October 14, 2018
Lake Como North
Lake Como has the shape of a large inverted Y. Varenna sits on the east bank, right at the junction of the three arms of the lake. Straight across, on the West Bank, is pretty and ritzy Menaggio; and in the middle, at the end of the wedge coming up from the south, is tourist-mad Bellagio. In my view, Varenna is easily the top choice for a place to stay here. It’s well connected by ferries that run often to the other destinations.
We’ve been here before, on our first tour of Europe in 1993. Then, we stYed one night in Menaggio. We covered way too much distance then, and blew through the entire Lake District in just two days: one night in Domodossola, the next in Menaggio, then in Lecco at the southeast end of Lake Como’s giant Y. We really didn’t see much. Much nicer to be older, a bit smarter, and moving a bit slower.
Today’s loop is an exploration of the north end. We catch the ferry to Menaggio, which runs roughly every half hour, lasts about 15 minutes, and costs 6 euros for a person and bike. Besides being convenient, it gives a beautiful perspective on the lake.
Today’s was a short ride, but we spent over five hours on it. We really dawdled up the west side, which is lovely the entire way. Very scenic pleasant riding, and surprisingly diverse. A great ride. The ride back down the west side is significantly less pleasant though, with most of the final ten miles spent on the busy main road. The last few miles north of Varenna have a couple of unavoidable tunnels (unless you choose to add fifteen miles and 3-4 thousand feet of climbing up into the mountains above), that are long enough that you really need a light with you (which we had).
From what we’ve seen so far, Como is a great cycling destination. There are many cyclists here and some lovely riding. Ferries run up and down the lake to many destinations, so you could really do any type of ride you were comfortable with.
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Ms. Rachel, Not sure why I cannot pull up your videos, stops after about 30 seconds.. What I've seen is superb!!
6 years ago
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Ride stats today: 36 miles, 1,200’
Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 1,504 miles (2,420 km)
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