Day 448 – Milan to Monte Valenza

Day 448                                                  11th October

57 miles (Milan to Monte Valenza) Average speed 12.1 mph Top speed 28 mph

Another great day in the saddle.

I got up at 8.30 and had brekkie of leftover sausage and onion sarnie, and a ham, egg and cheese sarnie with tea.

I packed up and left at 11. Within minutes I passed a guy on the other side of the road who whistled and gave me the thumbs up. I found my way south through the west of the city and onto a main road which took me, after an hour, to McDonald’s, where I had a cappuccino and checked out my route and emails. On the way out of the city there were girls of the day lined up to do their business on the side of the road. As I passed two together, who were negotiating with a couple of old chaps in a car, I also noticed a white cat in the field next to them preening itself and I’m sure it pouted at me!

Then I followed narrow country lanes through farmland for quite a while before getting back to a main road which, although busy, had a bit of a shoulder for me. I went through some interesting towns and Zibido reminded me of the Magic Roundabout.

I chuckled out loud to myself a few times during this day. I crossed a very dodgy wooden slatted bridge which rattled all the way across the Po river. I followed the road through many small villages amidst farmland and had a late lunch at Valeggio in front of the church. Then it was into Mede, a slightly bigger town with a roundabout which provided a good photo opportunity and resting place. It was great to look up and think about how many places I’d visited or may do soon.

After crossing another large bridge it was decision time as the nearest campsite was on my right and up Monte Vicenza or the next one 8 miles further on. With no food on board and the good probability of the nearest one having a restaurant I opted to climb up the Monte. When checking the map there was a very long loop around of about 4 miles or a more direct approach straight up with five or six switch backs on unmade road so as tired as I was, I went for the shortest more direct option. The signs showed the need for snow chains in the winter and the gravel was dense and heavy going at the bottom of the track.

After losing my front wheel in a 2mph slide I realised I needed to take a different approach and went on the grass verge for the next 100 metres or so until there was less shingle in the middle. It was a tough climb and very steep in places. I was sweating even though in the shade of the trees and the low lying sun. It turned out to be a great challenge after a long day in the saddle and thankfully I rose to it and pushed on to the top, where I was rewarded by some fantastic views and an incredible run down to the campsite.

I checked in at the hotel reception and was happy to have found such a great location. There were parrots and tennis courts, 2 full size football pitches, a swimming pool with slides and lots of well-looked-after chalets. The owner showed me to my spot across a river with otters under the bridge and provided me with a shower token. I sat down with a well deserved beer and enjoyed a microlight flying overhead which was only noise to break the tranquillity of the place.

I set up camp and used the shower token, which once again lasted just long enough to get lathered up before the shower cut off and I had to rinse off in the cold water of the sink. Although my knee was hurting, at least I’m now supple enough to be able to lift my feet into a hand basin! I went for a walk around the site and then chose the mixed grill from the menu, which was good, but I certainly could have eaten more; however, to eat the Italian way would have meant 5 or 6 courses and I was already over budget!

I watched as three security guards ate their several courses with their guns in holsters on their hips. It was good to see the hotel family sitting down with everyone else in the restaurant to eat with the guests and how the Italians express themselves.

After another very long day I was in bed by 9.

Camping 11€ including  2 minutes shower.