UKC

Hoping to go climbing in the Dolomites this summer, was hoping someone could tell me the best guide book(s) and map(s) to buy? Are there any up-to-date guides?

Can anyone recommend any cheap camp sites?

Plus, we are going to drive, is through Germany to Austria on to Innsbruck, the best way?

Cheers in advance John

Do a search - this one was answered several times last year.

Two guides worth having are the new AC guide and the Kohler 100 Classics guide.

The best campsites were argued long and hard over last summer on this forum. In Cortina the Roccetta International is one of the best I've ever stayed on anywhere and at £7 a night or so, good value for the Dolomites. Unfortunately the sites around Canezei are very pricey and not tent-friendly (sharp gravel in the pitches tears your groundsheet and people stare at you from behind motorhome curtains like you're some weird breed of animal).

Route-wise, I drove last year as was sick of having no comfy camping gear on fly-drive trips: roughly the route was Dover-Dunquerque (?sp), Belgium, Germany, Austria (via the village of 'Wank', which made me snigger), then into Italy. We used the AA as a guide to the general route, then tailored it to the traffic, I think. With one driving and one sleeping, it took about 20-24 hours driving from Manchester to Cortina, including ferry, food stops etc.

In reply to j_duds:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=86

In reply to Snorkers McPorkers:
>Unfortunately the sites around Canezei are very pricey and not tent-friendly

I never had this experience either in Canazei or Campitello.

In reply to j_duds: When I've driven I went to Dunkuerque on the lorry ferry, then down through Belgium, luxembourg, the germany, across the black forest (Pirmens somit or other) to Stuttgart, then Ulm, down to Neuschwannstein, Austria, to Innsbruck (remember to buy a motorway ticket though - theres a n ewsagents on the border where you can buy them, then over the Brenner. This takes you to the western side.

Guides - there is an excellent local guide in German or Italian which is streets ahead of the AC or the Kohler - you don't need much language as they are mostly good accurate topos. As for campsites theyare usually not that cheap but there's a nice one at the back of Pozza di Fassa and a good one in Corvara...

In reply to GrahamD:

Lucky you. I did - twice, with holes in the groundsheet to make the point.

In reply to Snorkers McPorkers:

Ref campsites in Canazei, go down to Pozza di Fassa, very freindly campsite, but still rocky!

Gary.

In reply to j_duds: As someone mentions, you are supposed to have a motorway permit in Austria although I didn't know this until we had passed over the Brenner Pass.

Maps wise, you should be able to buy the necessary ones when you arrive at your destination.

The Dollies is an area as big as the Lakes so you need to decide on a more specific desitination before choosing a campsite. We went to Cortina which was great as a base but we also stayed in the car park on south side of the Tre Cima de Laverado for free for four nights - you have take bottled water up from the valley.

Ben

In reply to j_duds: Through germany to innsbruk is the way we went.

Take warm clothes and a warm sleeping bag, or you might be cold. It was freezing when we were there.