I headed downhill towards Villach.
I stayed with the road rather than heading for the bike path along the River
Gail as I was looking for lunch. I had forgotten how fast Austrians drive! After turning off into a couple of villages
only to find their signposted hostelries were closed I settled for a popular and busy Gasthof by the main road in Hart.
 |
| The River Gail |
New language, different atmosphere. Smoking inside is not banned in
Austria but pubs, over a certain, size, must have a non-smoking area. After a bit
of debate with the waitress who wanted me to sit in a smoking area I joined the
family groups eating Sunday lunch in the Restaurant. I probably wasn’t
dressed for it but I certainly qualified in terms of appetite and this would be
my first proper sit down lunch since the UK. The smoky front section of the Gasthof was like a public bar, very noisy with lots of banter, argument and discussion in German. I was happy to be in my sedate area, studying my map.
 |
| The Gail Cycle path |
My Sunday lunch comprised of an enormous salad and a
beer; just delightful. Back to the bike and a windy and slightly damp ride along the
Gail River cycle path towards Villach. The surface was a bit loose but it was
amongst the trees, flat and easy to follow. Approaching Villach I saw a sign
for the River Drau cycle path. This took me away from the Gail and through the
City. Looked a nice place, lots of trees and bike lanes. Very quiet on a Sunday. Nothing could go wrong could it? Well it did! I joined the River Drau and
pedalled along the cycle path. Unfortunately the path was blocked due to bridge construction up ahead and there was a
diversion which I must have misunderstood.
 |
| Crossing the Drau - my mistake! |
Anyway, I ended up on the left bank
of the river and the path petered out. I found myself on what seemed like a
Motorway slip road. A harrowing ride on the edge followed until I could rejoin
the path, or rather it rejoined me. At the next river crossing the Drau Cycle Path
shifted to my left bank and an infinitely more relaxing ride came my way.
 |
| Zimmer Frei at Kellerberg |
Very nice to
finish the days ride on a high, pedalling along the Drau riverside. Had the weather
been better I would have pushed on to Millstater See but it was trying to rain
and it was time for a night stop. I found a Bed & Breakfast in the small
village of Kellerberg near Weissenstein.
A very nice elderly Lady ran the place and she showed me to the 3
rd floor
of the family house. It would normally mean a shared bathroom but nobody else was
staying. No queue for the shower then! Good value at 25 Euros. Wandered up a steep hill to the local Hotel
for a Wiener Schnitzel; normally the cheapest 'substantial' item on an Austrian
Menu. Watched the football, Euro 2012, on a
big telly in a comfortable Restaurant area.. Good food and entertainment. The other guests looked to be all Hotel residents but I did not feel out of place. When the football finished a Lady at the next table asked for the channel to be changed so that she could watch the start of the Canadian Grand Prix. How convenient, forgot that was on today.
 |
| The River Drau |
Seems a bit strange that you can pedal so
easily across a border into a new country with a different language, culture
and cuisine. It all happened so quickly, just like being on an Autostrada, or was it an Autobahn?
Italy itself changes so quickly over such a short distance, amazing to think of the variations you would experience if heading, say, from Sicily.
Comments
Post a Comment