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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSun Sep 06, 2020 12:20 pm 
It was the 10th day of Via Francigena trail when we hiked around 17 kms from the town Monteriggioni to the city Siena. Watch the full video here:
The morning started very early for us at 5.30am because we wanted to hike the most of the distance as early as possible. The weather was promising another crazy hot day and we didn't want to be stroke by a heat wave. At night we didn't sleep that well and we think we found the reason why it happened the last couple of days. It was because of the hot temperature even during the night it was not less than 20 degrees and no wind at all - in the tent it was getting very stuffy and it was hard to breathe. In such conditions no good sleep was possible unfortunately. The deer were coming to visit us another time that night but we used the flashlight and they ran away frightened by the light. So we were able to gather all the things up as quickly as possible in around one hour and were out on the trail at 7am. The sun was already up and shining strong. On the first part of the trail we enjoyed the shadowy forest paths and views over the old castles. And looking at them and all the old buildings and fortified sites in general we were wandering how it was possible to live there. The sunlight wasn't really getting through the small window openings and the rock walls in combination with huge rooms and high ceilings weren't cosy at all. And in winter we bet that it would be very cold in these walls with no isolation. So we couldn't imagine us living in such space at all. But enjoying the beautiful and unusual exterior of these castles was great of course. The signs were getting confusing at times and we had to look it up in GPS, sometimes locals were directing us too. But overall if you pay attention to the solid rocks with VF sign on them you can always find the right direction. Then after a nice but really short part in the forest and shadow we had to get out on the car road again. And we noticed that as the way was turning to the car roads there were signs telling that the safe route ends. And it was very strange to see as if they were taking off the responsibility for the dangerous route. We don't have other alternative to take so we feel like it is very unfair to pilgrims. It would be much better to adapt these bad dangerous parts accordingly with the sidewalks and proper signs to the cars rather than just saying that it's our own responsibility. This fact was really bad and we were indignant by it very much. Still having no other option we had to get on the car road and walk on the grass on the side of it most of the time because the cars were passing too fast not caring about the speed limits at all and it had been like this on every car road. Also there was the funny and sad thing we noticed about the drivers of the cars that were passing by is how surprised they were when seeing us on the road. They were like asking us what are you doing here? Why are you walking? And to us that is the sign that people forgot how to walk and even see it like something strange. And that was really a terrible thing to know. Because first we learn how to walk and it should be our first prioritized ability, driving is optional and should not substitute walking. Then the trail turned away from the car road and started to go closer to the forest which felt like a relief after long sunny part. It was going mostly flat with some gentle uphills and downhills the same as it was during the last days. And if it wasn't for the hot weather we would call this hike one of the easiest we've done. Coming closer to the city Siena the trail was climbing uphill and all of it was on the car roads. The sun was really high up in the sky already at that time and it took a lot of sweat from us to get to the town. Inside Siena seemed to us quite a dark and gloomy city with the black facades and old narrow streets and buildings. It would be scary for us to walk here at night. So we crossed the main streets of it and visited the central square which was full of sun. We were glad that we are not staying there for more time. We rushed to the supermarket to buy food supplies for several days and then we had to take the bus to the campsite, which was in 30 kms from the town. We wanted to find some quiet spot to stay for a couple of days and recover our powers to continue the trail. We felt like the hot weather tired us up quite a lot and we were exhausted at that point. We were lucky because this campsite was in a secluded location in the forest far from busy car roads and it didn't have many people during the week. It was a bit cheaper than most of the other campsites in the high season too. We liked that it had a natural environmental friendly concept with lots of wooden structures, solar power use and open forest. So we really hoped to have a nice and recovering rest there so that we could start with new fresh powers the new adventures and could discover more trails. What do you think can be done to the car roads to have a safer experience for the hiker?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostWed Sep 16, 2020 10:30 am 
It was the 11th day of Via Francigena trail when we hiked around 17 kms from the city Siena to the town Buonconvento. Watch the full video here:
On the day 11 of our Via Francigena hike we were back on the trail after a 4 day rest in the campsite. We had a really nice time there in a secluded quiet place in the forest and had time to really recover and start fresh again. The location was one of the exceptional ones with no traffic close, very few people because of not a very popular destination and thus no noise which is really important for the good rest. So we already had a night out in the fields before we started the day because we could get to village Cuna close to Siena only in the evening. We didn't sleep very well that night because while resting we got out of our normal hiking routine of going to sleep early and getting up early. And it always takes the time to get back to it. We had our breakfast, wrapped everything up just in time for the tractor to come to the field and at 8.30 am we were out on the trail. The day before when we were still at the campsite there was quite a heavy rain all night and day long and it was still a lot of freshness and coolness in the air. Since the last rain it had been very long probably around two weeks so we hoped that it will help the temperatures to drop down. We still remembered the last days when we were hiking in extreme heat conditions at 37 degrees Celsius and it was dreading hot. Looking at the weather forecast for upcoming week we saw that the max temperatures wouldn't exceed 32 degrees. It was a bit better and we hoped that it won't change. So we were out on the trail and the first several kilometers we were going up and down a bit but mostly flat and in the shadow all the way to locality Quinciano. We were again surprised to see in every even little old village and house someone is actually living and we could see many signs of it like chairs and tables, laundry and the people themselves working in their gardens or just chatting with each other. The downside of it was the amount of dirt car roads and cars moving through them and picking up a lot of dust from the ground. That day we've seen a lot of yellow clear fields with moved grass and no grapes or olive trees on it. There were still a lot of typical landscapes that day of the endless hills, Cyprus trees on the side of the roads leading to the big houses on top of the hills. So most of the day we hiked through the routes along the fields with almost no shadow and it was very cruel to us because the sun was still very strong. We passed along a lot of sunflower fields as well that day and they were very pretty. The combination of blue skies, green hills and yellow flowers was a perfect one. Also we walked along the railway for quite a few kilometers which was all straight route through the fields with little to no shadow. We have seen the train passing on this railway and it was quite an old one working on a diesel engine. This way we got to the first village Ponte d'Arbia which was named by the old medieval bridge that was located there. It was a bricked construction with several arches that now served as a normal car road. There we had a stressful moment with our main video camera Sony AX53 that we use to shoot a lot, especially close-ups of animals or any details. It suddenly started blinking at us and the focus was going back and forward doing strange sounds. That was really scary and we thought it was the end of its life. But fortunately we found a reason why it was behaving like that. We remembered that before this accident happened we were at the water fountain collecting water and washing our faces and we perfectly knew how not waterproof this camera is. So it was probably because of drops of water that got inside the camera and caused this. So we tried drying it up on direct sunlight leaving all the screens and inputs open and it seemed to work. From now on we will always keep it safe and far from any water because it's our most important and favorite camera. Then we walked a little bit more along the railway in the sun and finally came to our destination village Buonconvento. There we planned on doing some shopping, have a break and a bit of snack and go out of the village to search for the camp spot. This village had two parts of it one was new with the modern houses and the other old full of narrow streets and bricked buildings with the church and surrounded by the bricked walls with really old wooden gates to the village. So we did spend a good couple of hours there in a little park just chilling out and having our focaccia and ice cream for the snack. Then we got back on via Francigena hoping that a bit further in the fields we would find the camp spot. That wasn't an easy task because first we stumbled across many private properties and houses, then a huge field of olive trees and many very hilly fields with too much of a slope. Finally we were able to find a spot going all the way down in the field with a mowed grass close to the tree line. We saw there a lot signs of the roe deer and we knew we are going to see them. And after a little bit of time they came out to the field eating the grass but at the moment they saw us they ran away as quickly as they could. We had our shower there because we felt really sweaty and sticky, cooked dinner and set up the tent. We came at the place already late at 19 pm so didn't have much time to rest. The day was getting slowly shorter at the end of July and we had only 2 hours of daylight left. So we needed to do everything quickly to be in time till the darkness and not having to use the flashlight. We always avoid using it as it is well seen from a distance. So at around 21pm we were ready to go to sleep. What was the most deserted place you ever spent a night in?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Sep 19, 2020 7:03 am 
QUECHUA Trekking Backpack MH500 20L Review - Lightweight and Budget-Friendly Pack with Breathable Spine Watch the full video here:
This is the full review of my favorite women backpack Quechua MH500 20 L that I honestly feel has been the best for me so far. I was carrying it with me for the Tour du Mont Blanc hike, Dolomites Hiking, Via Francigena and in Pyrenees. So it’s got quite a bit of a test for a year of use now and I am ready to share with you my opinion about it. We are going to talk about the technical specs of it, its features, comfort, advantages and disadvantages of it. What is your favorite lightweight backpack to carry?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Sep 26, 2020 1:02 pm 
In this video we are going to show you what’s in our backpack for 2020 hiking season. We decided to make this video as we have quite a lot of new hiking and camping gear to show you and also couple of electronics as well. We have an upgraded tent now, new backpack, some camping gear, trekking poles and several other improvements. Watch the full video here:
What are yours new backpack items this year?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Oct 03, 2020 12:28 pm 
Walking through the land of endless vineyards in Tuscany - Day 12 of Via Francigena from Buonconvento to San Quirico d'Orcia It was the 12th day of Via Francigena trail when we hiked around 13 kms from the town Buonconvento to San Quirico d'Orcia. Watch the full video here:
We spend quite a disturbing night at the field we found yesterday because of the dogs from the neighboring houses that were barking all night. And so we kept awakening from time to time. But nevertheless we really liked that place because of the roe deer that were living there. We saw several of them in the evening and then in the morning as well. There was a baby and a mother that unfortunately were really shy and on alert but we still got them on film so we were very happy about it. So because of the bad sleep we started the day a bit late only at 9 am and after we had our breakfast we got out on the trail. That was a difficult task to do as we had to conquer the steep uphill right from the start. But it was a sacrifice of finding a nice secluded places for the night. The sun was hitting us really strong even in the morning but at least there was a bit of fresh wind blowing which was helping quite a lot. We saw on the map that we had to tackle a long uphill for the day and only at the end would have a bit of downhill. We planned to do around 11 kms to the village Torrenieri and we thought it would be enough counting the uphill and starting late. We were running out of drinking water and had to go to the nearest gas station to buy at least a little bottle. And only after we realized that it was a very wise decision because all that distance to the next village there were no water fountains whatsoever. It was really bad because in such heat it was vital and at the same time would be so easy to install close to any house. The first part we were walking alongside of the car road, fortunately not on it, and were wandering whether the actual Via Francigena was really going on that narrow little path. It seemed like it was passing right where the car road is going and now we just have to use the alternative path. That was a reality of many parts of the Via and Camino also. There was little to no shadow at all during the whole day and the heat was absolutely killing us. That was the most challenging part. The trail itself wasn't that difficult the same as in all the other days, just the weather conditions were hard to handle and the heat strike was more than real. That is the reality of summer in Italy we think. That day we met a few pilgrims with whom we were meeting over and over again on the way. And we were always asking ourselves about the backpacks they were carrying and what they were carrying in it. Because we know that most of the people prefer to stay in hostels or albergues but still most of them carry quite big backpacks. So we were asking ourselves were some of them actually carrying a tent and staying in it or just taking it in case. Or it was all about the style of a pilgrim which was the strangest of versions. But to really learn about it we had to ask some of that people and take a little interview to be really sure. So we thought we would do that if we meet the right people. The landscapes continued to be similar to the previous days but this time with plenty of vineyards all over the hills. They were stretching as far as the eye could see and we could only imagine how big the harvest would be. Bit at the end of July we saw that the grapes were still very small and it wasn't about time for that. On some of the fields were growing olive trees but they covered much less ground than the grapes. The only our concern about the trail was not having enough shadow and forest. There wasn't any variety in it. It was all going in the sun and because of that was really hard to concentrate and enjoy the landscape. All you could think of is how to get to the next shadow. And also we enjoy walking in the forest a lot, for us it's one of the best parts which unfortunately was lacking here. Seeing the century old oaks and other trees really impresses and fascinates us. During all of the way we were meeting lots of the signs of Agriturusmo and BnB and different rural hostels in the middle of the fields. We think they would cost like 50 euros a night which is not really a cheap option to stay but for someone who like more comfortable type of lodging it would be perfect. Especially counting that there are a lot of them spread along the way. So if you wanted to stop at any point of the trail and not getting to the village necessarily it won't be a problem. This type of accommodation just isn't for us not only because of the price but mostly because we prefer to camp out always whenever we can and staying in the tent is the only way to do it. When we were at the middle point of our hike and did almost all of the uphill we felt like having a break in the shadow. We almost had no water so Dima had to go asking for it in the nearest house and luckily they let him do it. And it came really in handy for the upcoming sunny downhill we had. There were only 4.5 kms left to the village Torrenieri and it was the most exhaustive part and we felt like we did double the distance because of such strong sunlight. And at the end of it we were feeling dizzy and our head was spinning. We came to the little rest area at the entrance of the village and stopped there to have a break and most importantly for the fresh water supply. We filled up all our water bottles and washed a little bit our clothes from yesterday at least freshening them up and watering off the sweat. Then we had to wait for an hour for the supermarket to open because it had the middle day break. And in all of the small villages it was like that - every supermarket was closed from 13 to 15.30pm which was really inconvenient to us because we were always coming at the place at this time. And while we were waiting we decided to check the trail in front of us and our possibilities to find a camp spot. We saw that it was all going on the car road and having had our experience already with the Italian car roads and people not following the rules we were not really happy about that. There we saw the bus passing by very frequently and checking it up in the Internet it turned out to be the one going to the next village in 7 kms. So we decided why not to take this opportunity and skip this part of the car road. While we were on the bus looking out of window we saw that the places weren't really perfect ones for camping with the big vineyard fields. So we were very happy about our decision. So we took off in San Quirico d'Orcia, went to the supermarket, had our ice cream for the snack and went out to search for the camp spot. While we were walking through this village we met a lot of little half cars-half motorcycles on the three wheels which were very popular in Italy. It is used by farmers and locals mostly for agricultural purposes and to transport some things. What is the most interesting is that in these cars is used the old T2 engine that works really loudly and does lots of emissions. And we actually saw the new models released recently that still have the same old engine which was very strange. However, locals seem to love it anyway. So we went out of the village to the vineyard fields and walked probably for about 1.5 km, turned away on the little dirt road and went deeper in the fields. We found a spot in the low part of one field similar to previous one close to the forest line and that was not seen from the road. We had very little time to rest before it got dark and we had to get inside the tent and went to sleep. Do you prefer to always stay camping out or staying in hostels from time to time?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Oct 10, 2020 11:48 am 
Watch the full video here:
In this video we are coming to you with the big overview of all the stuff we have and love using from Decathlon. When we were just starting out in backpacking and hiking more than 3 years ago we were able to buy all the necessary equipment in this store and until now we purchase most of the hiking and camping stuff there. We had the idea of making this video for quite a while now because we have quite a lot of things from this sport’s goods store and we find that they offer pretty good quality for being very budget-friendly at the same time. So these are going to be mostly clothes but also some camping and backpacking gear too. What is some of your favorite gear to carry in your backpack?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Oct 17, 2020 11:33 am 
It was the day 13 of Via Francigena trail when we hiked around 15 kms from San Quirico d'Orcia to the town Castiglione d’Orcia. Watch the full video here:
We woke up to another sunny morning in the fields of Tuscany close to the village Quirico d'Orcia. The night was quite calm just in the evening the dogs were barking but then fortunately they were quiet. That night we felt like it was hotter than the previous ones and sleeping with stuffy air was not good. In the morning we saw the baby roe deer coming out of the bushes just beside our tent and before it saw us he was behaving so naturally and was great to observe. We heard them doing their normal noises at night also. Last night we didn't notice how we got all bitten up by mosquitos, they were probably very little, and maybe one of them even got inside our tent. And so we were itching all over the body which wasn't fun at all but we hoped it to go away soon. Also we did not use any repellent for protection because we simply don't like to use any chemical remedies to put on our skin and wanted to find some natural solution maybe some essential oil or similar. So we came out on the trail at 9 am (for some reason it was hard for us to get ready earlier) and luckily the Via was passing very close to where we stopped. All that day long the route was going through the dirt gravel car roads. And it wasn't that great because when the cars were passing by they were causing lots of the dust and dirt in the air. Some of them who were going too fast would cover us in dust from head to toe. Also the fact that the drivers were treating this road as a normal pavement one wasn't doing any good. First part of the trail was going in quite a lot of shadow and all downhill so it was easy and quick to do. And in such way we walked through little village Vignoni Alto and then to Bagno Vignoni. There we saw a reservoir of water in the middle of the square which looked like an old version of the swimming pool. And then we learned that it was the old thermal baths where in old times Romans were taking a bath. It looked quite interesting and unusual to us. Then we came across the big info board where were stated all of the animals living and flora growing of the region. And we recognized most of the animals there, for example we saw quite a lot of roe deer, snakes, birds, and hares with the exception of the foxes, hawks and hedgehogs. But the real surprise to us was seeing the porcupine mentioned on the board and it would be an event to meet him but it was probably very rare. Then from Bagno Vignoni we had to do the biggest uphill of the day all the way to the village on top of the hill Castiglioni d'Orcia. We went through the bridge Ponte Peruzzi which looked like a modern bridge but actually was constructed in the years of 1400 and had to be made out of rocks. Unfortunately, it got destroyed some time ago and right now there was a wooden bridge on its place. There was a weight limit of 400kg and it didn't look solid enough to us with some rotten wooden planks and instability when you step on it. Uphill to Castiglioni d'Orcia was just 3 kms but wasn't an easy part to do. As the sun was already high up on the sky and there wasn't any shadow on the trail it was a challenging task. We were all burnt with the heat and covered in sweat at the time we were up. We had to do even more uphill on the pavement car road leading to the village because we needed to buy little things at the supermarket. The actual Via was passing by it. It was two kms extra both ways. Castiglioni d'Orcia was an obviously another old village with some half destroyed castle and fortified walls at the very top of the hill. The old part of the village was made out of the sandy bricks and had the usual narrow streets and arches on the streets. We bought some bread, rice and tomatoes for food and of course ice cream for the snack. Only in Italy we could take the 500gr of ice cream and eat it in one go without feeling bad afterwards. It was all about its creamy consistency and balanced taste, not too sugary. It was with the cherry syrup of course one of our most favorites. So after having the snack we were back on the trail again to do the last 7 kms for the day. It was mostly downhill with some gentle uphill in the middle. The heat was really getting at us and there were definitely not enough trees for the enjoyable hike at midday. We got to the last water fountain to collect water for shower and food preparation as well as drinking water of course. We literally washed and wetted all our clothes that were on us and this way it was easier to walk at least for several hundred meters. To find the camp spot we almost got to the Acquasalsa where we had to go down in the fields again and search for quite a while. The forest was lacking here so we really had to work hard to get close to one of the tree lines. There were quite a lot of spiky plants that got all over our feet. At such moments we wished that wild camping would be allowed everywhere with just basic facilities if needed then it would be so much easier to find a spot. That's definitely a dream world of ours. That day we got to the camp spot at the earliest hour at around 15pm so we had some time to just chill out in the shadow. Roe deer were accompanying our rest running around but on a quite a big distance of course. We got some on film and we were really glad to be able to observe them and be around them all these days that was really making it special and worth all the efforts. So we had our rest there in the shadow of an oak, had a shower, cooked dinner and after planning the trail for the next day peacefully went to sleep. Have you ever been to the old Thermal Baths? How was it?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSun Oct 25, 2020 11:48 am 
Watch the full video here:
In this video we are going to share with you the review of two trail running shoes that we have been wearing for the last two years now. These are Kalenji TR TRAIL and Kalenji EVADICT XT7 TRAIL. They are both great hiking shoes in our opinion and have many similarities between them, that’s why we decided to combine the two reviews in one video. We’ll see how they differ, look at the general specs of them and share our real on trail experience and final thoughts and opinion about them. Also we have one old pair of shoes that we’ve been wearing for the whole year now and one new so that we can compare their durability as well. What type of shoes you prefer for hiking? Note: All items were purchased by our own money and we have no affiliation with the brands.

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSun Nov 01, 2020 3:10 am 
Town standing on Volcano - Final Day 14 of Via Francigena from Castiglioni d’Orcia to Radicofani It was the final day 14 of our Via Francigena trail when we hiked around 17 kms from Castiglione d’Orcia to the town Radicofani. Watch the full video here:
That day we had the first rainy morning in the whole hike. At around 5am in the morning we heard the little drops of rain bouncing of our tent and it gradually became stronger. It was a good sign that the day could be a little bit cooler and we can walk easier. After yesterday's very hot day and no shadow on the trail we were about to quit the hike and call it done. But in such weather conditions we had a chance. The roe deer were all around us and we saw and heard them a lot on this field. We would have been happy to stay there to be able to observe them for more time but we needed to go and we didn't have enough food supplies. The rain stopped at the very moment we finished eating and the sun started to shine so we tried to gather all the things as quickly as possible to be able to hike the most distance in the first half of the day. Our plan was quite big that day - to do 17 kms of a constant uphill to the village Radicofani. That was probably going to be the longest and most challenging day of the hike. We did feel a bit tired from the last hot days already but hoped this day would be an exception. Right from the start we had to conquer a very steep uphill in order to get back on the Via Francigena because yesterday we really got deep down in the fields. So the warm up for the day was excellent. The first part of the trail was surprisingly going mostly downhill counting little ups and downs with the hilly landscape of course. There we spotted a little baby hare running across the field and then across the trail so we could get some nice close-ups of him. The animals are always the brightest highlights of any trail that we do, they are our most favorite subject to shoot and photograph. And here in the places with so little forest it was a miracle that we were still meeting some animals. Then we got down to the highway road and walked some time alongside of it. It was mostly flat and going close to the little clear river where there were some deeper places with the possibility to swim. All of the part before the uphill was going partly in the shadow and thus was quite easy and fast to do. We met the most amount of pilgrims that day probably around 10 when normally we meet 1 or 2 people only. And we noticed this tendency that closer we got to the Rome more people we met. Probably many people like the fact that you can get to Rome by feet and choose to walk only this 200 or 150 km part. Then after walking half of the distance planned, we felt like having a break. And while we were chilling out and having a snack on one of the fields the weather started to change. The wind started to blow stronger and some clouds covered the sky which was a blessing really about which we couldn't even dream. In the middle of the day to get some clouds and fresh wind is the best thing could ever happened to us. Our prayers were heard. The trail was constantly going uphill but quite gently and the last 6 kms we had to conquer 350 meters of an uphill. First it was going in between the fields on a dirt road with no traffic and then it came out to the normal road where there was a sidewalk for pedestrians luckily. At this part we started to get some panoramic views over the surrounding fields and hills as we were getting higher and also the view of the old towers and castle of the village Radicofani. The last few kms of the trail when we turned away from the car road were the most picturesque. It was going mostly on the rocky bricked old pilgrim way and we had the constant views of the village towers in front of us. On such parts you feel like you're going back in time and can at least try to imagine yourself how it all was several hundred years ago. The fresh wind was our friend all the way to the village. When we entered the town we saw a big rock fall going down the hill and on the info board it was stated that the hill where the village is located is of the ancient volcanic origin together with the rocks. It was an astonishing fact to learn. Then we continued walking into the village, saw a really old small church and all of the buildings there were made of this dark sometimes black rocks which was looking quite unusual. We washed our faces at the water fountain, spend some time in the park and headed to check whether the supermarket is open. Unfortunately as in most of the small villages it was on a mid-day break and was opening only at 16.30pm which was the latest time we've seen on the way. We still needed to buy some fresh veggies so had to wait for another hour for it to open. Then looking around we were concerned about not finding a flat spot to camp or getting too far from the village as we already had no powers. The village was situated right on top of the hill and all of the routes from it were going down the steep hills. We chose the route that seemed to go fairly flat and hoped that there will be some quiet fields to stop. We walked only for about km or so out of the village and were able to find a nice spot in between the fields protected by the tree line from both sides. The wind started to blow more fiercely and we had to set up a tent right away at 18 pm when we just got at the place. We cooked dinner there and were good to rest. We fell asleep almost right away because we were quite exhausted by this full of impressions day. At this point we decided to finish the Via Francigena. We did the planned distance of 120 kms and hiked all of the province of Tuscany as we wanted to. We enjoyed a lot walking through the old forest paths, meeting some wildlife on the way and discovering historical castles and little towns. Of course the hot weather was exhausting us a lot and made it more difficult but we enjoyed it anyway. In the next post we will be sharing our full impressions and detailed information about the Via Francigena trail we did so do not miss this out. Have you ever visited a volcano? How was it?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Nov 07, 2020 6:06 am 
Tips, advice and our experience with Via Francigena - Things important to know Watch the full video here:
In this video we are going to share with you our tips and tricks that we were able to come up with while doing the Via Francigena. Also our main impressions about this trail and some advice that may come in handy before you start. We are going to share what season is the best to hike it, what accommodation to choose, the weather patterns you can meet, whether it is possible to wild camp and all the difficulties and highlights of this trail. Hope that you´ll find some useful information in it. Some of our points are: - Best season to hike are the months of May and September-October - Switzerland part of the trail better to do in summer - The difficulty of the trail is overall easy - There is not enough water sources on the trail - Supermarkets are easily available on the way - Trail marking is good - Stealth camping was generally possible - Wild camping rules are different in every province - There is lots of private land where the entrance is forbidden - Hostels and albergues are quite expensive - Italians speak good English - Highlights of the trail for us were the old bricked parts of the way, ancient oak forest, meeting wildlife and getting to know the historical heritage of Italy - We didn’t like the amount of fast car roads, trail parts not adapted to hiker, and not enough wilderness What tips do you have for having the best experience with Via Francigena?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Nov 14, 2020 12:15 pm 
Watch the full video here:
In this video we are going to compare two self-standing 2 person tents from different price categories. One tent would be really cheap – Quechua MH100 this one. And one on a more expensive side – MSR Elixir 2. They have similar weight and dimensions and we wanted to explore what would be the major differences. So the MSR tent we bought just recently as an upgrade for our backpacking trips. And this Quechua tent we’ve had almost for two years now and it was used mostly by our family members when they were coming to visit us and we stayed in the campgrounds. Hope you find this fun little comparison useful in some way. Disclaimer: We have no affiliation with the brands mentioned in this video. What do you think of these tents? What kind of tent you have now and how you like it? We are always in search for a good quality budget friendly options and we would love to explore the different gear and maybe find other tent suitable for us.

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Nov 21, 2020 11:06 am 
Watch the full video here:
In today's video we want to share with you all the tips, peculiarities and interesting things that we've learned about travelling in Italy. We've been staying in Italy for almost three months and we feel like we have quite a lot to tell you. For us it was an amazing and fascinating journey in Italy, absolutely unforgettable summer that we wish everybody could experience. This video will be especially useful if you're a backpacker and it's your first time in the country. We are going to talk about the Italian people, delicious food, hiking and wild camping, public transportation and many other things. Have you ever travelled to Italy? How was your experience?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
Posts: 255 | TRs | Pics
Location: Spain
walkingnatureworld
Walking Nature World
PostSat Nov 28, 2020 4:52 am 
Watch the full video here:
In the video of today I am going to share with you one of my personal favorite abs and arms toning exercises that I am not only doing regularly throughout the year but also incorporate this routine when I am hiking too. Because I find that if you do a lot of hiking especially in the mountains the legs do not necessarily need much extra toning while in the abs and arms area I feel the lack of activity. So this workout is going to be a compilation of mostly Pilates exercises and also some stretching in between too. I find it very effective and intense as it uses all of your abs muscles as well as the arms. You won’t need any equipment for this - just your mat, some water and the right mood to crush it. What exercise routine do you incorporate when preparing to your hiking trips?

We are a young couple who loves hiking, nature walking and camping. We choose walking over driving and other types of transportation whenever we can. Also we have a Youtube channel where we're showcasing all our hikes.
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asdf
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Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 274 | TRs | Pics
asdf
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PostMon Nov 30, 2020 10:24 am 
This account just posts to advertise their youtube channel. Is this allowed.

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BigBrunyon
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Joined: 19 Mar 2015
Posts: 1448 | TRs | Pics
Location: the fitness gyms!!
BigBrunyon
Member
PostMon Nov 30, 2020 11:25 pm 
I bring the barbells on the hike!! I lift weights in camp!!

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