Day 13- Mantova (Mantua) to Desenzano on Lake Guarda

There was predicted rain today and they were not wrong!

Awake at the normal time of 6.00 am but a little slower out of bed this morning. We had self catered breakfast this morning consisting of muesli, yogurt and orange juice to get us going for the morning.

The rain was light to start off with and the temperature was around 16 degrees so for me it was an another layer to that we have had on the trip so far. This time it was a rain vest!

The trip out of town was relatively easy and for most of the day we were on the cycle way to Lake Guarda. The surface was excellent which made for good riding.

We had a coffee break about 20 kms from the start at Pozollo which was probably the only significant town along the way to the lake. Coffee was good and it gave me some time to catch up with my family back in cold Melbourne!

Back on the bikes again and the rain started to increase the further north we travelled and there was a slight breeze which made it quite cold. So on with the rain jacket. I am pleased I made the change as the rest of the trip the rain intensified quite a bit.

All through the ride today we were adjacent to an irrigation canal and there were several lock points which housed what appeared to be hydro generators which looked quite ingenious.

We reached the outskirts of Peschiera and one of the bridge crossings was closed which meant we had to make a slight amendment to our route. It all went well but there was some confusion at one point where we ended up in a toll plaza coming off the auto strada.. all went well though thankfully.

As we were making good time we resolved to go to our place of accommodation and hopefully sit in a cafe to warm up and dry off before checking in for the night.

As you probably know now…. The best laid plans sometimes do not come off! In this case it was to an extent true. The ride took us near our accommodation but finding it was not easy!

Chris had a couple of false starts but finally located the venue but raising the owner meant some waiting. Fortunately we found a cafe to do the wait and enjoy some hot chocolate pizza and a small muffin. The cafe was called Dolce Caffe and the staff were very accommodating for 3 cold and wet riders!

After receiving the “nod” from the owner of the apartment where we were staying it was off to unpack, have a shop and warm up….in that order.

I should met that the last part of the trip we were travelling alongside Lake Guarda which was very choppy with a cold wind. There were no boats I could see on the water and most people were enjoying a feed in the cafes and restaurants. The smell of cooking was great and made me feel quite hungry by the time we reached or destination.

Today was an interesting day of riding with the challenge being the wet weather. The distance of 58 kms was comfortable as with a climb total of 120 metres.

All good experience though for our adventure!

The pictures today are:

Our route

The irrigation channel with one of the locks and what appears to be a hydro generator

The bike path… good surface for most of the way

This is the sign painted on the cycle path we saw whenever we reached an intersection…. Not sure whether it is a danger sign or that of the bike path logo or both!

A photo of a castle in the distance from the bike path

Our home for the night with the bikes locked up on the front gate!