AN EVESHAM walking group have returned from an exciting European adventure.

Evesham Rambling Club attended the Italian Dolomites between Thursday September 1 and Saturday September 10 for a walking holiday.

25 people from the rambling club flew out from Birmingham to Munich before going by coach to the mountain resort of Selva.

Valerie Wood, a member of the rambling club, said: "It is the first time we have been to Italy and it was an amazing experience.

"The scenery was beautiful and the area was spotlessly clean, the views were absolutely spectacular.

"There is a lot of history in the area, as Selva used to be owned by the Austria-Hungary empire."

The village at the head of the Gardena Valley boasted a network of chairlifts and cable cars, taking the walkers to routes well above 2000 metres up.

As a result the walkers never dropped below a height equivalent to the top of Ben Nevis during their stay.

Walks were organised and led in two groups by Paul and Hazel Jennings who were also responsible for making all the arrangements for the holiday.

Members were able to choose just how high and how far they wished to walk each day, with the more adventurous walking around 80 miles in the week.

The adventure into the mountains was not without incident. There were encounters with palomino horses and one member was bitten by a donkey.

There was also the challenge of riding in “coffins”, the name given by the locals to the small 2 person cabins on the Telecabina Sassolungo lift.