Deiva Marina and Cinque Terre

After a week on the road, we needed a break so Monday was decreed a rest day. Basically all we did was some domestics and serviced the van whilst enjoying the hot sunshine. Jamie is still a bit jumpy but that now is probably due to the fact that we are pitched close to reception and everybody who enters or leaves the site has to pass us by. There are of course a few dogs to be shouted at and also bicycles which for some reason he continues to try and chase. It has now got to the stage where we have to make him wear his bark-buster collar; at least that seems to work but it's not a permanent solution.

The campsite is generally very quiet with only a few pitches where we are. Along from us are mainly permanent units with buildings built onto ex-touring caravans, used mainly for weekend getaways by what we have seen although the site looks to have a few for hire too. There is a restaurant which seems to be well used in the evenings, so we may try it one night, and a small shop with not much in it although bread is available to order fresh daily. The book also says there is a swimming pool but it is currently being totally renovated and is a building site; however at this time of year not many campsite pools are open.

As mentioned before this is a good jumping off point to view the Cinque Terre, a group of 5 fishing villages clinging to inlets along the very mountainous coast line of Liguria, as well as being a national park with many marked walking trails. Access by vehicle is difficult and actually impossible in a couple of the villages and they are all therefore served by rail, cut through the mountains in almost continuous tunnels, or by boat. The villages are said to be very attractive and are a popular tourist attraction.

The campsite offers a free shuttle bus service to the train station in the small town of Deiva Marina and also provided us with plenty of information, so we've booked places first thing tomorrow.

Tuesday started quite dull and cool with perhaps a tiny hint of a rain shower although the promise was for a return to the sunshine before long. Packing enough for ourselves and Jamie, who is allowed on the trains, the shuttle took us down to the station where we bought tickets to Levanto, the start of the tourist trail. A journey of only a few minutes on a punctual and clean and tidy train and we got off, only to find an enormous queue to buy the special discounted tourist passes – it took half an hour but we managed before the next train.

What we hadn't realised up to now was that there were extra trains operating between Levanto and La Spezia apart from the hourly “through” train so in fact we never had more than 15 minutes to wait all day. But of course it was then we also discovered just how popular this area was as all the trains were pretty full, though always enough room for us and Jamie – the trick was to walk along to either end of the train where it was much quieter.

We decided to travel to the furthest of the villages, Riomagiore, then “hop” back one at a time to give us greatest flexibility, so we bagged an individual compartment on the next train so that Jamie had a bit of room – his first time on a train he was as good as gold all day (well right up until the last one where he got startled and made his feelings well known!).

None of the villages are very big so the crowds, which included several “crocodiles” of tourists led by guides apparently off cruise ships moored further south, were some what off-putting. Also, being built in tiny gorges, there was a lot of up and down to be negotiated. We managed several ice-creams during the day.

Coast looking north from Riomagiore

Tiny harbour at Riomagiore

Riomagiore

Steps to castle

Religious montage left over from Xmas

We explored pretty well all of what was to be seen at Riomagiore but have to say that, whilst very nice, we weren't over impressed in the place as a tourist attraction. So we headed back to the station and the next train “back” to Manarola where we found more of the same, but at least mostly on the same level and were able to get down to the harbour area where some local lads were providing entertainment by jumping off steep rocks into the water. Unfortunately that's where everybody else had headed and as it was now lunchtime the many restaurants were full, probably with the “crocodiles”; we made do with expensive take-away chicken nuggets and chips and our own bottles of water. We also bought postcards and a small guide book as it was clear we would not be able to get to the best places for photographs.

Manarola main (only!) street

Harbour at Manarola

Manarola

Local cruise boat arriving

Back to the station and the next village of Corniglia, said to be the smallest and the least accessible. Well the latter is true as there was a free shuttle bus to the village from the station, but the service simply could not cope with the numbers of visitors so we satisfied ourselves with a walk along the coastal footpath before returning to the station for another ice-cream.

Coast at Corniglia

A word here about the footpath, which is supposed to connect the villages by following the cliffs. There not being much distance between the villages, the longest train transfer being 4 minutes, this is a good way to see the coast at it's best. Unfortunately two of the shortest paths are currently closed and as the recommended time allowance for each of the others was 1½ to 2 hours, we rejected that idea!

Sat at Corniglia, it was obvious that Jamie was flagging and we too were hot and sticky so when the next train came in we stayed on it back to Levanto where we had to get off and wait 45 mins for the next “through” train back to Deiva Marina. A phone call to the site quickly brought the shuttle bus and 5 mins later we were back and indulged ourselves in a cuppa and an hour resting weary feet and backs. Apart from the stations and trains because of the crowds we'd found few opportunities to just sit and watch. We agreed we'd both enjoyed the day but it was a shame about the crowds. Jamie just went to sleep under the van!