After it's all done and dusted...
As I left Belluno on the train all refreshed the morning after finishing the Alta Via 1 trail, I had many thoughts but all of them were positive about the trail. The eight days had passed so quickly, too quickly but nearly everything for me had been perfect and I know that I would love to do this walk again, or even just part of it. The walking can be quite strenuous but the scenery more than makes up for it.
The trail itself has very good paths and very good signposting, I only got lost a couple of times and this was because I was too busy enjoying the scenery and missed a signpost. The Rifugios that I stayed in fed me well, and I'm quite fussy about food, and the company most nights was good. Having wifi and internet in many of them was a surprise with them being so remote but I wasn't that bothered about it apart from being able to talk to my partner now and again and share some lovely photos with my friends.
The guide book I used suggested September to be a good time to do this walk and so it proved, I had eight days without a spot of rain so mainly spent each day walking in tshirt and shorts and September isn't as hot as the summer months or have the afternoon storms which I had on my Tour du Mont Blanc walk when I did it in a July. The weather, like the trail, was perfect.
Would I do it again? Of course I would, even though the scenery would no longer be new to me. Would I recommend it to others? YES, without a doubt, this is certainly one to add to a bucket list of possible walks like I have, I'm just happy that I made it top priority and walked it.
One of the worries I had about walking the AV1 was the fact that I know hardly any Italian but this would prove not to be a problem because everywhere I stayed the night, there were always people working in the Rifugio that spoke good English as did most of the fellow walkers so I never felt that I was alone in a strange country. I certainly didn't have a language problem when it came to asking for a beer, thankfully as it's thirsty work after a fantastic days walking in the Italian Dolomites.
