At the entrance to the Tatra National Park lies the resort of Zakopane. We soon discovered that the town itself has nothing more to offer than rows of tacky souvenir stalls and take away kiosks, but it is a very convenient base to explore the mountains. The appealing cable car was unfortunately shut for complete restoration until December, so we knew our walking was going to have to start with a climb. The tourist office had rather ominously suggested that as June is the wettest month in the Tatras, we would be best advised not to venture there at all – some advert! On returning to the campsite, we met another couple from England, Kim & James, who recounted a tale of giant hailstones and no shelter on the ridges, so we began to have doubts about the sensibility of our plan. The next morning however the sun was shining and we were feeling brave, so set off up the mountain.
The first part of the route took us past dry ski jumps. Having only ever seen them on television, watching these crazy people in real life hurtling down the narrow shoots and flying off the end was an awe inspiring sight. The hillsides were littered with chairs lifts which looked rather out of place on a sunny June day. You got the feeling this place undergoes quite a transformation with the changing seasons. We headed up the Dolina Strazyska valley floor, a relatively flat introduction to what lay ahead. At the top of the valley the path turned upwards and a three and a half hour unrelenting ascent took us to our destination of Mount Giewont at 1895m. Views from the top were amazing, as were the size of my blisters. Came back down a much busier trail, passing lots of red faces still heading upwards.
A day of well deserved rest followed, partly also enforced by the weather which had returned to intermittent storms and showers. We were invited round to Kim & James’ van for the evening, which felt like a grand hotel compared to old Napoleon. Lovely gin fuelled evening passed quickly, exchanging travel stories and collecting lots of helpful tips. Plan now more likely to include Greece, with aim of catching ferry to visit Slovenia and Croatia, rather than driving back around Serbia etc.
The first part of the route took us past dry ski jumps. Having only ever seen them on television, watching these crazy people in real life hurtling down the narrow shoots and flying off the end was an awe inspiring sight. The hillsides were littered with chairs lifts which looked rather out of place on a sunny June day. You got the feeling this place undergoes quite a transformation with the changing seasons. We headed up the Dolina Strazyska valley floor, a relatively flat introduction to what lay ahead. At the top of the valley the path turned upwards and a three and a half hour unrelenting ascent took us to our destination of Mount Giewont at 1895m. Views from the top were amazing, as were the size of my blisters. Came back down a much busier trail, passing lots of red faces still heading upwards.
A day of well deserved rest followed, partly also enforced by the weather which had returned to intermittent storms and showers. We were invited round to Kim & James’ van for the evening, which felt like a grand hotel compared to old Napoleon. Lovely gin fuelled evening passed quickly, exchanging travel stories and collecting lots of helpful tips. Plan now more likely to include Greece, with aim of catching ferry to visit Slovenia and Croatia, rather than driving back around Serbia etc.
1 comment:
Nutjob!
Not very sweet.
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