miles (9,961 km)
\nI think the last week or so has tired me out! I just couldn't get going today.\nWe did discover that Switzerland has public toilets (these are like hen's\nteeth in Italy), so that was very welcome!
\nThe first part of the ride was pretty flat, and lovely around the headland. So\nmany cyclists out on their Saturday rides. The rest of the ride was uphill,\nmostly quite gradual, but energy-sapping. And A Lot of gravel!!! The bit near\nLugano is also extremely unscenic, with sections next to the motorway and lots\nof industrial estates. Then the climb gets steeper. It probably wasn't that\nbad, but I was suffering!! The descent is along the side of the main road -\nfine but we were glad we weren't coming up the other way. Great views of Lake\nMaggiore.
\nWe had intended to ride to Bellinzona, but decided to check out a cheap\ncampsite that I'd noticed on Google. We are glad we did. It's called La Serta,\nand is in the village of Gudo. I'd say it's the ideal campsite for cyclists\n(and similar) - in addition to the normal features of a campsite it has an\nundercover seating area, HOT PLATES for cooking and FRIDGES. The host is\nreally friendly and loves to chat. It's very quiet (but it is mid-Sept) - he\nsays he only really sees retirees (who have statics on site) and lots of\npeople canyoning in summer. There IS a pool but it's empty - it's definitely\nnot a holiday park - but if you're anything like us, that is a good thing!!!!\nAnd the absolute clincher - it's only 28.50 per night, compared with 40.50 at\nthe previous place. Good spot for a much needed day off :)
\nRoute (following Swiss route 3 / Eurovelo 5), with an extra bit to go to Aldi.\nThank goodness Switzerland has Aldi and Lidl!!!
\nhttps://www.strava.com/activities/1843215536