Fri, 15 August 2025
Minimum altitude: 297 meters
Distance: 48.3 km
Slope Aspect: East
Vertical Climbed: 751 meters (2,464 feet)
Vertical Descended: 746 meters
Rating: 3
Reverse of my previous trip. This time climbing by the easier route but with the poor road surface. It really is much easier this way with just a couple of short ramps to conquer. The main road along lake Orta was somewhat busy but I took the Bugnate back road and then the twisting climb to Rastiglione. There is a fork to the Oratorio di San Giuseppe which looked uber steep and rough. I passed over the Piana della Sella col at 875m, the high point of the tour to stop at the the Belevedere dei Sabbioni. It is a really excellent viewpoint of the lake. Descent and return to base via Pella.
Temperatures in the low 30s but the road was cool after a mountain storm and it was shaded in the woods over the Pianna della Sella.
