24km Up and down several ridges and valleys. Maybe up 860m down 620m.
We leave the stoney carved city of Fidenza with its church and fine ostello rapidly getting into fields and soon, very soon the route goes up and along a very straight track between two rows of ancient black mulberry trees. A church named for St Thomas Beckett appears above us and then we are down and the day of up and down begins.
The bird life has changed no more egrets or herons but kestrels and a buzzard. Nightingales are still singing in the trees and butterflies, more blues and occasional Red Admirals flit in the patches of sunshine between clouds.
It remains cool thankfully and we climb up and down to around 300m in Miano. On the way delights such as a large hairy spider Tim prevents being run over by a tractor, to the bemusement of the farmer driving it. And a very long horned beetle. The bar in Costamenzzano is just 300m off route but we’ll worth the visit for a gratuitous timbro with a squirrel among other things on it. A lunch spot by the church in Cello has seats and a water fountain our lunch is consumed. 100m further there is an unexpected bar well it would be ungrateful not to use it. Shortly after we encounter the second ford of the trip but no film crew this time.
On the final climb Ray spots a fine orchid in flower new to us it may be one for our on call botanist Paul.
By 3.30 we get to Santa Nicola a farm B&B whose lady does all our washing and then climbs a ladder to hang it to dry in the barn. We are not even allowed to wash our coffee cups and the shower has a digital thermometer in the showerhead! Luxury, we are usually very happy if it’s mounting bracket holds it vaguely in the right direction. The dogs are very friendly the cats all seven that we saw, slightly less so.