A beautiful clear morning and cooler weather after a thunderstorm made it the perfect time for a hike. I took my backpack with all the essentials and planned an easy route from Garda Town along the lake side to Bardalino, which was 3.2 kilometres away. I had carried out a little bit of research, to find the best route which was a pedestrianized cycle path which followed the lake.
I was surprised at how busy the path was, well paved full of cyclists. So as soon as I could, I chose to walk along the pebble beach so I didn’t feel pressured into walking as fast as those in the path.
In hindsight I should have brought a beach towel because the clear turquoise water looked so inviting. Instead I chose to enjoy all of the benches a long the lake side. I’m pleased the Italian authorities have placed so many seats around Garda and Bardalino because it is so hard to walk long distances in the hot weather. Staying hydrated took a lot of work.
I enjoyed being surrounded by nature, especially the ducks. But, beware feeding the ducks can lead to a €50 fine! But, an added bonus is how friendly the ducks are, even the babies love to come up to say hello.
I particularly enjoyed th jettys where I could drop my toes in the lake and watch the boats floating about. Although the path was busy, there was always a lot of space to sit on the jetty, some were so quiet it was like having the whole lake to myself.
The best part about visiting Lake Garda in June is the flowers and greenery, the magnolia trees were out in Bloom and gave an amazing smell each time I passed one. Many other flowers were blooming as well with gave the green backdrop of the mountains a wonderful splash of colour.
As I got closer to my destination of Bardalino, the weather changed and it became very windy and the water was very rough.
I was getting tired from walking in the heat and this made the final part of my hike very challenging. So I took a short break and decided to focus on enjoying the views to make the time pass more easily.
The seats were like sunloungers, perfect to recover on! (Even with the looming thundery sky).
This route was very easy to follow, however , I did come very close to taking a wrong turn when coming in yo the start of the town. If I had I would have ended up on a busy road! Luckily some of the locals were able to direct me in the right direction.
Finally, after an hour long walk I made it to my destination. And the best part was, an amazing, cheap and vegan friendly ice cream shop was waiting for me. Right next to Bardalino harbour , just as I decided to leave the Lake behind!
Italy is better than I imagined, especially with all the greenery and places to hike and explore. Although I’m sad to leave Garda behind, I’m even more excited to visit my next Italian destination. .. Malcesine.
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