7/8/99

Thankfully we had happened upon a camping pitch under some trees and so managed to sleep until around 9 o'clock before the heat became unbearable. Liam the sleeping god was dead to the world until the offer of a freshly brewed pot noodle dragged him out of his pit. I then had the task of paying for a campsite without any local currency. What with the highly sorted European attitude paying in Lira was no hassle. Soon enough we were on the road and made for the local bike shop to get Liam's oil changed. This we managed at the bargain price of 50quid (without labour!).

It was now time to return to playing in the mountains which we did with a vengeance. The general plan was to bimble over the taurn pass via a village I used to ski at. We took the scenic route to get to the pass which included some fun playing with the locals - unfortunately I was put firmly in my place by a two-up cruiser being ridden very quickly. Upon arriving at Obertaurn we did a little tour of the village and stopped for lunch in one of the few open cafes. During lunch the heavens opened and a constant rain followed us all the way to the Italian border.

As expected the roads and driving went downhill as soon as we crossed into Italy. Quite literally downhill, as we were greeted by a number of downhill cobbled hairpins - which were conveniently housed in dark tunnels for added amusement.

We then headed for Villa Santina where we were due to meet the rest of the group. This, amazingly, we did & searched out a campsite where we were fed a huge delicious Italian meal.

Later in the evening Crispin Iain arrived in Villa Santina and I went out to guide them into the site. Once this was done the full group of ten was ready and raring to go.