Sardinia

I've been learning Italian on and off for about 18 months so I was keen to go on a walking holiday in Italy. Sardinia sounded interesting and a bit different so when we saw that there was a Cicerone guide book, we thought we'd give it a try. Dorothy and I had previously had a good holiday in the Stubai Alps on the Rucksack Route using the Guide Book by Allan Hartley so we bought 'Walking in Sardinia' by Paddy Dillon and planned the trip for April.

We planned to spend ten days there from Friday to Monday - flying from Stansted to Alghero and staying at Dorgali for three nights, Baunei for four nights and Aritzo for the last three.

We'd booked the flights, the accommodation and the car hire on the internet so what could possibly go wrong?

We were expecting a Fiat Panda but they gave us a Renault Jeep, which is quite a large chunky car. Imagine a mini version of a Hummer. Once I'd got used to the controls, sitting on the left and driving on the right, we felt able to turn on the radio and listen to people talking Italian very quickly, but later on we were pleased we had the Jeep!

The Bed and Breakfast place we stayed at in Dorgali was excellent and they were happy to provide us with practically anything for breakfast. This was good as I don't think the default breakfast of sweet biscuits and rolls would have worked for us every morning.

One of Many Lizards

On the first day we walked over Monte Bardia and Cuccuru Cazzeddu from Dorgali to Cala Gonone and back. Cala Gonone is by the sea on the East coast and this was a combination of  two of the walks in the guide. It took us longer than we expected. As the guidebook said, the paths are rocky and stony and when you get there you discover how much this slows you down. The limestone scenery is very dramatic and we had a pleasant if slightly expensive salad in a restaurant overlooking the harbour.

We had planned to get some food for our packed lunch from the supermarket the next day but then we realised that it was Sunday and all the shops were shut. Never mind, we had a few nuts and some fruit. We'd manage. We drove to Oliena and parked by the church. The priest was out chatting to local residents. I hope we didn't pinch someone's parking space.

We walked up a very windy road then a track with many zig zags to finally reach the top of Punta Sos Nidos (1348m). Unfortunately it was bit misty at the top. Tricky route finding following little cairns and rocks in trees got us back via scree and forest tracks. There are so many Holme Oaks here. Also many white Asphodels.

Holme Oaks in the Sunshine

We'd eaten in a couple of different restaurants in the evening and enjoyed some inexpensive local wine along with free glasses of Mirto, the locally made myrtle berry based liqueur.

The next night was to be at an apartment in Baunei but first we went to see the Nuraghic village of Tiscali. The internet company is named after it and it is in a collapsed cave high up in the hills. The broken bridge described in the guide book had been replaced so we didn't have to balance across the river on boulders. Because of the ceramics that were found there, it is thought that the village was originally inhabited in the Bronze Age but also lived in during Roman times.

Tiscali

When we got to Baunei there was no sign of the owner of the apartment. My rudimentary Italian came in handy when I phoned him and explained that we'd booked the next four nights but he was surprised by this. He drove over to meet us and explained that we couldn't stay there because the bathroom was broken and the workmen were coming to repair it in two days time. He did find us an alternative apartment but it was 20 km away. He thought we'd be pleased as it was by the beach. Maybe that's where Victoria Beckham goes but we'd wanted the lovely view from the balcony and the close access to the mountains offered by the original apartment. He was trying to be helpful and as it was getting late, the simplest option was to go with the flow.

Unfortunately Dorothy had twisted her ankle a couple of times during the first three days so we took it easy the next day. I think we both needed a more relaxing day to be honest so we stocked up on food to cook in the apartment and had a look round the village of Santa Maria Navarrese. There are three picturesque rocky islands off shore and we had a nice lunch in a restaurant.

View from Santa Maria Navarrese

By now we were halfway through the holiday. On the Wednesday, we strapped up Dorothy's ankle and drove back through Baunei to Bar Su Porteddu near Golgo and followed the path to Cala Goloritze. This is by the sea and features in several local postcards with its sea tunnel and rocky limestone spire. We bathed our feet and Dorothy painted while a local school party played on the beach. We speculated that it was officially a Geography trip but in reality a pleasant day out for all concerned including the teacher. I expect they arrived and left by boat judging from the footwear. On the way we saw wild sows with their piglets snuffling about as well as goats. We made a detour to the top of Punta Salinas from where we could see a lot of the North West Coast and we met the boars on the way back.

Looking North from Punta Salinas

On Thursday I drove to Trieu and we went to see the Tomba dei Giganti (Tomb of the Giants) - an arc of stone slabs flanking a very large passage grave. The walk continued past many springs and fountains (sorgenti e fontane) often set into elaborate walls, troughs or even buildings. We often saw locals filling up plastic bottles from these springs so they are probably felt to have health benefits. I almost drove into the tailgate of a van and had a bit of a 'misunderstanding' with a woman on a zebra crossing on the way there, but no harm done!

Tomba Dei Giganti

On Friday we went back to Santa Maria Navarrese and walked along the cliffs to Pedra Longa, another huge limestone pinnacle. We then drove over very twisty mountain roads to the village of Aritzo which is further inland and where the geology is very different. Here there is granite and schist rather than the limestone with occasional basalt lava flows we had seen along the East coast. Allow plenty of time if you are using these twisty roads.

We stayed in a family run hotel and the next day we walked up Brunca Spina and Punta la Marmora, the highest point on the island at 1834m. From here you should be able to see most of the island but for us it was bit hazy. The drive to the walk was interesting. The road ran out of tarmac at one point and just became a rough track. Then a series of ridges made from hard mud, before going back to a track and after about a kilometer going back to tarmac. Good job we had the Jeep. Did the budget run out?

Back at the hotel I asked the owner about it. "Questa strada è rotto" (This road is broken) I said pointing to the map. He explained that it had been like that for 6 years and they tried to avoid going that way in the winter!

On our last walking day we drove to Tonara, a nearby village where they make Nougat. Unfortunately it was Sunday again so we couldn't try it. We ascended Punta Muggianeddu, an excellent viewpoint, on good tracks and extended the walk to include Punta Perdu Abes.

Artistic Schist

The weather had been more cloudy for the last two days which made for more pleasant walking conditions. Before that it had been warm but nevertheless quite bearable. We'd only had to put up with a small shower all holiday. Given the number of flowers we saw, especially some gorgeous purple crocuses, I'd say this was a good time of year to go.

No problems on the flight back. I had scuffed the rubber on the side of the Jeep and we were a bit worried about it. Over the week the vehicle had become nice and muddy so that the scuff was almost unnoticeable but on the way back to the airport the clouds opened and cleaned the car! We got away with it though.

The guide book was really useful but Paddy walks quite a bit faster than us.