Wednesday 18th September : Weather: 8°C to 12°C: Beautiful blue skies, sunny day, no wind
Cimalmotto to Bosco Gurin: 7.4k walk: Bus 8.20am to Cimalmotto: Walk to Bosco Gurin: 2.58pm Bus to Linescio
Ascent and Descent: Ascent 750m, Descent 650 m,
Time: Walk 9am to 2.20pm: 7.4k Cimalmotto to Bosco Gurin 4hrs 20min + 2 x 30 min stops
Accommodation: Wild at Linescio
Post Bus to Cimalmotto
Blue skies leaving Cimalmotto
Morning coffee Alpe Quadrella
Morning coffee view
Passo Quadrella 2136 metres
Arriving at village Bosco Gurin
A wonderful day in the Alpes high above Valle Maggia on a picture perfect day. We took a bus from Linescio to the village of Cimalmotto, then walked 7.4k across Passo Quadrella at 2,136 metres to Bosco Gurin then took another bus back down to our village of Linescio.
We had a restless night sharing a single doona in a double bed, and awake early at 6am. It’s dark and the three other guests and Pablo the owner are still asleep. We tip toe down the uneven stone staicase to the kitchen to do a jet boiled cup of tea and bring our yoghurt in the fridge back to the room for breakfast. Changing into warm clothes, as the temperature is only 10°C outside and will probably be colder in Cimalmotto, we eat our meusli and yoghurt while packing morning tea and lunch for the day in Ian’s back pack.
Leaving a quiet sleeping household at 8am, it’s just a short walk down the stone steps to the main road - well village road - to the Linescio di Fuori bus stop. Waiting in the sun, two donkeys on the other side of the retaining wall wander up to us looking for food. Sorry none today, bread isn’t good for you anyway. Right on 8.21am, the 331 bus arrives and I pay 10.40 CHF for the two of us one way to Cimalmotto. The bus winds it’s way through the narrow lanes of the village then up the steep road beside a gorge and through the pine forrests to Cerentino where we hop off, and immediately get on the smaller 332 Post Bus to Cimalmotto. The valley broadens out as we pass several stone villages bathed in sunlight.
At 9am we arrive in Cimalmotto, and three other hikers from the bus head in our direction towards Passo Quadrello. It’s a beautiful but cold 8°C day with blue skies as we head up through the meadows passing by a small herd of grazing cows with bells ringing. We can see the long stone wall running up the mountain side, built 100 years ago to keep the roaming mountain goats out of the cow pastures. The ascent is steep through the pine forrest where we encounter two workers cutting down trees which we think may be in danger of falling into the gorge. There’s evidence of damage from the June 30th ferocious storms that swept through Ticino causing untold damage and blocking hiking paths in the Maggia Valley.
We’ve only been walking 1hr 15mins when we arrive at 10.15am at Alpe Quadrella, a small settlement of stone huts at 1,791 metres. There’s a lovely seat in the sun in front of one of the huts with views all round, though most of the Alps are in the shadow of the morning sun. A good spot for coffee with a crumbling Arnots spicey fruit roll that’s been carted for the past 3 weeks. There’s still another 350 metres to climb and the track becomes steeper. At midday we’re at Passo Quadrella and stop in the sun out of the breeze for a slab of Alpine cheese while admiring the views down to Bosco Gurin. This side has spartan pine forests as most have been cleared for skiing. There’s a chair lift on the other side of the valley, but it only operates through the winter ski season.
The descent down is steep, rocky and tricky, with large boiders to negotiate by bum sitting and sliding. It's a relentless downhill slog, with no time to look around, always looking for safe placement of the next step. It takes us more than two hours to get to the bottom of the valley then walk along the road into Bosco Gurin at 2.20pm. The village is described as one of the prettiest in Ticino and has its origins from the Walsers, a Germanic group from the Valais who settled here in the 13th Century.
At the bus stop, we have a jet boiled cup of tea with a small piece of pannetone - not too much to spoil dinner. There’s a collection of day hikers and three dogs who pile into the bus when it arrives and leaves on time at 2.58pm. Down the valley again, it’s 2.20pm when we alight at Linescio di Fuori and climb the stone steps. There, we meet our host Pablo, wearing an Australian Green and Yellow cap, on his way in his little yellow car for a swim. He stops to chat and points out several hikes we could do tomorrow.
It’s nice to walk into our villa where Pablo has started the wood fire in the kitchen. A quick shower then down to the warm kitchen to sort photos while having a beer/wine with more Alpine cheese. Dinner is diced lettuce, onion, capsicum and tomato bathed in mayonnaise with a few slices of smoked salmon. A packet of smoked salmon costs 5 CHF for 200g and is better value than 100g of sliced ham for the same price. We’d have it more often, except sometimes in a hotel room where we sit at a desk and have dinner, we can’t stink out the room with the smell of fish. Of course dinner is with a glass of rose - me and a beer for Ian.
it’s hard to leave the warm kitchen to trot upstairs to our room and continue blogging. Bed at 8pm ready for an early start probably, back to Bosci Gurin for another hike.