If I had known what a chore they were I might have rethought my purchase, I no longer have the hand and finger quickness of 40 years ago. I was not able to cock the crossbow in the prologue with one hand. I had to use both hands to click the mouse button fast enough to succeed after dozens of times trying.

Any Senior contemplating a purchase should beware, The QTEs are an arcade feature meant for younger players. It ts a potential deal breaker. This does not mean the game is not good or a great deal of fun but if can be a frustrating, boring, and tedious for people whose reaction times have been slowed by age and or arthritis.

Note to GOG moderators I did comment on this problem on the Witcher website. No acknowledgement or response as yet.

You might want to look into an "auto clicker" online. I haven't downloaded one before, but the idea is to map a shortcut to your keyboard that acts like a turbo of sorts, registering a bunch of clicks while you hold down the key. Might make things a bit easier on you :)

Isn't it possible to turn it off in the options menu (atleast turn the difficult ones off)?

You can turn off QTEs from the menu afaik.

Check the attachment!

You can turn off "Difficult QTEs" which makes them easier - but you can't turn them off altogether.
I agree with the original poster - I think they are utterly hateful and detract hugely from what could have been a wonderful game.

Totally agree. QTE's are terrible. There should be a way to bypass them. This is supposed to be an RPG, not a shooter.

When you turn off difficult QTEs the few that are left (at least the ones I've seen so far) are practically impossible to fail. For example; I'm not even certain its possible to fail the ones like the ballista mentioned in the OP after you do. It seems to at least give you much more time if not unlimited time to click on those.