We set the alarm a little earlier so that we would be in time to catch the bus that would take us to the beginning of walk number 5 from the guide. This sounded interesting with an iron foundry, trout farm, springs, sink-holes, dolinas and caves occupied by Late Stone Age man with ritual cave bear bone deposits and scratched pictures of hunting scenes including cave bears. Too good to resist.
Either the bus that we wanted to catch didn't run or it took another route. Faced with another 25 minutes to wait until the next bus, we decided to add another 3km to the 7km of the walk and cut out the bus trip. This took us along the side of the Hamor Lake and then the stream that feeds it until we arrived where the bus would have dropped us off – Ujmassa. Here there is the remains of a blast furnace and a museum telling the story of iron working in the area. The foundry there used the abundant resources of wood for charcoal and water for powering the waterwheel-powered hammers.
A further kilometre along the main road was the trout farm that also had a restaurant attached. It was however too early for lunch so we took the path that lead straight up the steep hill. As soon as we entered the forest, there was a pervasive smell of fungi. Frequently we detected the unmistakable aroma of the phallic-shaped, foul-smelling Stinkhorn but we saw large numbers of small Puffballs and many other varieties. After a slow ascent with many stops, we arrived at the top of the hill. It was at this point that we heard the first rumbles of thunder, but they were a long way away and there was still blue sky and white clouds above us. We continued for some time as the thunderstorm came closer and came across a picnic area close to a spring and sink-hole and decided to stop for lunch. Not a moment too soon! The rain started and for the next hour it poured down, but we were sat in the dry with four other walkers two of whom arrived some time after the downpour started – they were very wet! Eventually, some water started to percolate through the tiles and wood of the very solid-looking roof and we moved around the seats to avoid the slashes from the drips. Donning our wet weather gear, we decided that discretion was the better part of valour and retraced our steps to the main road. This was easier said than done as the steep path was now very slippery and often had a stream running down it. We emerged from the forest opposite the trout farm to see a large number of people waiting at the bus stop – we joined them. Ten minutes later we were on the crowded bus heading back to Lillafured.
Jane washed our dirty walking trousers and socks and was about to hang them on the washing line when our hostess produced a small spinner and took the spun clothes to hang them in her garage. We already really liked the site and it has gone up even more in our estimations – a small site with an attentive and helpful hostess, excellent!
I had finished writing this blog entry and we were reading books when the lights went off. The 240v sockets were working but the lights weren't. My initial thought was that a fuse had blown, probably caused by one of the bulbs failing, but eventually I realised that the whole 12v supply had switched off. This happens when the leisure batteries run out of power but that should never happen when the van i connected to the mains supply as the batteries are constantly charged from the mains. This lead me, wind-up torch in hand, to the problem – the battery charger unit had failed. It was too late to investigate the problem further so we went to bed.
Photos: The Ujmassa blast furnace; The forest train arrives at Ujmassa.
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