After our poor breakfast in the hotel we climbed up to one of two bus stops in Positano. From here Mark, Fiona, Matt, Maggi and I boarded the bus to Nocello which sits towards the end of the Path of the Gods. We left Helen behind as she had a 5 hour phone call with one of her boards, Whittards.
The route up is steep, narrow and winding. You have to admire these bus drivers who take their passengers up so quickly and safely. Of course, it does include the odd jolt and the bus rocks around like a ship in a storm.
We arrived and followed the sign for Path of the Gods. We passed through the village of Nocello and on the edge of the village we stopped at a small cafe resting on the side of the mountain. 1000 ft below the Mediterranean swished and slapped against the rocks and above in the distance a couple of hawks floated on the thermals. We had our coffee and marched on.
There is only one way you can walk. You don’t need a map or a guide, unless you want to know more about the flora along the path. The views are lovely as the path clings to the mountainside with the sea below. However there are many other walks as good that follow a coastal path but don’t come with such a dramatic name.
Maggi and I walked for 1 ½ hours along the route until we decided to retrace our steps and return to Nocello. Fiona, Mark and Matt decided to carry on for another hour. Shortly after we turned around it began to rain. The rain started slowly and became heavier and heavier and soon my waterproof jacket began to leak again. We made it back to Nocello and stopped in the same cafe as we had a coffee on the way out.
As we sat there eating our sandwich the rain stopped so when we left the sun had poked its nose out again. We made our way back to the bus stop just in time to catch the bus back to Positano.
Helen continued with her phone call and we descended to our room.
About 4 o’clock we all decided to go out for a drink. We walked up the hill to find The International Bar, where we had drunk the day before. This time the shutters were up. We headed down the road to another bar where we put back two more Negronis each.
Back up the hill to the corner where all the busses stop and back down the hill to the restaurant of the previous evening, Saracen’s xxxx. The same staff served us and we chatted with them. While we ate our meal.
Back to base.