20.2 km today.
3.9 km/h average today.
5 hours 11 mins walking time.
106.4 km this trip.
3613.6 km from start.
20 metres minimum height.
52 metres maximum height.
72 metres ascent.
134 metres descent.
Track Log: Logged.
Travel: Train, Train+Train.
15.45 Euros.
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2012-06-07-000-Cremona-to-Robecco-Pontevico.kml
2012-06-07-000-Cremona-to-Robecco-Pontevico.gpx
Mostly on little lanes with parallel fast flowing irrigation ditches. Nice sunny weather.
The 06:27 to Mantova via Cremona departed on time. The Shaun the Sheep alarm was set for 05:00. This counts as a lie-in! There were no changes or connections to worry about on the outward journey.
The walk was hot and humid and tickly thunder flies were landing. It looked cloudy but there was still quite a lot of U.V. judging by Neil's arms, neck and nose which would have looked good on Rudolph.
The route was excellent. After escaping from Cremona, the road narrowed to a single track and stayed like that almost all the way. Nearer Robecco, the road dwindled to a dry mud lane skirting sweetcorn on one side and a disused quarry on the other. Nicer walking in flat terrain would be hard to find. Although the land looked flat, the irrigation canals and rivers were quite fast flowing indicating a significant if not visible slope. Many of these channels might date back to Roman times. This assertion is based on vague memories of history and latin lessons so it's about as likely to be correct as Wikipedia. Most of the roads had a parallel irrigation channel, some small and some big and fast flowing, enough to drown a careless child.
Approaching Robecco Pontevico station, Neil saw the 12:40 train depart so he had to wait an hour for the next one. This was a useful cooling off time although it was becoming hot and humid and the flies were slightly annoying. It was a nice place to wait. Trenitalia had not weed killed the tracks so they were lined with poppies and other flowers. Beyond the railway was farmland which was part of the Parco Dell'Oglio Nord. The train was not air conditioned and the windows were open. Lovely! From Brescia to Milano the train was air conditioned and cold and clammy.
It took a couple of weeks in Italy to work out how to buy a rail ticket from a station other than the local one using the ticket machines. At 5am, the ticket office is never open. At remote stations the machine, if there is one, is rarely working. This is useful as the journeys are now always legal and more relaxing.
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