To Cannobio: Baveno, Laveno , Luino - that`s Italian
Waking up to blue skies was a nice treat today. Our plan was to move on to Cannobio which is about 30 kms north of Baveno along the west shore of Lago Maggiore. We had previous cycled a short portion of this road on the way into town. The other day, the agent at the ferry terminal was pretty convincing that due to the road being so narrow and lack of cycling lane it is really not a very nice ride. To fix this problem we added a few ferry rides and came up with a very interesting route where we would encounter minimal vehicle traffic.
We checked out of hotel and loaded up our bikes at 10:00 for a 10:30 ferry departure. It is really just a five minute cycle downhill from our hotel but we wanted to pick up some lunch at a bakery on route.
Our first ferry today was from Baveno to Intra. The boat journey is a real milk run with stops at Isola Madra and Pallanza before stopping at Intra. We did not mind at all as it was a great way to see the area from the lake side. As well, the cost for a lake tour is very reasonable, and we even get a special ¨senior`s rate¨. In fact, the charge for our bikes is slightly more than our passenger tickets! In Intra, we transfered to a car ferry and sailed over to the eastern shores of Lago Maggiore to Laveno to begin our ride.
First stop on route was Isola Madre. Most of the people on the boat got off here. They will spend some time here and then get back on the boat - hop on hop off style.
Car ferry from Intra to Laveno. The English translation of the sign is funny, ¨Bicycle hand worn¨. With the picture we guessed that riding our bikes to load would not be allowed!
Heading toward Laveno which is on the right of this hill. We will ride behind this mound although there is a road with a number of tunnels along the shore. On the right side you can see where a lift takes people to the top where views must be spectacular.
Approaching the dock. I took this picture to show the rope barricade keeping everyone and the cars safe on board. In Europe I love the expectation that people use their own common sense to keep themselves safe.
We left Laveno after a couple of routing miscues but without too much difficulty we found the planned cycle route. The ride from Laveno to Luino was a short 30 kms and a mix of cyclepath, some narrow roads and some divided highway. In its entirety, a very nice ride.
We reached Luino about ten minutes before the ferry departed for Cannobio. So perfectly timed.
The start of the cycle route. We are stopping here to take off a layer. It is approaching noon and warming up.
Kids cheering us on as we topped a hill! Not really - it was recess and they had all came over to watch the road workers but they were keen to watch us, too.
An amusing lunch stop. There were four large tent areas that could seat several hundred people complete with plastic table cloths. There was no one else around so we made ourselves at home.
Cannobio is nice stop along ago Maggiore but the afternoon sun was blocked by the tall buildings along the shoreline. We pushed our bikes up a steep road to the upper part of town to find a table in the sun for a beverage. As it turns out, we chose a bar that was also associated with our hotel. Checking in was easy and a staff member led us to our room for the night that was a block away. We returned to the waterfront to further explore the town and settled on pasta and salad for dinner. Chalk up another wonderful day cycling.
The weather forecast has become a concern as rain is in the forecast in two days. So, we are planning to cut our stay short in Cannobio by one day and move onto Como tomorrow. We feel that Como being a larger centre will provide us with more travel options.
Lots of bars and restaurants along the waterfront in Cannobio, but all in the shade.
