The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Images from Arco, Trentino & an eastern European city break

Confession: I almost decided not to publish this blog. After all, I already posted twice in 2019 and 2023 on hikes and ferrate in the Lago di Gardo area of northern Italy. In addition, city cultural walks are not the main focus of my vagabond life, though I have published two blogs, in 2022 and 2023, featuring some amazing cities – predominantly European – that I have had the fortune to visit. However, my month-long stay in Arco highlighted different aspects of the environs of my favorite town in Italy that I have not yet shared. Furthermore, a chance to travel to two of the three remaining countries in Europe that I hadn’t yet visited, convinced me to post this blog. I hope you’ll indulge me a few photos from this past month. . .

Arco (TN), Italy

Located only 6 km north of the northern tip of Lago di Garda, to me it seems a world away from the water-sports and beach tourism of the lake. As arguably the outdoor capital of Trentino, Arco certainly attracts its fair share of active adventurers and all the climbing, hiking, and mountain/road biking shops to support them. With a two-week heatwave engulfing much of Europe, as well as some (thankfully) short-lived physical maladies, my excursions were generally short, always directly from my apartment, and early in the morning, often finishing about the time the sun appeared from behind the mountains, signalling the onset of another baking summer day in the Anthropocene epoch.

View of Arco Castle Hill with tower from my apartment balcony. The Sarca River (Fiume Sarca) is visible below.
Fiume Sarca and old mill near Arco. Several times I did an 8 km early morning loop walk up one side of the river and back the other side.
Roman bridge at Ceniga, rebuilt in the late 19th century. This was the farthest point of my many riverine loop walks.
Massone village street with clock, a few minutes’ walk from my apartment. From here there are numerous hikes through the Bosco Caprone and up into the nearby mountains.
Morning view towards Riva and Via Ferrata Susatti from above Arco. This lovely lane with oleanders and olive trees was part of the approach walk to the Monte Baone scramble.
Eremo di San Paolo along the Fiume Sarca above Arco. Near this hermitage a plethora of climbing gear is attached to an overhanging cliff.
Night view of Castle Hill with moon from my balcony
A morning view of the Monte Baone scramble route just outside of Arco
An early morning view of Fiume Sarca and community choir hall from the pedestrian and bicycle bridge 3 minutes’ walk from my apartment
My Sarca Riverside Apartment, a fantastic value with its own parking space. A faint blue rectangle shows my balcony. No AC for the summer months, though!

Chișinău, Tiraspol, and Odesa

Low-cost Wizz Air offers direct flights from Verona, Italy to Chișinău, Moldova three times per week. Many of you dear readers may know that I suffer from chronic FOFE*, but the opportunity to visit Moldova and Ukraine was too good to pass up. Flying out on a Sunday and returning Thursday gave me 31/2 days to experience the culture and history of an area I had never visited.

Map of Moldova, showing Transnistria and Odesa, Ukraine

Day 1 in Moldova featured a guided tour visiting the Curchi Monastery, walking around the historical and archaeological complex of Old Orhei (sorry, no pictures), lunch at a local rural restaurant, and an afternoon tour & tipple at a unique winery. The next morning I enjoyed a private guided walking tour of Chișinău and an afternoon relaxing by the lovely hotel pool. The “5 star” Diplomat Club Hotel I stayed at in Chisinau was a solid 3 star experience, nothing more. (To be fair, the price reflected this reality). The quiet location and outdoor pool were certainly unusual in the city, and with only a 20 minute walk to the center or 10 minute walk to Valea Morilor park, it was a good choice despite the run-down rooms. The third full day I took a private guided tour to Transnistria and Odesa, Ukraine. The final morning before my return flight I spent walking around Valea Morilor park.

* – FOFE: Fear Of Flying Economy

An Orthodox church at Curchi Monastery. Less than 2 hours’ drive from Chișinău, it was wonderful walking around the grounds and enjoying the art and architecture.
The recently renovated orthodox church dome at Curchi monastery
With our small group at Milistii Mici Winery. Their wine-cellars are the largest in the world, with more than 200 km of underground galleries and 1.5 million bottles. The tour was fascinating and the wine’s not bad, either!
Mihai Eminescu National Theatre in Chișinău. I missed a wonderful piano concert here as I did not get back from Odesa until late that evening.
Saint Pantaleon Orthodox Church, Chișinău. The historic center of the city was very leafy.
St. George the Victorious Chapel with WW2 tank at the Memorial of Glory in Tiraspol. The landlocked breakaway state of Transnistria, internationally recognized as part of Moldova, is a throwback to the Soviet Union, with 1500 Russian troops stationed there. I am assured that most are locals, however.
Catherine the Great Monument Park, Tiraspol. The city is not all that walkable, but this large park is lovely.
Ladas at a Tiraspol Soviet-era cafeteria. Lots of relics and mementos from the Soviet Union make this a popular spot with tourists.
Moldova-Ukraine border crossing. It took almost an hour each way to cross. Not all that bad considering the country is at war.
A traditional (though a bit kitschy) Odesa restaurant, where my guide and I had a late lunch after crossing the Ukraine border from Moldova.
Odesa National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. I grabbed the photo of this lovely institution from the internet. (My photo, taken from a moving buggy, was horrible). Though the theater reopened a few months after Russia’s invasion, for obvious reasons all museums in Odesa remain closed.
Old Odesa Corner, a lovely quiet spot in the bustling city
Lion statue at Old Odesa Corner, symbolizing power, courage, and guardianship. Definitely appropriate for these troubling times.
Odesa’s Potemkin Stairs, immortalized in Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 silent movie Battleship Potemkin. Intriguingly, one can see only the landings from the top and only the stairs (no landings) from the bottom. Note the hotel on the pier that was bombed by Russia in 2023.
A gorgeous (IMO) 19th century baroque revival building in Odesa
Odesa Passage (shopping arcade) in Derybasivska Street, another gorgeous example of baroque revival
Damage to a side chapel of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, sustained on on 22/23 July, 2023 from missile and drone strikes by Putin
Valea Morilor Park steps, 10 minutes walking from my Chișinău hotel. Circumambulating the lake was wonderfully peaceful after a long, stressful day in Transnistria and Ukraine.

Despite the lovely city of Odesa and the great winery we visited, I must admit to being glad to return to Italy. Moldova was certainly interesting, but ex-soviet countries almost invariably lack any service-oriented culture and their infrastructure is spotty at best.

It is a rainy Saturday in Vione, Brescia, two reasons not to be out hiking today. However, I’ve done some amazing hikes in this mountainous area of northern Italy that I will post next month when I’m enjoying the seaside in Hastings, East Sussex. Until then, stay cool outdoors,

The Vagabond Hiker

Walks amongst the ruins in Antalya, Turkey

For my first (and hopefully only!) foray into medical tourism, I decided at the last minute to travel from Britain to Antalya, Turkey for a dental treatment. As the entire treatment would require around one week, I had time for to enjoy some of the local parks and archeological ruins the city and province of Antalya offered. With three extra days added afterwards, I also ventured farther afield south along the Lycian coast to the village of Çıralı. (For those readers who are not geography majors, the crescent-shaped province of Antalya is located in southwestern Turkey along the Mediterranean Sea, centered on it’s eponymous capital city of 1.4 million people. Tourism is the dominant industry). The late April seasonal addition of a daily British Airways flight direct from London Gatwick to Antalya made this trip simpler and more cost effective.

Enjoy some of the archeology and landscapes I captured on my “off days.”

Hadrian’s Gate, Antalya, the entrance our small tour group took into the old town.
Shehzade Korkut Mosque, Antalya
View with flowers from Kecili Park, Antalya
Coastal view near my hotel, east of the old town in Antalya
Another coastal view near my hotel. These lovely flowers, sadly, are invasive lantanas.
Mehmet Manavoglu Park, about a 5 minute walk from my Antalya hotel.
Poolside view at the Hotel Akra Antalya. It is arguably the best resort hotel in Antalya and less than 10 minutes’ walk from the dentist.
Perge stadium. I joined a tour group to the ancient cities of Perge, Aspendos, and Side, an all-day trip with Solymos Travel that included a set lunch of some local fish.
Market stalls, Perge stadium
Colonnaded street in Perge. Fortunately, we had plenty of time to wander around after the “official” tour.
The Theatre of Aspendos, the best preserved of antiquity.
The Acropolis in Aspendos. I was the only one to walk up here from the Theatre, but again we had sufficient time to explore on our own.
Temple of Apollo detail, Side. Side is mostly a sea-side touristy (though in a nice way) town that appeals to a predominantly German clientele. The history was interesting, nonetheless.
Temple of Athena, Side
Side archeological complex aerial view, a photo I grabbed off the internet
Manavgat Waterfall, north of Side. Beautiful, but mostly an Instragram spot.

After four visits to the dentist, all was sorted and I got a private transfer down the coast about 70km to the chill beach town of Çıralı for three nights. Along the East Lycian Way, the Ancient City of Olympos (Olympus), Antalya, is just to the south.

Map of the East Lycian way and other park trails and sights. Çıralı and Olympos are circled in red on the left.
Olympos beach with Acropolis hill and castle. Venetians, Genoese, and Rhodians all built fortifications along this coast.
Olympos River estuary. Innumerable frogs were in full throat on the two mornings I visited.
A rather depleted Olympos river and bathhouse ruins, in the Ancient city of Olympos. Some nice photos and a short history of the city can be found on this site.
Ancient Olympos Necropolis church. The visitor center is on the far right.
Olympos ruins and poppies
A small portion of the Bishop’s Palace, Olympos
Detail of “building with mosaics”, Olympos. Remnants of the floor mosaics are now in a museum in Antalya.
Olympos oleander
Çıralı beach and town view from Olympos hillside
Olympos beach rock formations
An arch on the south side of Olympos. The area south of the river was much overgrown and the focus of my 2nd day’s walk.
Sarcophagus of Alkestis, South Olympos
West Theatre entrance from the inside, Olympos
Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) with baby below Çıralı castle. The vulnerable Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtle) also nests here from mid-May to the autumn.
Çıralı mosque. I spent a long morning on a circular hike around the village and into the surrounding hills. Tourism has displaced some of the traditional agriculture, though much still remains.
Canada Bungalow porch view, Çıralı. It was a fine choice for my short stay, though a bit out of town. My recommendation is the Azur Hotel, though there are numerous accommodation options amongst the pines and orchards.
A friendly neighbor, Canada Bungalows

Tomorrow I begin my travels to Cusco, Peru for a 9 day trek to the Incan ruins of Choquequirao and Machu Picchu. This is the trek that was cancelled last year and I was fortunate that KE Adventures decided to run it this year with only 3 clients. Stay tuned for more archeology and hikes next month!

The Vagabond Hiker

PS The dental treatment I had in Antalya went wonderfully and the cost savings more than paid for the short vacation to Turkey.

The Southwest Coast Path: Sandbanks to Lulworth Cove

The most recent section of the Southwest Coast Path (SWCP) I had completed, in September 2023, encompassed the western half of Dorset, from Lyme Regis to Lulworth Cove. At the time the Lulworth Ranges were closed, so my trekking ended there. Last month I returned, joining a friend from California, to complete the eastern Dorset section of the route in four days, traditionally the end of this 1014 km* long distance path. A couple of train changes got me in less than 5 hours from Hastings to Poole, where the afternoon before I met Allison, who had just arrived from California.

* – alert readers may have noted that in the last post I used strictly metric distances. I will continue to employ the system that 90% of the world uses for good reason. One kilometer is roughly 0.62 mile and one meter about 3.3 feet.

In point of fact, the SWCP actually begins/ends at Shell Bay, at the terminus of a short ferry from Sandbanks in Poole. We were doing this section “in reverse” of the usual direction.

Allison on the Sandbanks ferry, all of a five minute trip.

Day 1: Shell Bay to Swanage

13 km, 220 m elevation gain

With Allison at the start/end of the SWCP
Shell Bay, a sandy slog to start!
Old Harry Rocks. Can you spot the natural window?
Tiny Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica)
View towards Swanage, where our first night’s accommodation lay.
Wall Bellflower in Swanage
Purbeck House Hotel balcony view, Swanage

Day 2: Swanage to Kingston

20 km, 760 m elevation gain

Roman columns at the Swanage amphitheater, an outdoor music and theater venue
Durlston Castle, Durlston Country Park. A lovely section of wooded paths began near this interesting Victorian-era building.
Allison and Anvil Point Lighthouse
Chalk Milk-wort
An Early Spider Orchid. We might have missed these little fellas if some avid botanizers had not pointed them out to us.
A field of rape (rapeseed oil is called canola oil in the Americas).
The Vagabond Hiker
Coastal vista, emphasizing some steep climbs
Admiring the view. . . and resting my knees!
Hill Bottom Plantation. We turned inland at Chapman’s Pool towards our accommodation in Kingston.

Day 3: Kingston circular via SWCP and Hardy Way

18 km, 600 m elevation gain

Limited lodging gave us an opportunity to stay two nights in Kingston and also do some inland walking.

Twins. It was lambing season and most of the Ewes seemed to have two lambs.
Chapman’s Pool, where we had left off the SWCP the day prior
Houns-Tout Cliff view. I have to love some of the place names!
Clavell Tower, a 19th century folly
Kimmeridge Bay, seen from the Hardy Way. The next morning we (read: Allison) arranged a taxi down to where we left the SWCP.
View from Swyre Head. Perhaps this flat block was used as a triangulation point. Any other ideas?

Day 4: Kimmeridge Bay to Lulworth Cove

13 km, 635 m elevation gain

Broad Bench, Lulworth Ranges. We would be walking most of the day through the ranges, run by the MoD and closed much of the time. They were open for more than two weeks at Easter, however.
Wild cabbage and Tyneham Cap
Worbarrow Tout & Gad Cliff (background). Despite all the clouds, the rain for the most part left us alone.
Allison climbing up Rings Hill
View towards Bindon Hill. We would remain in the Lulworth Ranges until Lulworth Cove.
View looking back along the coast, with Bindon Hill the obvious high point. We did three steep climbs this day, which proved the hardest for me despite the shorter distance. Allison’s in the middle ground near some signage.
Mupe Bay with its eponymous cliffs looming in the near ground
Looking back at Mupe Bay Beach Cliffs with some prolific gorse
Lulworth Cove pano. It was still a walk around to the cove village and then inland for 2 km to our West Lulworth hotel. I just got tired of taking photos!

The weather was great and the days’ walks were amazing. Hiking with a friend who has a similar pace and who I had not seen in more than a year was a huge bonus. Just to be clear, while I walked for 4 days and then returned to Hastings, for Allison this was the beginning of a 66 day trek to complete the entirety of the Southwest Coast Path in one go. I, in contrast, will soon be on the 8th year of what be will be at least a 10 year plan, beginning in Westward Ho! Devon in late May 2018. Stay tuned for my future (shortish) endeavors to complete this project.

I am currently in Hastings, supposedly training for a two-week trek in Peru later this month. I have some walks from a last minute surprise trip to share with you before that expedition. Until then,

Get your daily dose of nature wherever you may be!

The Vagabond Hiker

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