Friday 20th September : Weather:16°C in Linescio to to 18°C Locarno: Overcast, a bit hazy, no rain, no wind
Circuit from Bellinzona: 9.4k walk: Castle Circuit from Bellinzona
Ascent and Descent: Ascent 430m, Descent 428m,
Time: 1.00pm to 4.40pm: 3hrs 10min + 1 x 30 min stop
Accommodation: Locarno Youth hostel
ian and Pablo
Jan and Pablo
Ian and Jan at Guesthouse by Wild
Castle hike 9k from Bellinzona
Sasso Corbaro Castle to Bellinzona
Coop Smoked Salmon for dinner
A relaxing day with multiple bus and train trips followed by a 9k "Castle Hike” about 400 metres above Bellinzone.
We’ve slept well last night with an extra blanket over our feet to lengthen the single doona turned sideways. After a cup of tea, we pack and tidy the room then retrieve our yoghurt from the fridge downstairs to have with ur meusli for breakfast. A bit more emailing and checking bus and train times, and we’re ready to leave at 9am. Downstairs, Pablo is busy in his office/bedroom and greets us to say good bye. We leave in brilliant sunshine, and take some memorable photos of our new friend in his Aussie cap, before walking down the stone steps for the 9.56am bus down to Cevio.
The 313 bus is packed with school kid and the ir coffin sized suitcases. We’re not sure if they’re going or coming on a camp somewhere - some have sleeping bags slung over their shoulder. We sit with our back packs resting on our lap and 15 minutes later, we’re in Cevio and the kids pile out and rush over the road to wait for the next 315 bus to Locarno. We wait a minute too, before deciding that instead of catching te hconnectiong 10.19am bus, we’d have a coffee and catch the next 10.49am bus, and avoid the school kids.
Over the road to teh Town Hall Square where we’d been just 3 days before, and we have a coffee with teh last of our pannetone cake/ bread. Then leisurely walk across the road for the 10.49am bus, which was far less crowded. At 11.30am we arrive in Locarno and hop off at the bus stop closest to the Youth Hostel where we’ll be staying for teh night. It was easy to check in, get our Ticino Tickets for free public transport in Ticino, than stash our bags in the 2 CHF locker - with teh intention of returning about 5pm as our room 311 wasn’t ready.
It's a 1k walk down town to first of all the Coop to buy a piece of Pannetone for morning tea, then to the train station to catch the S20 train to Bellinzona. It’s packed. Apparently it’s a commuter train between Locarno and Bellinzona which is the central hub of the train network in southern Ticino. Iit’s 1pm when we set off on a walk, intending to do the castle hike. Leaving teh station, there's soon signs to Sasso Corbaro Castle. The stoney track rises steeply up hill almost vertically, with no zig zagging. It passes through old houses and vineyards, eventually leading to the Sasso Corbaro Castle called after the hill on which it stands. In 1479 after the defeat of the Milanese troops at the Battle of Giornico. It was designed and completed in the incredibly brief time of 6 months by the military engineer Benedetto Ferrini of Florence who died of the plague shortly before its completion. Its dominant position, 230 meters above the town, meant better protection of the Ticino Valley. This is a good stop for coffee and a piece of Coop Pannetone which we like much better then teh expensive Rovana we bought in Cevio.
It’s cold as we sit on the steps outside the castle and there’s a few drops of rain which amount to nothing. The weather forecast for Bellinzona is 18°C and Changeable - that’s a good way tp leave all options open - rain hail or shine! Moving on, the track continues o climb and soon we see a sign to Prada, an old village dating back to the 14th Century, at a height of about 600 metres. We’re there in 30 minutes and see a collection of 30 stone huts, in a state of restoration, with a crane parked in their midst. The only place that appeared to be restored was the old church. It’s an ongoing project.
A sign tells us it’s 1hr 30 mins to Giubascio, and it’s mostly down hill. It’s a lovely beech forest walk with views down to Ballinzona in the valley below. The track joins a road which we follow for a while at a good gradient, them turns into a stoney steep path to wards the Giubascio train station. We arrive at 4.40pm, just in time to catch the 4.53 train to Locarno.
We’re back in Locarno at 5.15pm and head for Aldi where we buy a beer and nuts. But strangely the smoked salmon is twice the price as the Coop, and we don’t see a nice boxed red wine, so that’s where we go next. Ian goes into the Coop and buys a 1 litre box of red wine and the Coop brand of Smokked salmon. It’s 1k up the road to the Youth Hostel. We’’re in room 311, so rather than trot upstairs with everything, we retrieve our bags from the locker and sit outside to have dinner. Firstly a few nouts with a beer/wine then dinner - a large lettuce leaf wrap of tomato, onion and smoked salmon with a dash of mayonnaise.
Then up to our room which turns out to be a triple room - a double bunk with a pull out bed. That’s good for me so I don’t have to climb the ladder to the top bunk. A quick shower before blogging and reflecting on the day as well as planning tomorrow. We might use our Ticino yticket to whiz on down to Lugano for morning tea before getting the train to Altdorf which we then booked online on The Trainline to leave Bellinzona at 2.17pm for Altdorf. Bed at 9.30pm.