The Ramblers - Derbyshire Dales Group

Having had an enjoyable walking holiday on the Amalfi and Sorrento peninsula in 2009, Iris and I decided to try it again this year. Iris spotted an ad in Walk Magazine for a B & B in a quiet village above Positano, which was ideal, away from the crowds in the coastal towns. We booked flights with Easyjet from Liverpool and our host Nino met us at Naples airport. He was a charming host, made us very welcome as did his three dogs, all rescue dogs who absolutely adored him! Our room with private balcony overlooked the ocean with views of the mountains and villages to the east and west. We made use of the small kitchen on several occasions and enjoyed an al fresco meal on our balcony. There are excellent delis in the towns, and in Nocelle which also boasts an excellent family-run restaurant and a rustic Pizzeria for oven-baked pizzas.

We soon got to grips with the local bus timetables and planned our walks generally downhill with a bus back uphill. During our two weeks we walked on twelve days covering an average of five miles a day. Not far, but you should see the steps! There were 1700 from our village of Nocelle down to the beach at Positano. The terrain is often extremely steep, so progress is necessarily slow. But the paths are there to be savoured - frequent stops to admire the view, perhaps take a photo, and there’s a splendid array of wild flowers in May.

We used Julian Tippett’s book in the Sunflower Landscapes series describing walks in the area - an excellent guide. We also had a good map showing all the footpaths in the Lattari mountains, some infrequently walked. A popular one is known as “The Footpath of the Gods”€� which is a high level route contouring 8 miles between Nocelle and Bomerano. There was plenty of scope for much longer walks, and for climbing up into the mountains which rise to nearly 5000 feet. Other places of interest are Pompei and Herculaneum, Vesuvius and the island of Capri. Ravello, high above Amalfi, has some lovely gardens.

Iris and I have no hesitation in recommending Nino’s B & B to any of our ramblers. The contact in England is Penny Maronne, Nino’s sister-in-law, on 01954 210681, or see the website http://ninobb.moonfruit.com.

Iris Wright and Beryl Miller

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