Day 33 – to Klöntal

Rain on and off this morning at Santa Maria, but conditions still pretty good for a wander around the forest, the excitement exaggerated by my stubborn refusal to obey the signage. See photo..

Rather than a refusal to obey, perhaps a reluctance to believe that the path really should be closed.

It’s healthily rooted in a bent to ignore an authority telling me I shouldn’t walk somewhere.

The fun we wouldn’t have had if the leader had obeyed the sign discouraging passage into the old mine shaft above Llanwrst, mis-translating Perygl as Welcome..

I need to find out for myself.. and I did. A kilometre or so down the track and a landslide, descending 80 metres at least to the valley below. No chance to pass. Even Roja turned back. But I was able to get down and round, through the rough forest to the other side of the closure.

After lunch and pack up, a chance to reflect on what a tremendous stopover place this had been, for the last 4 days. Just the occasional dog walker passing, all stopping to nod and shout for a good day.

Then an afternoon of a spectacular drive, over several passes, in snow showers and sunny parts, which added to the vista; Zemez then Davos still 2 metres deep in snow. The latter part was much busier, but I still reached the far end of the lake at Klöntal just after 5 pm.

There’s a large campsite, which is something of an eyesore against the arresting peaks behind. The vast majority of pitches are permanent caravans, covered in winter with ugly and dirty tarpaulins. There seems to be no regulation as to what people can do with their pitch. Most string up some decrepit awning, and fence off a border..

A few hundred metres up the narrow road, just as it finishes was a car park for hikers, but with no restrictions for vans. Directly next to the fast flowing river, it was ideal.