This was a week that was full of a diversity in experiences and hilarious exploits typical of a week with Collett’s. As often occurs in peak season, numbers have been high on Via Ferratas, with the shining sun offering delicious mountain days out for all.

Looking up at Via Ferrata Cirspitze 2A - Passo Gardena

‘Cirspitze (a 2B Via Ferrata) Monday’, as it has become colloquially known, became a group affair when the Corvara, Arabba & Pedraces teams join forces, producing a team of first time Via Ferrata enthusiasts and 5 Via Ferrata organisers. Counter intuitive to any preconceived ideas, the large numbers were not at all a hindrance, but an opportunity for a group of  individuals to help one another out within an abnormal situation. It really is amazing how a few hundred meters and a rather large vertical drop brings people together!

At the start of Via Ferrata Cirspitze 2A

The bridge on Via Ferrata della Trincee above Arabba

Thursday heralded a new day for many of these once first time Via Ferrata enthusiasts, with a group of brave souls (after one of two easier routes on previous days) puckering up the courage to attempt Trincee (4B Via Ferrata, out of Arabba), which was arranged by Via Ferrata organisers Freya and Chris. After the somewhat tricky first 150 meters of this historic and exposed slab of volcanic rock, the group split into two groups of differing speeds. Both groups enjoyed the day immensely, with myself and Freya reveling in the hilarious antics of one particular Liverpool based guest who kept the group bent over laughing during times of possible peril. Both groups met near the end of the route and enjoyed a swift instant coffee from an authentic Italian coffee machine (apparently the best coffee machine coffee in the world) before riding the Porta Vescovo cable car home to a cool beer, a hearty meal and a warm bed.

WWI Barracks on Via Ferrata Della Trincee
Translates to 'Way of the Trenches' and today still has many ruins and remains left over from the first world war.

Other than outdoor adventures upon precarious mountain peaks, more and more walks are being added to our program every week, with three walks now leaving Corvara on most days. The protected path of Munt de Ghardinacia (from Predraces on the Puez Odle Massif), and the scenic walk of Nuvolau (near Cinque Torre) have been highly praised by all those partaking in the walks.

Wildflower Walks at Cinque Torre on the Falzarego Pass

Of the fauna and flora, the wildflowers continue to be replaced by new  and differing species. Fire lilies have replaced the white wild carrots on the hill sides, with the infamous devils claw beginning to flower atop crags frequented by everyone’s favorite bird, the Alpine Chough. The local Marmot populations are also become more and more erratic in their activities, with squeaks and squawks being emitted at irregular intervals. And on that note, the Marmots have not been the only thing squeaking and squawking over the past week. The annual jazz festival has come out of hibernation and into the spot light, with live acts listened to by keen ears every night this week. A notably brilliant performance was seen in the “P Funk Band”, a marching band of dancing musicians whose enthusiasm for their craft diffused through the crowd, resulting in a barrage of extremely bad dancing, but also a lot of fun.

Devil's claw - Physoplexus comosum

So that was the week that was, finished for now until the week that will be in several days time.

Chris Gordon

Well, never mind walking, Via Ferrata-ing, painting or flower walks, this week has seen Alta Badia positively vibrating with live music! Haus Valentin guests and staff have been enjoying a festival this week celebrating 175 years of music in the Alta Badia, all taking place in a large beer tent just a stone’s throw away in San Leonardo.  The evenings’ entertainment (attracting locals and tourists alike, of all ages, some lederhosen clad and some not!) have so far included orchestras, blues bands and acoustic projects, with the grand finale kicking off at 6.30am (!) this Sunday with some good old oom-paa tunes….

Müjiga de Badia - see www.mujigabadia.it

Meanwhile the annual Alta Badia jazz festival is well under way, and on Thursday night HV staff Jenny, Al and Anna found themselves being very happily swept along in a jigging crowd following the fantastic marching ‘P-Funking’ band on the streets of Corvara. An assortment of 15 men with brass instruments and drums all playing, marching and dancing at the same time: certainly not traditional but definitely great fun.

Taking a break from walking on the Viel dal pan

But back to the serious stuff …with fine weather for several weeks now and only the most stubborn patches of snow remaining some great high level walks have been going out, including Sas De Putia (a new one for us this season), Giro De Tofana De Rozes (one of my favourites!) and Croda Dal Lago….all circular walks around very different but equally spectacular mountains.

Anna's Dad walking on the Veil dal Pan with Civetta (3,220m) behind

The Veil Dal Pan walk with stunning views of the Marmolada was enjoyed so much by all that what was supposed to be an ‘easy’ walk turned into a 6-hour one with us all deciding that we’d ‘just like to see what’s round the next corner’ – and the next!

Horse Riding in the Dolomites for Lynne's Birthday

On the Via Ferrata front, several guests over the last few weeks have joined organised groups to tackle their first ever VF, Cirspitze (grade 2a), and came back buzzing and eager for more.  Al returned from Michelli Strobel (grade 3b) on Thursday with the obligatory fine layer of dust all over him and his rucksack – an unavoidable side-effect of descending via an enormous scree slope!  Whether or not some staff are able to walk or climb without a cowboy swagger this week remains to be seen….six of us went for a two hour horse trek in the lovely Lungiaru valley to celebrate Lynne’s birthday on Wednesday and some were suffering the saddle-related consequences.

Wildflowers in the Alta Badia above Pedraces Badia

On a wildflower walk near Pedraces and Corvara

The wild flower presentations on Friday nights have been proving very popular so far this season (thank you Flower People!) – Friday night also happens to be cocktail night in the Haus Valentin bar (could there be a correlation between wild flower enthusiasts and cocktails?!) and the staff are gradually perfecting the art of cocktail making, though apologies to guests who may have been lightly sprayed by exploding cocktail shakers recently…… A safer alternative was quiz night, this week taking place outside on the terrace at dusk which meant occasional contributions from the chalet owners who were on their balcony above (no, Rainer, the answer isn’t ‘Harry Potter’ to ANY of the questions).

The 'Enrosadira' above Haus Valentin & Pedraces

Until the next blog we’ll say ciao as it’s about time that we sat down with some cappuccini and set about devising a programme of walks for the coming week – a very enjoyable task given the endless possibilities!

P.S We’d like to follow Arabba’s lead by saying thank you for the lovely cards sent by guests who’ve stayed at Haus Valentin recently (one anonymous, but we know who you are!), and also for the amazing box of sweets and choccies!

Anna

Sunday 19th to Thursday 23rd September

Mike and Paula Chadderton invite you to beautiful Wensleydale for a Walking Break in the Yorkshire Dales. Spend four nights at Eastfield Lodge, Collett’s charming guesthouse just 250 yards from the picturesque market square of Leyburn, the principal town of Wensleydale and gateway to the Dales National Park.

Each day after a hearty breakfast we will venture out on a magnificent day walk of an intermediate/hard grade, each one amongst the best in the area. After the walks there is time to relax in the hospitable atmosphere and comfort of Eastfield Lodge, where we have 9 delightful en suite bedrooms, a guest lounge and a spacious dining room.

Walking breaks in the Yorkshire Dales

Sunday 19th September

Meet at Eastfield Lodge during the afternoon.
Pre-dinner drinks and canapés followed by an informal two course supper

Monday 20th September – Carperby, Castle Bolton from Aysgarth

Gentle gradients and outstanding 360? views. Height gain is 350m. Distance 10 miles.
Packed lunch included. Evening – three course dinner with wine at Eastfield Lodge.

Tuesday 21st September – Melbecks Moor and Surrender Bridge

Contrasting scenery from woodland and limestone scars to the dramatic landscape of the old lead mining industry. Height gain 550m. Distance 9 miles.
Packed lunch included. Evening – we will book a large table(s) in a local pub and have a pub meal together (pay individually) or if you prefer, eat out independently. (We would be happy to book you into one of many excellent pub restaurants in the area.)

Wednesday 22nd September – Cray and Scar House

A walk along the Dales Way with splendid views of Upper Wharfdale. The walk starts and finishes in the village of Starbotton. Height gain 350m. Distance 9 miles.
Pub Lunch in a traditional Dales pub – pay individually. Evening – three course dinner with wine at Eastfield Lodge.

Thursday 23rd September Depart at your leisure, anytime after breakfast.

Prices £245 per person (based on two people sharing a room)
£395 per person (where single occupancy is required) Price includes bed, breakfast, informal supper (Sunday), packed lunches (Monday and Tuesday) and three course dinner (Monday & Wednesday)

Interested? Contact Mike or Paula on 01969 623196 or email them at paula@eastfieldlodge.co.uk

We hope to hear from you soon

Kind regards

Tom Collett

Walking to Mucker

P.S. Win a holiday with Collett’s – It’s time to call on your walking friends!

Win the walking holiday of a lifetime in Summer 2011 for 4 people in the glorious Italian Dolomites or Pyrenees.

It’s easy and quick to partake, just visit… www.colletts.co.uk/winaholiday …and enter yourself and a walking friend into the prize draw. If you are drawn out of the hat, you and your nominated friend (plus 2 others) will enjoy a walking holiday amidst some of the world’s most beautiful mountain scenery. Full details of the prize draw can be found at the above website.

Collett’s Mountain Holidays Blog! New for Summer 2010

Collett’s Mountain Holidays is relaunching our blog for the start of Summer 2010 – click here for more details. Expect weekly updates from our Organisers in the Italian Dolomites and Pyrenees with pictures, videos walking reports and more…

In the Alta Badia there are three restaurants awarded with Michelin stars.

In the last few years some restaurants from the Alta Badia have transformed their kitchens into research centres, revisiting and adapting traditional recipes to suit the needs of modern tastes and trends. Many of the restaurants in the Alta Badia cooperate with great international chefs and gourmet experts. Besides top quality cuisine restaurants in the Alta Badia offer well stocked wine cellars along with friendly and elegant dining rooms.

Original post by altabadia.org

It’s been a busy start to the season in Arabba. The team this year consists of Becky, Ben, Clare, Emma, Lynne, Rich, Rushy and Ryan. Everyone is settling in nicely and we’ve already had some lovely letters from the guests, thanks to all those who’ve sent them!

Final ladder of Via Ferrata Delle Scalette

The sun is back and we’ve had glorious weather for the past two weeks now. The steady 30 degree daytime temperature has really helped with shifting the remaining snow bringing many new Vie Ferrate into condition; Oscar Schuster (3b), Delle Scalette (3b), Possnecker (4c) and Ski Club 18 (5c) have all seen first season ascents this week.

On the summit of Delle Scalette with the Tre Cime behind

Stopping for a break on Via Ferrata Possnecker 4C

Chaos ensued in Arabba on Sunday the 4^th July as 15,800 bikes taking part in the Maratona bike race came through the village and headed on up the Pordoi pass. It was a great spectacle to watch with the guests staying in the Sport Hotel seeing the funny side of it as they waited for an hour to cross the road!

Hard Climbing on Via Ferrata Ski Club 18

Wednesday was an eventful day off with the Via Ferrata organisers heading over to the First Sella Tower on top of the Sella Pass for some climbing. Ryan and Emma climbed the much celebrated Trenker Crack (V-) whilst Lynne and Rushy tackled the wall just to the left via the Rossi route (VII-). Rich and Bec headed for the City of Rocks for some sport climbing whilst Clare and Ben went on a bit of a road trip to the beautiful town of Auronzo.

Lynne and Rushy tackling the Rossi route (VII-)

On Friday the first Arabba Pub quiz of the season took place. A fantastic night was had with some cunning questions devised by Ben providing much debate. Our very own quizmaster Rich handled the proceedings very well. Congratulations to the ‘Motley Marmots’ for winning a free round of drinks for best team name. The competition for best team was fierce with the aptly named ‘winners’ eventually triumphing by two points. The ‘winners’ kindly shared their 1^st prize bottle of Juniper Grappa with everyone else (I leave you to decide whether that was kind or not!).

The following day one of our returning guests and History enthusiast (he’ll get upset if I write ‘expert’) John Scanlon was kind enough to give everyone a World War I presentation in Barbara bar.  There was an audience of 30 and I think I speak for everyone when I say it was very interesting and we all learnt a lot. Did you know the soldiers in the War used to sit in a circle removing lice from their clothing? In those days they called lice ‘chats’, hence the term ‘chatting’ (I hope I got that right). And then there’s the origin of the Ferrari logo, most intriguing… Thanks again John!

A final thanks to all the guests who’ve stayed with us so far this season, has been great fun. To anyone reading this and still to come out we look forward to meeting you and will hopefully see you soon.

The Arabba team.

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Pena Blanca Summit Team 2367m

Ordesa Nattional Park UNESCO

Prolonged warm weather in the Pyrenees has meant some of our classic hard walks are now coming into condition.   This week saw first outings on the Faja Pelay in the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park and also the Frontier Ridge – a classic, exposed ridge walk right on the border.

Frontier Ridge, walking in Aragon and the Val de Tena

The gondola lift in Panticosa opened this Saturday opening up the ‘Rincon del Verde Round’ a spectacular walk under the imposing cliffs of the Sierra de la Tendenera – several groups have already been up and were understandably impressed.

High in the Val de Tena

The outdoor pool in Panticosa is now open and proving to be a favourite spot for a cool down in the afternoon – or even for that well deserved rest day!

Thanks for the fantastic photos from the team in Panticosa!

Sallent & Pena Foratata

A very busy two weeks has seen lots of new routes being completed all over the Dolomites. Nearly all Via Ferrata’s can be done and the hot weather over Europe is set to continue well into next week!

Our teams have been tackling all of the usual classics along with some harder routes that have just come into condition. Hannah and Tom had a great day out on Trincee (4B) despite the huge walk-in and the crowds on the wire!

Tom climbing Via Ferrata della Trincee 4B with the Marmolada behind

Hannah climbing Via Ferrata Della Trincee with Piz Boé Behind

Charity and Sarah had a challenging day on the hardest Via Ferrata in the Dolomites ‘Sci Club 18′ (5C) with 700metres of vertical rock and luckily a cable car back down to the car park.

Charity Climbing Via Ferrata Sci Club 18

High exposure on Via Ferrata Sci Club 18

Sarah Summiting Via Ferrata Sci Club 18

Mel and Dave completed the first ever VF to be built in the Dolomites (circa 1908) called Possnecker (4B +++) ………..from what I hear it was quite a long day with the guys returning at 8pm!

Tricky climbing on the Via Ferrata Possnecker 4B++

Our guests have also been busy with ascents of Piz Da Lec (including a dip in the lake!!), Sandro Pertini,Tridentina, Lagazuoi tunnels,  Marmolada and Piz Boe.

Via Ferrata West Ridge Marmolada

Last Sunday saw the ever popular Maratona road cycling race. Over seven Collett’s guests entered the race with one team taking a wrong turn and ending up racing with the top 8 proffesionals in the lead!! A great day was had by all who entered, with perfect weather and a great atmosphere in Corvara. Thanks must go to Lisa Welborn who has provided us with some great photos of the race. If you want to enter next year and think you have what it takes see the official Maratona website here.

Maratona dles Dolomites taken by Lisa Welborn

Thanks to Tom for the words and pictures and Charity for the pictures of Via Ferrata Sci Club 18.

We occasionally have some late sale space or gaps that create short stays because of our arrive anyday/depart anyday bookings and some of the latest are listed below.

For a full list of our special offers in the Dolomites click here

For details of our special offers in the Pyrenees click here

Or call us on 01763 289660 and quote ‘Collett’s Summer Blog Special Offers’

Dolomites

July

11th -15th July (4 days) – Chalet Verena (Corvara)

• Half board – List Price £297pp – Offer Price £195pp – Save £102pp

13th – 20th July (7 days) – Chalet Bracun (Corvara)

• Half Board – List Price £575pp – Offer Price £399pp – Save £126pp

14th – 17th July (3 days) – Chalet Bracun (Corvara)

• Half Board – List Price £246pp – Offer Price £180pp – Save £66pp

17th – 24th July (7 days) – Sport Hotel (Arabba)

• Half Board – List Price £645pp – Offer Price £545pp – Save £100pp

August

Sport Hotel (Arabba)

Families of 3 in August sharing a triple room one child* goes free.
Half Board 7 Days

• List Price £1935 per family – Offer Price £1290 per family – Save £645
  *Child must be under 16 at the time of travel

2nd – 9th August (7 days) – Sport Hotel (Arabba)

• Half Board – List Price £645pp – Offer Price £545pp – Save £100pp

6th – 13th August (7 days) – Sport Hotel (Arabba)

• Half Board – List Price £645pp – Offer Price £545pp – Save £100pp

7th – 14th August (7 days) – Chalet Bracun (Corvara)

• Half Board – List Price £575pp – Offer Price £495pp – Save £80pp

12th – 19th August (7 days) – Haus Valentin (Pedraces)

• Half board – List Price £520pp – Offer Price £420pp – Save £100pp

• Prices are per person based on two people sharing a room
• Single persons – supplements only apply if single rooms are not available
• Prices include participation in our programme of organised walks, Via Ferrata, flower walks and painting. This is available five days a week throughout the summer and is completely optional
• All the offers are subject to availability

Full details available here

Pyrenees

July

Self Catering in Panticosa – El Fondon

• We have some late availability in July for Self Catering in Panticosa, El Fondon is available at £245 pppw (a saving of £50 pppw based on two sharing)
  Click here for more details of El Fondon.
  Please call the office on 01763 289660 to book or click here to make an enquiry.

• Prices are per person based on two people sharing a room
• Single persons – Add £145
• Prices include participation in our programme of organised walks which are available five days a week throughout the summer and is completely optional
• All the offers are subject to availability

Full details available here

The season is now well under way in Panticosa.

The sun is back in abundance and the rapidly melting snow has allowed the Faja de Racón, The Faja Petazals and the Faja Pelay to open in Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, offering some spectacular views and walks. Hotel Sabocos is looking as great as ever, and those G&Ts are proving popular during Office Hour.

Our classic walks such as the Punta del Pacino and the Ayous Lake circuits at the Pic du Midi have a fantastic selection of wild flowers at the moment; Roger and Sue discovered a hard-to-find Bird’s Nest Orchid just off the path on the Punta this week. Talking of orchids, the Ladys Slipper Orchid has been in full bloom close to the roadside near Formigal (a 10 minute drive away) for the last month, but we have been warned that they won’t last much longer. There will be other flowers to take their place though, already there are new ones for which we have to get the book out!

Thanks to Blake, Emily, Kelly & Mary for the Photos and the Blog