Week 20 of the year and we committed to trying to walk a marathon a week as often as possible, to date we have 17 weeks with at least 42 km under the belt.And week 20, our hiking in Sicily week, was way more than two back to back marathons in 5 days...
Number 36:
Reviewing our Sicilian hike in numbers.
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| Companions on the walk - lizards. |
- 5 days of hiking from the centre of Sicily to the sea in spring with beautiful clear, sunny weather.
- Longest day was 25 km of walking.
- Hours spent on a path, 36; an average of 7 hours a day.
- Most varied terrain we have ever hiked through and rough underfoot; grassy plateaus, wildflowers fields, screeslopes, forests, woods, olive groves, narrow mountain passes, wide drover tracks, ancient cobbled Roman roads, tarmac and concrete side roads, streams and eroded banks.
- Rarely saw people, but when we did they were open and friendly.
- Goats, sheep, cows and horses, their bells sounding like an orchestra tuning up.
- We heard countless church bells along our walk.
- Cathy's fall scared us all, she is strong and getting through the trauma of the hospital visit and has stitches in her mouth and lip.
- Banter from Bruce kept us going and we missed his quick wit and navigation skills.
- A doctor helped clean Fred's head, knee and thumb gashes in Isnello.
- Climbed over and passed through gates made of wire with wooden posts.
- Glimpsed wild deer and a snake and the lizards were constant companions on the path.
- The high pitched screeches of the swifts dominate the early morning and evening skies.
- Fields and fields of wildflowers, all so beautiful and they made for joyous walking.
- Climbed to over 1600m in the Madonie National Park, and did it a few times!
- Dropped 886m to sea level here in Cefalu, over a distance of 4 km on day 5.
- Visited three hilltop villages; Enna, Gangi, and Geraci Siculo.
- Overnighted in 6 very different types of accommodation; a high altitude hotel in Enna; in Villa Raino Agriturismo, a restored 18th C home; a hilltop casa in GeraciSiculo; a creepy, remote wooden chalet in the Madonie Mountains; a village B&B in Isnello and a seaside hotel in Cefalu.
- We were nourished by kind Sicilian hosts feeding us an evening meal, the traditional antipasto, pasta, secondi and seasonal fruits and of course many glasses filled with the local wines.
- We provisioned and picnicked along the way, panini's with cheese and cold meats, and if possible a beer and expresso were welcome treats when available.
- We took in Sicily's complex history along the path, going back to prehistoric times and admired the historic buildings, the watchtowers, the fortresses and the churches; and all our paths were dotted with shrines, some neglected and others cared for.
So its the start of a new week, week 21, just maybe I will give myself a rest from walking, I need new shoes and my feet are very tender this morning and seem reluctant to carry my weight.
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| Our ATG Oxford, Sicily: From the Centre to the Sea route. |
