It’s Not the Getting Up that’s the Problem…it’s the Getting Down…!

I set off from La Isla campsite early, and by 11 a.m. I was in La Hermida,ready to tackle the Via Ferrata which was there..firstly I found the office/reception closed, however,undaunted, I found my way round the back of the office, and the start of the route.

This would be my first Via Ferrata of 2011, and also the first I’d done in Spain, so I had no real idea as to what grade it would be,nor what the conditions would be like, I did translate some of the route description which said it would either be a 700 mts climb, or reach 700 mts, either way, I thought it should be a good route, looking down into the valley of La Hermida, and a rather ‘posh’ spa complex which was there, no doubt in summer it will be heaving . As I set off up the lower stretches, immediately there was a lot of difficulty, as because of the recent rain, everything was slippy, and I had to make my way along the lower faces, through trees,and slopes….so, inevitably I suppose, I soon slipped, cutting several of the cuts on my arms again…woe is me ,bleeding again.

Thankfully I soon came to the first real rock climb,and I soon lifted myself out of the mud, and up the dry limestone above,this was more like it, almost brand new equipment which was well placed,and spaced.

Up I continued, around several features, which had name plaques on them, I didn’t have a clue, just kept going upwards…twisting backwards and forwards along the rock faces, and quickly climbing above, with great views of the valley below, and the traffic wending it’s way along the road.As you can see,some of the route was quite strenuous,and overhanging, but I managed it, keeping up a good momentum, although the time was whizzing by, as it does…’time flies when you’re having fun’..and then, whizzo…2 hours and….

I’d done it, and was at the top of the Via Ferrata, or at least the protected areas , so which ways down ?

I (you can guess what’s coming next…!) couldn’t work out which was the route down, and so,mistakenly thought it was over the top of the hill, and to the right…so I kept climbing, climbing, and climbing, seemingly never ending, I climbed about an extra 400 mts to get to the top of the hill, and still no real path available….funny, they’re usually well marked on these Via Ferrata’s I thought !

I then had the usual navigation exercise (no map) and had to traverse some quite steep limestone pavements and rocks, until eventually I made my way down to some hill villages, and followed a road all the way back down into La Hermida, arriving there four hours later !…phew, it should have been a stroll down, I’d climbed 1110 mts in 6 1/4 hours,I should have actually just gone right, when the protection ended, and worked my way down from there,although I’d seen some great countryside, and spotted a good patch of land to camp for the night , I wasn’t going to drive far !

Having got some clean gear on, and picked up Wally, we went back up the road I’d come down, to where I’d spotted, a remote spot, about 1,000 ft up, with nothing nearby…hope the stars are out, although it’s cloudy, and now, time to relax….I’m rather tired having done twice what I expected to do (again)!Buenos Nochas….Covadonga tomorrow..