Lake Como Tour (6) – Homeward bound

View as we cycled down to Cernobbio, next stop Chiasso

Link to detailed route page and map click on route title 

We were not sure how long it would take to get to Chiasso to catch our train just after 11 so we planned an early(ish) start. As it was we made really good time and even had a couple of coffee breaks. We left just after 8.00am before the town had started to stir and when it was still cool. Hence in the video all my changes in appearance as layers gradually came off as the morning warmed up.

I was glad that we had done the first section of the ride to Argegno a couple of days previously as it meant we could keep our pace up but still enjoy the ride and views without stopping. It only took us 40 min to go 15 km which with paniers was good going. We had about 6km on the coastal road which was getting busier with both cyclists out for their Saturday morning ride and drivers heading up the lake for what looked like a lovely sunny warm weekend. At Torriggia we took a quieter side road to avoid the traffic which turned out to be an excellent choice.

Highlights were:

• Our coffee stop at Hotel Restorante Fioroni in Caratesi. We started with a coffee and croissant, which the receptionist suggested we had outside rather than in the breakfast restaurant where morning service was in full flow. Happy with her suggestion as it meant we could keep an eye on our bikes. Much to my surprise she brought out a white tablecloth to dress the table; what a lovely touch. The croissants were so tasty that we had seconds all for about 5 euros!
• The war memorial by the hotel, see the photos above
• Balconies and footbridges built over the road to allow access by the houses to their gardens lakeside. Good solution to private access to the lake.
• Dropping down into Cernobbio as the morning sun lit up the town highlighting the elegant buildings on the lakeshore. We stopped at some traffic lights which allowed us to admire a large wall mural depicting a map of the area (see above)

We managed to find our way to the railway station, without incident even though I tried to go through the border crossing the wrong way. The guards must have been having a good day as they just smiled and pointed me the right way! We arrived quite early for our train and decided to head off for a coffee, which was nice but I got a bit cool sitting outside in the shade.

The rest of our journey went well and all our connections worked. We even had enough time in Bellinzona for a (large) beer. Nice sitting outside on the terrace of a bar just outside the station enjoying a sunny spot. I also had just enough time at Andermatt to hop on my bike and speed up to the Hotel Konig to collect my cycle jersey from reception before catching the connecting train to Oberwald.

We both really enjoyed this trip, in particular building on our explore of the cycle we did in 2020. Lake Como was stunning and I liked the fact we had a base to explore from and did not have to lug our panniers around with us every day. Have already discovered another ride we can do in the area so I am sure we will be back.