TranSalentina del Sole 2024

Otranto / Gallipoli, Puglia, Italy. Thursday 25-April-2024

The TranSalentina del Sole is a walk across the Salento peninsula from Otranto on the Adriatic coast to Gallipoli on the Ionian coast. It is 50 km walk passing through 12 communes, done in a single day. The day being, in this case, National Liberation Day, a public holiday in Italy.

We only heard of it because our friend and fellow parkrunner, Nadia, mentioned a couple of weeks earlier that she was going to do it. Having had to cancel a tough walk planned for May, Mary decided we would do this instead. I sent off the application forms and what followed was 10 days of ever longer walks to build up our fitness and stamina.

It was a well organised event partly thanks to our friends helping with the logistics. There were regular water stops, cars to carry baggage, and people if required, and even an ambulance to track the group of about 40 walkers.

We decided to make a mini break of it and drove down to stay with our friends in Castro the night before and go out for a pizza, stay a couple of days and travel to parkrun on Saturday from there.

On the day itself, we had a horribly early start to drive an hour to Otranto for a 7 o’clock assembly and a 7:50 start to the walk.

Also available as [Googlemap], [kmz], [gpx] or [Komoot].

Some introductory words were spoken by Fernando, the main organiser and a man with an impressive walrus moustache. Photo credits are due to him for some of these pictures.

The four parkrunners: me, Mary, Nadia and Julia. Given as this was another of Mary's “bright” ideas my choice of t-shirt was a no-brainer.

Leaving Otranto. The first stretch was very gentle, running alongside an irrigation channel, hence all the reeds.

We shortly reached Uggiano la Chiesa and the Byzantine crypt of Saint Angelo.

Giurdignano. We came across a field full of goats. Well, I guess Ricotta di Capra has got come from somewhere.

Water stop 01: 1:08:50 6.19 km.

Team photo at the water stop. The man in the green t-shirt is Riccardo Rella, a pioneer of Trekking in Salento, who started this walk many years ago.

Minervino di Lecce. This was a guided walk with no maps or way-marks so we obviously had to keep together as a group. We didn’t get too strung out and the water stops every 5 to 8 km provided an opportunity for regrouping.

Giuggianello. We passed through a lot of flat countryside with various stone structures dotted about, presumably mostly agricultural stores.

Giuggianello. As it is spring, we were seeing a lot of these yellow flowers that also adorn the Salento parkrun course.

Sanarica. The first of two pillars that we passed that day. Function unknown. As archaeologists are prone to saying, “for ritual purposes “

Water stop 2: 2:55:11 15.5 km.

Muro Leccese water stop. Here you can see our support team in the red hats. Saverio on the left, also Run Director at Salento parkrun, Nadia having a sit down, Mary surveying the scene, and on the right Estienne, sometime parkwalker, parkrunner and volunteer, and today part of the backup crew.

Muro Leccese. La chiesa di Santa Marina - dating back to the 9th-11th centuries with a sixteenth-century bell tower. The interior houses a cycle of frescoes dating back to 1087 which depict the life and works of Saint Nicholas.

Muro Leccese. Given the infrequent train services on southern train routes we were surprised to be held up at the level crossing  

We passed several heritage trail plaques in the ground.

Water stop 3: 3:40:56 19.56 km.

Scorrano.

Leaving Scorrano, a sign that we were heading in the right direction  

We were accompanied by a lovely dog called Tiffany, named after the film Breakfast at …, who came with us the whole way, running backwards and forwards so probably doing at least half as much again as we did!

Supersano. The last stretch of the pre-lunch section heading for a longer break at the 30km mark.

Supersano. Lots of poppies among the cabbages.

Lunch: 5:35:55 29.56 km.

Supersano. A 45 minute break. We ate the ham and cheese rolls we’d made that morning and were grateful for a chance to sit down, take our boots off, let our feet steam gently and put on fresh socks.

Supersano. Straight after lunch we had the only real uphill but only a short section to the high point of the route at 201 mt above sea level.

Casarano. A scary looking tree but reckon the birds won't be fazed by it.

Our first view of the sea!

Parabita, Piazza Umberto Primo.

Waterstop 4: 7:16:32 37.90 km.

Parabita, a slightly longer water stop. One of the party, Julia, had done this walk many times before and so knew where to go to get an ice cream!

Alezio. Getting closer to the end as the sun starts to settle towards the horizon.

Water stop 5: 8:18:39 43.37 km.

Outskirts of Gallipoli. The peloton on a narrow path across a field.

After 50 km and nearly 12 hours, we arrived at the Ionian sea just as the sun set. A feature of this event is carrying a portion of water from the Adriatic Sea and with great ceremony, pouring it into the Ionian Sea.

A second parkrun team photo and we are still smiling!

Team photo of the entire crew who made it the full distance, including Tiffany, the dog, and our two paramedics, who services I am glad to say were not called upon.

The End: Walking time 9:35:19. Total time 11:45:57. 50.44 km..

Elevation profile. Nothing too horrendous, mostly easy going.

I joked that it was an Ultra since it is longer than a marathon. Not sure I'd do this particular event again but would happily go out with the same group.

Dorothy Wordsworth’s Lake District

Ullswater, Cumbria.

When we were allowed out to exercise during the first Covid lockdown in 2020 we started walking the Ullswater Way in sections. See “The Ullswater Way - In the Footsteps of Dorothy Wordsworth”. Dorothy is the sister of William Wordsworth. 

Part way through this I was contacted by Paul Westover of Brigham Young University, USA, who was helping compile an electronic edition of some of Dorothy’s Lakeland writings to be published by the University of Colorado. These included "Excursion on the Banks of the Ullswater". However due to Covid he was unable to get to the UK to take pictures himself and wanted to use my photos.

I happily gave him permission to use any pictures from the blog. He also had a wish list of photos which gave us an added purpose and focus to our later walks - as well as being delightful walks in their own right. 

After some delays this online edition is now available at Dorothy Wordsworth’s Lake District:

“Dorothy Wordsworth is one of the most distinctive voices of Romantic-era literature: the author of extraordinary journals, poems, narratives, letters, and natural descriptions. This edition celebrates her work as a literary guide to the English Lake District. It offers access to works from across her career, all newly edited from manuscripts, extensively annotated, and situated within their original material formats and circumstances of composition. While some selections are general favorites, others are less well-known, and a few (selections from the Rydal Journals) have never been published before.”

Table of Contents.

• Introduction
• First Notebook of the Grasmere Journal (1800)
• "Excursion on the Banks of the Ullswater" (1805)
• "A Narrative Concerning George & Sarah Green" (1808)
• "Excursion up Scawfell Pike" (1818)
• Rydal Journals (1824-5, 1834-5)
• Back Matter

Loads of scholarly detail in the transcriptions and concordance of the various manuscript versions.

It also includes an interactive map of Dorothy’s walks:

A couple of my photos did make it into this edition at Reading Text of "Excursion on the Banks of Ullswater".

Stybarrow from Silver Crag.

Low Close Horse Farm.

When restrictions were lifted Paul was able to visit and we gave him a whistle-stop tour of Penrith and environs where I learned more about the Wordsworths’ connections to the area. 

Penrith Town Hall: formerly Wordsworth House, residence of the poet’s cousin Captain John Wordsworth.

Blue plaque.

Arnison’s: William and Anne Cookson, grandparents of William and Dorothy Wordsworth, lived here.

Plaque put up by the town council.

Penrith library: formerly a school for the children of upper-class families where the young siblings, Dorothy and William attended school (see Early life of William Wordsworth).

No blue plaque, but the school inscription above the entrance.

The Robin Hood: William Wordsworth stayed here with Raisley Calvert, 1794-95.

Blue Plaque.

Amongst other places we took Paul to Lowther Castle where Wordsworth’s father was a legal agent for James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale. He was thrilled to pass through Clifton because, as a man interested in history, he knew that it was the site of Clifton Moor Skirmish the last battle fought on English soil.

So in a very, very small way I have made a contribution and on the way learned a lot more about Dot and Bill. So that was nice.

City Break - Esslingen

Esslingen, Germany. Friday/Monday, 22/25-September-2023.

We had a fantastic weekend in Esslingen near Stuttgart, a part of Germany that we knew nothing about. With huge thanks to Markus and Manuela for inspiring us to visit the area and giving up their time to act as great local guides.

We first met Markus and Manuela when they came to Salento parkrun whilst on holiday in Puglia. Markus is one of the Run Directors for Neckarufer, Esslingen parkrun and was encouraging people to visit. 

Mary had got out her spreadsheet earlier in the year and worked out a plan whereby we could complete our parkrun alphabet challenge (doing a parkrun starting with each letter of the alphabet, except X) plus Mary's 50th different parkrun location and Jetsetter (parkruns in five countries) all at the same time at Neckarufer!

In parkrun circles visiting 100 different locations is known as a Cowell (after the first person to complete the feat) and 50 events is a half Cowell (or Cow). Before the start Markus and Manuela presented Mary with appropriate bovine headband, and as you can see she already had the alphabet leggings.

After parkrun and breakfast with the locals at a nearby cafe it was back to the apartment for a shower and then some normal touristing with Markus and Manuela. The old town of Esslingen has many beautiful buildings, all so well preserved.

Apparently buildings were taxed on their floor area at ground level so each of the higher floors were built a bit bigger.

There is a huge long staircase that runs above the vineyards up to a mansion at the top and a view point. We, of course, had to climb all the stairs to the top of this hill.

View from the top looking over the vineyards to the Swabian Alps on the horizon.

Selfie at the top. This lovely tower had been used as a restaurant / venue but it is sadly currently vacant.

Back in the town, we had stopped for a beer when the furries arrived! We think they were there as general jollity as part of the cultural activities that were going on that weekend.

More furries! They seemed to be having fun and entertaining the children at the same time.

The river Neckar and its many tributaries and canals wind through the old town. This was one of the most decorated bridges with the imposing towers of the Stadtkirch in the background.

Ealry Sunday morning we visited the Stadtkirch which was simple without much in the way of decoration.

The organist was rehearsing early Sunday morning, possibly for a recital that was scheduled for that afternoon, so we sat for a while and got a free organ recital.

Our hosts took us to Tiefenhöhle, a fantastic set of bat caves where you go down and down very steep stairs. At the lowest point for visitors we were 40m underground although the cave continues at least another 40m below

There were regular information points with audio guides in different languages explaining the origin of the caves, the story of their discovery and what we were looking at geologically speaking.

After the caves we went Blautopf a local beauty spot where the water from the caves runs off into this blue pool and the start point for our walk.

The idyllic setting of the blue pool.

Our hosts then took us on a hike through gorgeous woodland paths to a hill top rock, a castle and a grotto. Mary's earworm at this point was 🎵 Where you lead, I will follow 🎵.

The path was mostly gently upwards through delightful deciduous woodland. My favourite kind of countryside.

It was a bit of a scramble but we just had to go right to the top of the rock.

View of Hohengerhausen castle from the rock. It looked pretty impregnable with very steep cliffs on most sides.

The views from the top of the castle were impressive.

Back down at valley level the last section back to the pool was alongside a stream with crystal clear water. Looking back up to the castle it made me realise quite how high up we'd been.

We look forward to returning the favour and acting as local guides for Markus and Manuela in the Lake District sometime.