Slieau Ruy and Greeba Mountain

Hallelujah – she’s been on a walk at last, I hear you say. Well actually, I was in the Lakes a few weeks ago, just over the Easter weekend, and I did a couple of absolutely delightful walks, one up the precipitous Cats Gill, which was quite taxing for an oldie like me, but quite exhilarating too, and another long and lovely walk between Skiddaw and Blencathra. I had lost a bit of confidence for walking on my own, but these two days thoroughly revived me.

Today, back on the Isle of Man, I ventured to the middle of the island, to Crosby (though, for some reason my car decided that I should go via Foxdale, so I was a little late starting!). I plenished my stocks with a £3.50 excellent meal deal from the Coop and started up the lane, a route I know well. At the top of the lane, the path becomes the Millenium Way for a short distance. It is a steady climb, not just this bit, but for a full 3 miles until you reach the junction on the ridge walk. It is not a difficult walk but it is a little cumbersome as the cows and bikes have churned up the path quite a lot so I was often on pats of muddy grass rather than a path. Ahead of me was a guy on a bike and I did wonder how he was coping. I eventually found out when I caught him up. I don’t think he was particularly enjoying his bike ride but I assured him it would get better when he reached the top.

It was fairly dull day at this stage, although visibility was reasonable and I could see all the big hills and as I reached the top of Slieau Ruy, having traipsed first over Larghee Ruy, the vista of the whole of the south opened up in front of me. Langness looked like a little squiggle or an afterthought to god’s creation, and I did think it might entirely disappear with climate change.

After from the biker I didn’t see a single soul, not even in the distance. The ridge walk is only short, about 2 miles, though on another day you could take in Colden to extend time at the top. After Greeba Mountain, the only sensible way down in through the forest. The descent is not great. It looks as if the path has been ‘repaired’ but it is full of small stones of different sizes and the gradient is quite steep, so this was not particularly pleasant. Far easier to walk on the heather, but I didn’t do this. I was glad to reach the edge of the forest after about 15 mins. This is then a very pleasant walk on soft turf in the quiet eeriness of the forest. I had made the decision that I would take a detour from the forest and cross the small stream and follow an old road back to Crosby. I enjoyed the stream – it was in full pelt and there were some stepping stones which were fun to cross. It is a permissive path, but obviously well used.

However, I missed the connection with the road beside the house, indeed I never even saw it, but no matter I continued on the permissive path which was absolutely delightful. The gorse was in full bloom and the path went over grassy fields. This did mean, though, that I ended up back on my original route. Looking at the map, and previously, on the way up, I had noticed another path going to the outer edges of Crosby, so of course, I had to try it. This is an old road, no longer used, and it was a joy to walk along, so my misdirection early on was of no consequence. The flowers were beautiful in the hedgerow.

This is fairly long walk of just over 8 miles, with 1600 ft of ascent /descent. It took me 4 hours, but if you decide to do this, I would allow 4-6 hours on a nice sunny day to stop and admire the countryside. I parked opposite the bowls club in Crosby on the lane by the stream. They are free toilets at the bowls club situated between two blocks so you don’t need to go inside. There is a Costa beside the Coop, so you can get a welcome drink after your stride out, if you so desire.

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Change of blog site

With work commitments, most of which involve many long zoom calls a week, I am finding it hard to find the motivation to write up reports of my walks. This may change in the future, but for now, I am reverting to using my free site, which is isleofmanwalks803367537.wordpress.com, as wordpress is fairly costly if it is not being used regularly. If you are one of my followers, can I suggest you bookmark this new reference page.

Until my plan runs out in August, my individual website will remain live.

Thank you for all your support and the interesting communication I have had with so many like-minded walkers. I hope this will continue in the future. I shall keep you posted.

Around the coast at Port St Mary

I was out today with a small explorer group from the island, having been enticed by the title “Caves, Cakes, Coffee and Reindeer” walk or something like that. Don’t get ahead of yourself, we have no reindeer on the island; our host had very ably made some buns to resemble reindeer, it almost being Christmas, and very successful they were too.

I can’t tell you too much about this walk as our host, Andy, wants to keep his ‘secret places’ secret for others to explore and to this end, the hidden places should remain hidden. However, it is no secret to say that we parked at Kallow Point in Port St Mary on an extremely blowy day to start our walk. When we arrived, it looked as if it was already high tide as the waves were crashing about the shore, but high tide would still be a few hours away.

We walked towards Perwick and along the shore, scrambling over rocks where necessary and where we encountered a stranded and decidely dead Porpoise, having got beached in the massive overnight tides. It otherwise looked healthy, but the rocks round here can be treacherous as you can see in the photos. I won’t be giving too much away by saying that there are a few caves along this stretch of the coast, but you won’t find them unless you do a bit of adventuring. Similarly, there are some hidden beaches, and again, you won’t find them by sticking to the coast path. Unfortunately, the weather was just too windy to risk going down to some of the secluded beaches, which would have required fairly steep and rocky descents whilst fighting offshore winds, so we satisfied ourselves with knowing where they are for another time.

Our host was very knowledgeable and pointed out different types of rock, provided us not only with cakes and coffee but scavenged sea spinach from the cliffs encouraging us to taste a morsel of this salty herb. There was plenty of sea glass amongst the pebbles that interested some and some fascinating patterns in the stones, one in the shape of a cross on all sides. He told us about a hidden lake, so hidden that it is impossible to find unless you have a boat, so please don’t go looking for that! If you fancy a walk with a difference, they have a website and a FB page with details of forthcoming outings: https://www.facebook.com/happyexploreriom/

To finish, here are a few photos, none which should give away too much 🙂

Port Erin Circular

This was intended to be Port Erin to Castletown, but I really hadn’t thought it through; not only for the distance, which would have been 12 miles, but for the difficulty of the task. Hold on, you say, I’ve walked that many a time without any difficulty. True, I would reply, but not in winter when we have had weeks of rain. I hadn’t given this latter thought any consideration as I set out yesterday morning, to do the first walk in well over a year that I have been able to do entirely for myself with no hidden agenda.

It was slightly warmer that it had been, with no rain forecast and not particularly windy, so I was expecting great things. My first photo shows Port Erin looking its glorious self as I headed down Dandy Lane. The light was lovely, with the sun peeping out from the clouds, highlighting different parts of the cliffs, and in my first photograph the tiny lighthouse. My expectations were dampened as soon as I reached the coastal footpath. There was literally a torrent of water hurtling down the footpath and surrounding cliff as if there was no tomorrow. I just stood and stared it for a while; in all my times of walking this route, I have never seen anything like it. Don’t get me wrong, it was never going to prevent me carrying on, but what a sight. I could see a lady on the road below thinking I was absolutely nuts! It’s a good job none of my friends had been able to join me on this occasion, as I imagine some at least would have turned back.

It took a little negotiating. The photos don’t show full amount of footpath under seige. The rocks and steps were slippery and in places there really was no foothold on dry ground, but I got through and remained surprisingly dry. Above the wall, the stream was still gushing down but at least it didn’t trouble me any more. I guessed that there would be more of this to come, but I was wrong. Yes, there were some very wet and boggy patches but where I had to cross streams, they were perfectly passable. In some ways, the narrow paths were the worst, as they were slippery and uneven. But, what does all this matter when you stop and take a look at what is around you. The light was stunning, giving me my own personal light show, as it lit up different sections of the countryside as I went past. Looking down at my feet, there were three varieties of fungus competing with the grasses, moss and ferns for space.

I arrived happily at the Sound, but didn’t stop until I reached the next headland, Spanish Head. The climb up wasn’t bad at all, the footholds not too muddy, but now the footpaths did become very muddy and awkward, with deep puddles that were unavoidable. And still, I had seen no-one to spoil my enjoyment of the countryside, and indeed this continued to be the case until I reached the Chasms Cafe (5 miles into the walk). People often walk from Cregneash and Port St Mary up to this very special place, so it was unsurprising that I met two couples at this point. I sat in the shelter and had my coffee. Looking out to sea I could just see Anglesey in the distance. The routes down from here have lovely views of the south from Port St Mary to Castletown and beyond, but the walking is not comparable with the terrain I had just been walking on. Given that I have a jippy left knee and sciatica in my right leg, I thought enough was enough and there really was not a lot to gain by continuing on past Port St Mary. I could have shortened the route home by going up through Glen Chass or across the golf course, but I satisfied myself that I wanted to see the village and then take the back route home.

Total distance: 8.5 miles; 1352 ft of ascent; 1434 ft descent.

I have such a lot of nice photos from this walk, I have created a slide show for you. I had intended to edit a couple of them, but my computer won’t let me, so you have the raw versions.

My left knee pain seems to have resolved itself, but if anyone has any home remedies for sciatica, which has been plaguing me for a week now, do let me know!

Ramsey – Poyll Dooey (Black Pool) Nature Reserve

It seems a long time since I posted here! I don’t know what it’s been like where you live, but we seem to have had constant rain since July here on the Isle of Man, with only brief respites in between deluges. When we do have nice days, and they do occur sometimes, I am usually busy working. So, it was a delight to get out and up to Ramsey to do a recce of a very short morning route I am leading in 10 days.

This 2 mile stroll is our build-up for our U3A Walking Group’s Christmas meal. We are having an afternoon walk later after our slap-up meal. Indeed, this will be my last walk for the U3A as leader and organiser of this group as I have decided to stand down. Parking at Milntown, it is easy to cross over the road and walk down Gardener’s Lane before turning onto the old railway track and heading east towards Ramsey. In the past, this must have been an attractive stroll, but the first half of it goes between newly constructed houses, and it is only when it reaches the outskirts of Poyll Dooey that the old track regains nature on either side of the path. The walk starts at the very end of the track, where it joins a road where you can see the river on the left. The views of the river are beautiful in both directions. It is a tidal river, constantly bringing crustaceans and worms into the mudflats that are exposed at low tide. The mudflats then turn into a salt marsh, an unique specialised environment that allows grasses and herbs to grow that cannot grow elsewhere. This in turn encourages a variety of wildlife that can feed off this specialised turf and soils. It is also beautiful, and unexpected being so close to the town.

There is a variety of paths through the Nature Reserve, which is a recent creation. It was formerly an old tip, as recently as 1988. It just shows what can be done with a bit of imagination and dedication. It is a small area of only 12 acres but it packs plenty into it. The woodland is still quite scrubby, with the exception of the Secret Garden area that has been specifically planted with a variety of trees. Some parts are protected and therefore inaccessible; imagine, if you were to come back in 50 years I think this will be a very special place.

I followed narrow footpaths over the salt marsh so that I could follow the river as much as possible. Please try and avoid walking all over it and keep to the side as much as possible. Dogs are allowed, but better not to let them dig up the area. There is plenty of room for them to be off the leash in the woods themselves. It is not long before it is necessary to go into the woods and you will find yourself at the wooden footbridge, where there is usually a mass of ducks, geese, swans and the like. Today, they sounded just like a load of girls giggling in the playground. They were very funny. In the sheltered areas, especially in winter, you may be lucky enough to spot a kingfisher, a species which is declining on the Isle of Man, so if you do see one, please let the Bird Club know.

Crossing over the bridge you can walk a short distance westwards to admire the river and distant views; the river may contain trout and salmon as well as all the bird life. Further along is a mass of reeds, where I imagine birds nest or gather material for nests. It is not possible to go further in this direction but it is still worth a look before retracing your steps over the bridge.

It is possible to take a different route back to the start through the woods, going past the impressive 6 bedroomed Poyll Dooey House. This is entirely surrounded and hidden by the nature reserve, and part of the house goes back to the 17th century. If you do an online search you will find photos of the interior and exterior on the deanwood.im website. How the other half live… These buildings comprised one of the original quarterland farmhouses – a quarterland being a unit of farmland, usually arable land. Its boundaries would have extended all the way to the Ramsey to Ballaugh road in ages past.

From here, it is simply a matter of following any path; you cannot go wrong. They all take you back to the railway track one way or another. It is worth visiting this area during the different seasons and noting down what different birds you see and hear, and perhaps bring a picnic in the summer months. And don’t forget to visit Milntown itself – the house and gardens are open most of the year and they serve great lunches and afternoon teas, and the gardens are a delight.

A Circular Walk on South Barrule

Ever a favourite of mine, I never tire of walking up South Barrule. This is really my first venture out since Covid, and I am still struggling a little with chest and sinus problems but I am over the worst. This is a walk I am leading on November 6th for the IOM U3A and looking at the forecast for the next 10 days that expects nothing but rain every day I had to take advantage of a gloriously sunny and relatively warm day to get out and do my recce.

I parked at South Barrule plantation, by the Coffee Cottage, a cafe that is open every day. The car park was very busy with horses and trailers, but I managed to find a spot. The walk starts directly south from the car park. There are numerous tracks through the plantation, so it is important to start on the right one! At the start there is a junction of tracks and you need the track to the right leading uphill; it turns left after a short distance. From there, you follow your nose for some time, keeping right at any junctions, and not veering onto any lesser obvious paths at this stage. The track was quite wet in places, not surprising after all the heavy rain of late, but it is a good wide track, which means you can have a good natter as you are walking along. Continuing on, you will reach a point where the track goes clearly downhill. You can go this way, but I prefer to take the right fork, still a good track, that keeps you higher up and avoids going downhill to go back uphill again. From here you will contour round the southern edge of South Barrule with super views of the south as it all opens up and there are fewer trees. There is also a map board just where the land open up more, which will confirm you are on the right track.

The main path continues on until you join the Bayr Nr Skeddan path. My walk eventally does go off on a side track which then turns into a footpath. This was very wet and muddy today, and if you prefer, you can stay on the main track until you hit the Whisky Run (Bayr ny Skeddan) lower down. My route is more interesting and you remain high up and come very close to where you start the ascent of South Barrule itself. I found that I soon forgot about all the mud as I entered the moorland. The views to the west and south are amazing; you can see the Langness, Castletown, Calf of Man, Cronk Ny Arrey Laa, the Rushen Valley (another of my favourites), Peel and further north all the time you climb up the mountain. I should know by now, having climbed this many, many times, that when you reach the top, you get another surprise as the northern hills come into sight in a spectacular and unexpected way. Maybe I forget because quite often the weather isn’t good enough to see them!

If you haven’t been up South Barrule before, it’s worth taking your time to look for the “Round Table” – nothing to do with King Arthur but a 3500 year old Bronze Age burial mound with its head chopped off. This is a heather covered mound to the left as you start up South Barrule. You can walk around the perimeter of the ancient iron age fort, 22000 sq ft in size, which contains many of the original stones – but imagine it considerably higher. How impressive would that have been. Equally, there are granite stones scattered around, which would have been brought here from one of few areas that contain granite on the island, probably Foxdale in this instance. There are also depressions in the ground, sometimes filled with water, the remnants of roundhouses, where people lived around 500BC. Culture Vannin has an aerial view of the top of the South Barrule, if you look here:

https://culturevannin.im/exploremore/places/south-barrule-hillfort-383989/

Having taken time to enjoy the view and take in its history, we now start the gentle descent, beginning on a clear path northwards. This gets narrower and narrower until eventually, as we have to negotiate a path back to South Barrule plantation, we will be walking on a map bearing and walking over peat, grass and heather (not much gorse here) for about 15 minutes until we reach the boundary fence of the plantation beside the quarry. If you are walking without a compass, you will need good visibility. There is a small mound beside the quarry on the left, and the trees begin just to the right. There is also a sign clearly visible, so head in that direction. There is a rickety stile just to the right of the quarry before the land rises to the right, and the lone tree is a good marker.

Crossing the stile, this leads to the quarry tracks. It is worth a quick detour to have a look at the quarry area itself to see how large it is, then returning to your path, you will see an imposing mound of logs, even larger than when I last went. There is a track leading from these to the right; start to take that track but turn immediately left down a grassy, stony and possibly wet track. Another path will come in from the left, which you ignore. Just a few yards down the track after this junction keep left on the high ground and you will see that a dry path then detours down into the plantation. This is a delightful little path and you can hear the water cascading down the hillside in a mini waterfall, and the area is green and pleasant. It finishes right in front of the Coffee Cottage, so why not stop and have a coffee? To get back to the car park, whilst still in the forest take the footpath on the right through ‘Go Ape” and it brings you out where you started (alternatively walk along the road).

This is a fairly gently walk. The early part through the plantation is mostly flat with a few yards of gentle uphill here and there. The bulk of the ascent is the climb of South Barrule itself, but it is not especially strenuous and it is a fairly short distance to the top; it will take you no more than 30 mins to reach the summit. It is grassy and there are no really steep parts.

Distance: about 5 miles; Ascent total 1040 ft; descent 1079 ft. If you take the lower track avoiding the muddy footpath, this will add another half mile or so on to the walk and about 100-200ft more ascent.

No posts for now – Covid

I haven’t been able to finish writing up my holiday in Austria as I contracted Covid on the way home and I am quite poorly. I tested positive on Saturday night. Once I am feeling better and have caught up on work I will complete the holiday blog. I won’t be walking for the next few weeks either.

I remained covid free for 3.5 yrs and I was bound to get it sometime, so can’t complain. See you all once I am through it.

Austria Day 4: Zell am See

The day had a promising start, with sunshine, after a dramatic storm overnight with thunder and lightning that almost burst a few eardrums. We set off from Sankt Johann (nicely pronounced by the operator at the railway station) for our 45 mins journey to Zell am See. This is a most attractive high level ride for much of its route, meaning you have excellent views of the mountains and valleys. It moves quietly through one valley to another. There is no indication of a lake until you reach it – it comes as something of a delightful surprise. Indeed, if you travel by road, you can avoid seeing it at all!

Zell am See has a calm and warming peacefulness. It is as if the surrounding mountains engulf and protect you. The lake is not huge, just 4 km long and 1 km wide, and 68 metres deep. It is a healthy place and the lake water good enough to drink, if you dare to try it. There is a footpath and a separate cycle path around the lake and plenty of places to stop for refreshments or to simply enjoy the magnificent views. At various points in the path are areas sheltered with trees and other places for children to play, all kinds of sculptures dotted around and water sports in abundance.

We did our own version of a watersport by taking a ride on the boat. This was enjoyable but at the same time unnecessary as you can see everything you want to see from beside the lake. However, the skyline was telling its own story. To the north, with its slightly lower mountains the sky was blue with puffy white clouds. To the south the clouds were grey and gathering and had a sense of foreboding; rain was clearly not too far away. For now though, it was bright if not hot sun, and warm enough to entice one into a lager.

It was then time to explore the town itself, which is fairly small but even so has over 10,000 inhabitants. It also has an ancient history, as far back as the Bronze Age, and it was a trading post in more recent centuries. Learning about its past will have to wait until I have a chance to revisit this area. There are cable cars up to its central mountain, the Schmittenhohe, itself standing impressively at 1965 metres. From here, you are able to see over 30, yes 30 mountains over 3000 metres high, including the Grossglockner that we visited a couple of days ago.

It was at this point that the heavens opened, and they weren’t even kind enough to give us much warning. I went in a shop in the dry and came out to a torrent of water flowing down the street – well, maybe not a torrent but you get my drift. They are clearly used to frequent downpours as the cobbled streets all have drainage channels that work very effectively, which is more than can be said for some inconsiderate drivers who soaked me as they sped past! Time for some shopping – I had needed to buy some new trainers and this was the perfect opportunity, and I found the best shoe shop I have been in for many a year. The lady actually wanted to help me, had some really good knowledge and as a result I am now the owner of a new pair of goretex shoes. She insisted I wear them straight away given the inclement weather, so my shoes and I went to look at the church in the main square, with its 15th century tower. As you look down the side of the church, it feels as if this is the only remnant of a bygone age, being surrounded by more modern buildings, but I suspect there are various gems to be discovered hidden away in the town.

It was then time to make my way to the Bahnhof for the return journey. The waiting room had one last surprise for us – exceedingly comfortable and colourful seating. Well done to the designer – compare this with the uncomfortable slanting metal seats we have in the UK and islands bus stops. Once on the train, I really wanted to see where the lake must spill into the surrounding plains but I didn’t detect any outlet. I have since learnt that the lake used to be much larger, reaching as far as Salzach, and much of the northern end has been drained, although there are still swamp areas in places.

By now the rains were eradicating any fine views of the mountains, but no matter. It is good to see landscapes in all their various moods and colours. Tomorrow, we visit Salzburg and we will have a guided walking tour, and this probably whet the appetite for future visits as I am sure we will not be able to see all we want to see in half a day.

Austria Day 3: Schleier Wasserfall, St Johann in Tyrol

This turned out to be the longest and hardest walk I have done in years. I was expecting it to be 10 miles and about 1600ft of ascent but in reality both were exceeded.

I started out at 8.30am with the intention of finishing the walk between 2-3pm and then taking the Gondola up one or other mountain. It was a warm day and the sun glistened on the river as I walked beside it up to Rettenbach. This lies in a plateau and the surrounding mountains stick out as a fine backdrop every way you turn. The only thing to spoil it at all was the sound of the traffic on the main road.

I reached Rettenbach easily and started looking for the footpaths that would lead uphill. In so doing, I passed a woodturner’s premises with the aptly named business title of Holtzwurm. Outside his premises he displayed some of his wares and fine specimens they were too as you can see in the photo below. Just past his domain was the first waysign to the Schleier Falls and I followed this path a short distance until it turned into a different sign saying Wanderweg, which usually means a contouring path circling an area. Look as I might for the path I wanted and I thought I had found it until this petered out. I made the classic error of not turning back immediately and got myself into real hot water when there was no clear path forward or back, just loads of vegetation and trees. Oops! I managed not to panic, and decided that if I keep the ravine to my right and the sun just to my left, I should ultimately return approximately to where I had started. These navigation skills supported me well, along with some odd black and white posts that I thought must lead somewhere, and after about 40 mins of traipsing aimlessly in the forest I found the original track, and just kept going, even if I was reasonably sure it was not the path I had originally wanted. Phew! I could breathe again.

I eventually I came to a path that did suggest it was going in the right direction and I followed this very successfully, passing lumberjacks clearing some of the forest and an old man resting on a log.

There are many twists and turns and false tracks to avoid on this walk. I did have a landscape map of the footpaths in the area but it wasn’t accurate. Some paths are unmarked on the ground, other paths are named but do not appear on the map, so whether you find your route successfully is rather hit and miss for the tourist. It is all heavily wooded, with no views as you make your way uphill. That is not to say it is unattractive, but it is unrelenting. There are also sections with steep drops and narrow paths, so not for the faint hearted.

By luck rather than judgement I seemed to find myself on the track I had intended, but what I didn’t know was where it would lead. There is an area called Debils Ofen, which I assume means Devil’s Oven, which is a series of caverns at the base of a massive rockface. The footpath actually passes through these, so I imagine when deluges come in winter this route will be entirely cut off. There were tree trunks and branches strewn along its course, evidence of previous activity.

Beyond this, the path makes its way annoying downhill, when you know that you have to go uphill, and sure enough just when you can hear the rush of water indicating you are getting near the falls, the path diverts uphill. There is a small summit and you can feel open space beyond, and I could hear voices chattering and laughing, so my sense of excitement grew. Be careful though not to get too excited as the path down to the base of the falls is rocky, with some large, and some small stones. Once your eyes adjust you can see the water cascading over the overhanging edge, looking rather like a shower curtain. There are other smaller falls, which no doubt become raging bulls in winter. I stopped temporarily under once such fall and washed my fevered brow. It was another very hot day, and for once I had felt the effects of the high altitude, so I took care to take my time, monitor my breathing and get back on an even keel before continuing.

It is much more interesting than it appears here in the photos and it is a very restful place.

The path down is a great deal easier than the path up, mostly on a fairly wide track. At the start, it is clear that my way down was most people’s way up as the stones were shiny and it would be easy to slip. Again, there are few views on the way down. The never ending tree lines are relieved in places by the children’s activity areas, which have been very cleverly designed.

Once back on level ground I decided to take the easiest road route back to St Johann. Having already done 11 miles, I didn’t want any false turns now and wanted to get back.

My Garmin watch recorded my route, which bears no resemblance at all to the paths on the tourist map I was given. I would recommend buying the Austrian equivalent of one of our OS maps or visiting the tourist information to get an up to date map and guide for any walk you intend to do. And make allowances for the high altitude, as it is relentlessly uphill for 7 miles.

Distance: 14 miles; Ascent 1988 ft; Descent 1949ft; Minimum Elevation 2224 ft; Maximum Elevation 3817 ft.

Austria Day 2 – Grossglockner

This was not a walking day, but an exceptional day for views as the coach took us higher and higher to the very apex of Austria – the Grossglockner. The images speak for themselves, and although I could name ridges and mountains I doubt if you would care much. The glaciers have retreated enormously since I was last there in the 1960s. I remember having a snowball fight with my peers in this location, but there was not a drop of snow to be seen below the glacier level this year. There are numerous notice boards dotted around the visitor sites, explaining that the process of deglaciation is not uncommon in the vicinity if you look back over the aeons. Nonetheless the rate of change is quite remarkable as you will see from the photos.

and from former days:

After this, we travelled to the beautiful alpine village of Heilingenblut. This traditional village has an iconic church and tremendous views down the valley, but little else for the passing tourist unless you have time in your hands, in which case you could visit the waterfalls or amble along the valley. The church graveyard was beautifully maintained with flowers in every single grave and with photos of the departed in each one, enjoying the afterlife as in life, with the glacier in the background.

On this journey, I found it quite remarkable that where the glaciers would have combined to be a great force to be reckoned with, where the dams now exist across their exit down the mountain, there is only the merest sliver of land through which all the water would have had to travel when the snow melted. I imagine this must have caused catastrophic floods during its ancient history.

There were also some lovely alpine flowers including masses of purple gentian and a hapless butterfly feeding on a plant yet to be named.

Tomorrow I am planning a walk on my own again, after a trip up the Gondola to the top of the local mountain.