This year, instead of my usual two week summer break, I opted for two separate one-week holidays, a month apart. The first was to the Dolomites, where I joined Ruth and Josh for an expedition along the Alta Via 4. Ruth and I had enjoyed the longer but less technical Alta Via 2 in 2019, and had fancied returning for one with more via ferrata and scrambling.

The easiest way for me to get to the start was to fly out to Innsbruck and get a lift with Ruth and Josh from there (they were driving out over a few days). And the easiest way back from the finish was to fly from Venice. Unfortunately Gatwick appeared to be the only airport offering suitable flights in both directions so I had to make the tedious drive down to London and half way around the M25. The traffic was alright on the Friday evening though, and I reached my hotel in Horley in a little over three hours.

After a poor night’s sleep in a very warm room, I was up early to catch the 5am shuttle bus to the airport, leaving my car in the hotel car park as that was much cheaper than the official airport car parks. After extensive disruption to global air travel the previous day due to the Crowdstrike IT problems, I was relieved that flights were generally running close to schedule, and we were in the air within half an hour of the timetabled departure, apparently delaying a few minutes to let some storms pass over Innsbruck! Sure enough, the ground was very wet on arrival but the sky was brightening.

With a very rapid transit through passport control at the small airport, I was soon walking the 2km into the city centre, where I checked out the location of my hostel, got some Euros from an ATM, and bought lunch supplies. Then I set off for an afternoon walk on the slopes of the Nordkette ridge, north of the city. It was a steep and unrelenting climb up past Gramartboden and through the forest and meadows to Höttinger Alm – very sweaty work in the hot and humid conditions! After a short lunch break, I continued on traversing paths west for a few kilometres, with good views over the city and airport, before a final steep descent.
Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2691174

I checked into the hostel – sharing a spacious four-person dormitory with two others – then returned to the supermarket to pick up dinner, breakfast and lunch supplies. I had a lazy evening, except for a pre-sunset stroll along the river, and another poor night’s sleep thanks to the high temperatures and a noisy Italian roommate getting up and re-packing for half an hour before departing at 4:30am!

Ruth and Josh were expecting to reach Innsbruck in the early-to-mid afternoon on Sunday, and it was quite a walk to any of the other surrounding mountains. I therefore opted for a morning exploring the city, taking in a few of the landmarks that Google suggested were the highlights: the Hofgarten park, the Goldenes Dachl and clock tower, the Bergisel ski jump, and the castle of Schloss Ambras. I followed the river back into the city centre, pausing for lunch on the way, then picked a suitably accessible but quiet street for my van pick-up.
Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2692019

Once on the road, it was only about an hour and a quarter to our campsite for the night, across the Italian border in St Lorenzen. Ruth and Josh had helpfully brought out my tent, Thermarest and sleeping bag. We used the very luxurious shower facilities and then walked into the village for dinner at a pizzeria on the main square. Then we got a fairly early night, and I slept much less badly this time!

The next morning we had breakfast, packed up camp, popped back into the village to buy lunch supplies for the first few days of walking, and then drove the half hour or so to San Candido (a.k.a Innichen, but I’ve decided to use the Italian names for this blog). Soon we were underway, following a gently-rising cycle path for a few kilometres up the valley then turning right on a quieter footpath up Val Campo di Dentro. The impressive pinnacles of Cime di Sesto and Rocca dei Baranci towered above the forest on either side.

The route steepened as we zigzagged up the head of the valley to Forcella di San Candido, passing below Monte Mattina and Punta dei Tre Scarperi. From the top, the spires of Torre di Tobin and Torre dei Scarperi dominated the view. Continuing a little further, the famous (and much celebrated on Instagram) Tre Cime di Lavaredo came into view ahead.

Ideally we would have finished the day’s walk at Rifugio Locatelli, before the Tre Cime, but it had been fully booked when we enquired, so we continued for another 5km, traversing around the right hand side of the Tre Cime to reach Rifugio Auronzo. The hut is located at the head of a road, packed out with day visitors, and consequently had more of a hotel feel, with a cafeteria rather than a cosy dining room. By evening though, all the day trippers had disappeared back into the valley, and it was a very peaceful and attractive place to spend the night, with dramatic views of the many peaks of Cadin de Misurina. We were lucky to have a six-bed dormitory to share between the three of us.
Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2695510

Tuesday’s weather looked the worst of the week, so it was fortunate that it was also our shortest planned walking day (thanks to having done half of the ideal stage the previous afternoon!). It was only around 5km to Rifugio Fonda Savio, but the route around the east side of Cadin de Misurina on the ‘Sentiero Bonacossa’ was interesting, following a series of exposed ledges. There were a couple of short via ferrata sections, but we decided they did not merit putting on harnesses and clipping on, especially as this would have involved faffing in the light rain.

It was only mid morning when we reached the attractively-located hut, nestled below Torre Wundt, and we didn’t have a great deal to do for the rest of the day! We knew there was a proper via ferrata just up the valley, so we went to take a look, although the forecast of showers wasn’t ideal for it. The peaks were in thick mist much of time, but the temporary breaks revealed a very exposed set of ladders straight up the cliff face. We had lunch in the dry below an overhanging cliff and watched a couple of other groups head across to the start of the via ferrata, go up a bit, then turn back. We unanimously agreed that we did not fancy attempting it in the damp conditions!

It had still filled a few hours though, and by the time we got back to the hut, we were able to check in. This time we were allocated bunks in the overflow accommodation in the attic, squeezed in just below the roof beams! The hut was more typical, in a remote spot and serviced only by a luggage lift, and provided us with a very tasty evening meal. I slept fairly well, despite the cramped berth!
Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2695513

There were three possible variants of the AV4 that we could choose from on Wednesday. As we again did not have very far to go, we opted for the longest one, along ‘Sentiero Durissini’, This exposed path traversed across the back of a series of steep cirques, separated by steep cols crossed on gravelly zigzag paths. There were excellent views of the many surrounding rock spires, and the Tre Cime in the distance.

After a while, we reached the grassier ground of Ciadin de la Pere, but soon turned away from it over another rocky col – Forcella de la Neve – to reach a short via ferrata ascent up to Forcella de Misurina. This time we did put our gear on and clip on properly, although the exposure and technicality did not really merit it. Nevertheless, it was good to practice with the equipment before the trickier passages of the coming days.

Once over that pass, it was a short traverse to Rifugio Col di Varda, from where a 4×4 track led down to the village of Misurina. We sat by the lake eating a late lunch of fresh supplies from the small supermarket, watching the tourists in hired rowing boats and pedaloes, and lots of cyclists passing on very expensive road bikes,

Again, our preferred hut a few miles further on was unavailable, so we had a more luxurious night at the Grand Hotel, sharing a ‘triple room’ that turned out to be more of a family apartment with kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms! Later in the afternoon, we walked a lap of the lake, then had a fairly lacklustre evening meal in the hotel restaurant – we were not particularly surprised that the mountain huts offer tastier food than the 4-star hotel in the valley! I found the bed rather firm and didn’t sleep particularly well.
Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2695519

At guidebook pace, Thursday’s walk would take nearly 12 hours, so we were up and away early, armed with our packed breakfasts from the hotel reception! The first 90 minutes or so were up the road to Passo Tre Croci – not very inspiring walking but at least we were there before the traffic picked up. It was also good to be early on the path from the pass to Lago del Sorapis, another spot much prized by Instagrammers! The heavy erosion was testament to the high numbers of visitors who would follow later on. The emerald-blue waters below limestone cliffs were certainly a pretty destination worthy of the popularity.

After a short break, we continued past Rifugio Vandelli (where we would ideally have spent the previous night!) and up over some limestone pavements in Circo del Sorapis to reach the bottom of the Via Ferrata Vandelli, the longest and most challenging one of our trip. There were a few short ladders at the start, but the majority of the route was aided only by the cable itself, following a very exposed but fairly logical line, diagonally up the cliff face on a series of rising ledges. Part-way up, we overtook an Italian group (one of whom told us he lives in London) and were overtaken by a British pair. The views over the cirque were very impressive, with lots of folded strata, and the blue lake below, with Misurina and the Tre Cime still visible in the distance.

We had lunch on the easy ground at the top of the via ferrata, then dropped down, via a couple more protected sections, to the small bivvy hut of Bivacco Comici. The final section of the day’s route made a gradual ascent of Val de San Vido up to Forcella Grande. The peak of Cima Bel Pra on the other side of the valley dominated the impressive views. Josh and Ruth seemed to be struggling a lot more than I was with the fairly warm and humid conditions (I didn’t think it was that bad!)

We knew that the hut was not far beyond the col, but were disappointed when we realised that there was a steep 400m descent to tackle – not what my sore knees wanted at the end of a ten-hour day! It was definitely a relief to reach Rifugio San Marco. It was also good to arrive soon after 4pm, with plenty of time to relax and rehydrate before dinner – another hearty and very tasty meal. We spent the rest of the evening sitting under a pergola just up from the hut, with stunning views of Monte Antelao and Monte Pelmo, chatting with a couple from Salt Lake City (who we had previously met at Rifugio Fonda Savio) and the Italian group who we’d overtaken on the via ferrata. I slept very well, for the first time this trip!
Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2700129

The final full day’s walking was the only one that both started and ended at our first choice of huts! It began with a gentle, zigzagging climb up to Forcella Piccola, where I took a group photo for a large group of youngsters, then a short descent to the huge Rifugio Galassi (where the big group had presumably stayed). From there, the path led gradually up over scree, slabs and a few small snow patches towards Forcella del Ghiacciaio (pass of the glaciers). Little remains of the glaciers on Monte Antelao though – just a few snow patches on the ‘Inferiore’ glacier on the north side.

The final section of the ascent to the pass was another proper via ferrata, again just a cable with no other aids, going directly up a huge slab. It was just about possible to walk up most sections without using hands, but I would certainly not have gone up there without the security of the cable! From the top, we saw an ibex a little further up the ridge, and enjoyed the view over what remains of the ‘Superiore’ glacier on the south side.

A short scramble led us down onto the moraine, where we decided to remove our via ferrata kit. That proved the wrong decision though, as we reached another protected section further down the valley where the path descended steeply across a cliff band. Surprisingly that section had not been marked in the usual way on the map! Below that, we passed a larger group of ibex, surprisingly happy for walkers to pass within a few metres of them. Once we were down into grassier terrain, we removed our via ferrata gear for the second time and paused for lunch.

There remained only one more climb, just a couple of hundred metres up to Forcella Piria, where we paused for another snack break. Then a few kilometres of gentle descent led to our hut for the night, Rifugio Antelao, where we were greeted cheerily by the eccentric Italian guardians. We were first to arrive and so had first choice of beds in a 13-bed dormitory. We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting over drinks on the terrace.
Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2700131

Dinner was a much livelier affair than usual, with a group of around 15 local mountain bikers who had come up just for the evening, and bottles of red wine and mineral water being handed out liberally throughout for no additional charge! It was quite surprising that the place did quieten down completely by 10:30pm and I got another good night’s sleep.

The next morning, Saturday, we had only a downhill walk of 8km on forest tracks to reach the end of the Alta Via 4, in Pieve di Cadore. A few minutes further down the road was Tai di Cadore, from where I was catching a bus to Mestre and Ruth and Josh a bus back to their van in San Candido. We had time to enjoy panini for lunch together at a café before heading our separate ways.
Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2700133

A very smooth, modern and comfortable coach made for a pleasant two hour journey to Mestre, the mainland town across the bridge from Venice. I checked into my hostel then went for a walk around the town centre – pretty unremarkable – before buying my bus ticket to the airport for the next morning, cooking some dinner in the guest kitchen, and getting a fairly early night. The journey home on Sunday – bus to Marco Polo airport, flight to Gatwick, and drive back to Derby – all went to plan, and I was home by mid-afternoon with plenty of time to get my smelly laundry washed and dried before the return to work on Monday.

In summary, another excellent week in the dramatic limestone mountains of the Dolomites. It was really good to tackle a couple of proper via ferrata en route, something for which the area is much celebrated. The six-day expedition along the Alta Via 4 was a lot less physically strenuous than our 11-day expedition on the Alta Via 2 had been five years earlier, but no less impressive. I’m sure I’ll be back for more at some point!

You can find my full photo album on Google Photos here.