Middle-aged flash packers

We’ve done it! All the paths we could hike have been hiked.

As with the first day, today we did two sections together and it was brutal. Following true “mad dogs and Englishmen “ tradition, we ended up starting our walk close to midday so had the added difficulty of very hot sun and I wouldn’t advise it. The last section – Manarola to Riomaggiore- was short but horrible. Steep on the way up and steep on the way down. However, we made it and were suitably revived by cold drinks on arrival in Riomaggiore.

Did I enjoy the Cinque Terre experience? Yes I did. The villages are pretty rather than stunning but it’s so iconic and the views of the sea sparkling in the sunlight are beautiful. The whole thing about catching the train, walking to your destination, then getting the train home again is great. The trains (generally) run so regularly you never have to wait long for one.

Here are some hopefully useful tips for anyone reading this and thinking of walking the Cinque Terre:

1.) If like us and you’re not keen on crowds, I’d advise avoiding June through to mid September. We thought June would be ok, but it isn’t. Full of tour groups and holiday makers, the towns and trains are overflowing. Also it was very hot and there was surprisingly little breeze.

2.)Buy and download the Cinque Terre card online. It gives you access to trains, the paths you have to pay for and also the station loos! The best thing is you do not have to queue for tickets at the station. The lines of people trying to get tickets are crazy.

3.) Make sure you’re fit enough. We were surprised at the level of effort required. The walks are not long but this is deceiving. They are extremely steep. If you’re young, you’ll be fine. If you are used to very hilly/mountainous walks, you’ll be fine too. If you are neither of these, either think again or get hill fit. You don’t have to do two sections in a day like we did but we saw people really struggling just at the start of the trails. You’ll enjoy it so much more if you don’t need a defibrillator 500 metres in.

4.) Take at least 2 litres of water with you if it’s a hot day. The villages can feel a long way from each other when you’re hiking the CT and if you’ve got any left over, you can always tip it over your head to cool yourself down !

5.)walking poles will help your knees and balance.

Enjoy!