Jeff: May 2024

Monday, 20 May 2024

Week four - A lot of beaches in Sardinia but not a lot of water

So that camper stop was interesting….. We didn’t manage to get on the WiFi but did have good enough data to do most of the admin needed. There was a little argument between some man who kept visiting the site and a Spanish motorhome (we think due to them using the towns drinking water as there was no drinking water in the stop). We have since found out there is a drought here and it appears that this northern part of the island is harder hit and many water fountains and supplies have been cut off. Water has become harder to find up here but in the most part we have managed by stopping in different places for water and being very careful with what we use (and being very thankful for the recirculating shower!).

Once we had service the van (except for dinking water) we headed out of the town and headed to the coast. We tried a couple of stops to get some water and succeeded and then headed to the beach called Spiaggia Di Is Arutas where we parked up and headed out for some sunshine. It was a lovely sandy beach and we chilled there for the rest of the day, although we were bugged by flies (made worse when we ate a late lunch on the beach). We stayed on the beach for the night with several other campers and listened to the sea all evening.

The next morning was a quick run and breakfast before we headed to Bosa which is a town built into the cliff side. Its made more stunning by the mass of colourful houses which spill down the side of the hill. At the top is a castle which we walked through the old town to and had a walk around. While it was interesting and gave good views out of the city you couldn’t really appreciate the views of the city so after exploring again the old town we headed back to the van and drove up the road opposite the town to get some nice views of the town. Afterwards we headed to the van and drove to Alghero which is a large city and spent some time wandering around the city walls and the old town before heading again to Jeff and driving to our stop for the evening. Tonight is a night we have been looking forward to for a couple of days as we are booked in for a agritourism type of meal. It is a small home restaurant and it was us and a couple from Germany and involved 6 large courses of fully vegan food, wine and water. We started with a curried lentil soup, followed by some breaded jackfruit with an amazing tomato sauce, next up was the local dumplings they do here called Culurgione which is usually filled with cheese, potato and mint, and they were fabulous. Next we had some tofu fish and a lovely sauce and to finish was a white chocolate and strawberry tiramisu. Apart from one or two speciality ingredients most of it was organic and locally produced or homemade. It was great but very filling and we stayed awhile once we had all finished to chat with the owners and have some liquor and more drinks, only leaving because it was almost midnight. We headed back to the van full and ready for bed.

The next morning we did have a bit of a lie in after the late night and headed to a beach called Spiaggia La Saline in Stintino where we relaxed for awhile to get over the food comas we had been in. We did get the paddleboard out as the water was fairly flat. We managed to even both stand on the board which is always difficult and didn’t fall in. Afterwards Rich had a go on his own and was joined by Bob the dog who wasn’t that sure about joining him but had a quick go before running back to his owners. After a few hours we headed to the Porto Torres where we planned to stay the night and prepare for a day out tomorrow. We headed to the local Lidl to get things for our packed lunch and had an early night.

The next morning we were up at 6 to get everything ready and have some breakfast before we headed to the ticket office and bought two ferry tickets for us and the bikes to the island of Asinara which is a national park (since 2002) and is famous for two things. One is that it was home to the high secure prison which held many of the Mafia during its time and only one person ever escaped from the prison and island and the other thing is that it is home to many wild albino donkeys. The ferry took around one and a half hours and we were soon deciding which way to cycle as there is pretty much 1 road across the whole island (and only tour cars/some hired electric buggies allowed on the island). We decided to start by going north across the island and it wasn’t long before we saw some donkeys (normal coloured ones) and some of many abandoned buildings. It wasn’t just 1 prison on the island, over the years there has been 10 prisons and a hospital for lepers so it has seen a variety of people over the years and is not uninhabited but has a hotel and a couple of small tourist shops/cafes. We stopped at a beach or two to have a look and carried on the cycle which we soon realised was very hilly and while the down hills were great fun the up hill sections could be brutal. We finanly reached the end of the road and there was a path to the beach which we started going down but soon realised its not that easy to cycle and it was serval km long so we decided to turn around and head to the south of the island. However not long after the path I realised I had a puncture so we had to stop and change my tire. Luckily we carry spares with us now and had the pump as well to blow it up but it was difficult to change and the blaring sun did not help. Finally changed we continued the cycle back, spotting some of the albino donkeys along the way and finally got back to the start where we had a quick break for some food before carrying on to the south of the island. This journey was no better hill wise and did give some stunning views with many donkeys to be seen. We made it down to the other port but we knew we still had to get back to the port so we turned around and made our way back with a stop at a beach for a well earned swim in the cool sea and a swim to a platform where we had a little sunbathe before swimming back, having another snack and cycling the final section of the route. In total we cycled 50km with 750meters of climb which shows it was a difficult cycle and everything ached for us afterwards. We then headed back on the ferry and back to the van. By the time we were back it was nearly 8pm so instead of cooking we decided to get a takeaway pizza (marinara as its vegan) and eat that before we drove on to our stop for the night. We have learnt our lesson – its Friday night so we planned to not to spend the evening in the port but our stop was only about 15 minutes away in the van.

The next morning we had another little lie in and planned a little less active day. We first headed in the van to a little village called Castelsardo which was another town built into a hill with a castle on top. Having learnt about the best views we stopped at the pot to get the pictures first and then decided to head to a local tourist spot called Roccia Dell’Elefante as it’s a rock that is supposedly shaped like an elephant (Sardinia love rocks that look like different things and this is one of sevral rocks they highlight). I will let you decide how elephant looking it is in the photos below. Afterwards we headed to a camper stop to try and service the van as it is getting more difficult and we know for the next few days we won’t be able to but again there was no water there so while we managed to empty everything we couldn’t refill. We tried a water fountain we had read about but it was cut off so we decided to head to the beach and decide what to do. The first beach we headed to had a fair setting up so all the parking was closed and then we headed to the next beach and managed to park and relaxed for awhile while we looked at options. Eventually we decided to head to a paid camper stop (our first of the trip) which was next to a bar/pizza restaurant where we could get some water and spend the night. We settled in and decided that as we were next to a bar it would be rude not to go and have a beer so we chilled in the bar while the sun was going down and had a beer and some complimentary focaccia and olives before going to cook dinner in the van.

The next morning we explored the local beach which was really nice and also had an outdoor gym which we had a go on before heading further up the coast to another really nice beach on the end of the Costa Paradiso stretch of coast, called Spiaggia Rena Majore. There were quite a few campers already parked up but we found a space and settled in for the day and night. We again managed to get the paddleboard out and explore the coast finding little inlets around each headland and also managed to stand up together for a short time (remembering I have to stand up first as Rich can’t manage to stand up second and almost tipped up in when trying to do so). The sun was blaring all day so we didn’t do much but swim and chill knowing that it is due to rain for most of tomorrow so it will be an admin day. We had a nice quiet evening on the beach with a great view of the sun set outside the windows of the van and the occasional noise from somewhere deep in the dunes that surrounded the beach.

Old street in Bosa

Nice flowers in Bosa

The view from the castle in Bosa

Another view from the castle in Bosa

Colourful Bosa houses

Rich riding on Asinara

Donkeys on Asinara

horses on Asinara

An albino donkey

Castelsardo viewed from the port

Alghero's old town and city walls

Breaded Jackfruit

White chocolate and Strawberry tiramisu

getting ready to paddle out to see

Bob is ready to join Rich

Views from one of the many hills in Asinara

One of the 10 prisons on Asinara

The nature reserve section of Asinara - you could not get to the sea here as it is all protected

Roccia Dell’Elefante - does it look like an Elephant?

Sometimes a beer is called for

One of the many beaches we have been to - usually a maximum of 30 people have been on them

Sun set at the beach for us

Tuesday, 14 May 2024

Week three - travelling around Sardinia

After our admin was completed we headed to our stop on the beach for the night. It involved a dirt track (when does it not) but it wasn’t too bad of a drive and we got to park up parallel to the sea and look out over it as the sun when down. It was hotter now so we were able to have the window open all night and listen to the waves lapping the shore all night. The next morning we got up and surprise surprise it was run day so we headed off on a run around the coast, I prefer these runs as its usually got a nice breeze but also they tend to be flatter than many other runs. After getting back and having breakfast and a shower we packed up and hit the road again and headed south to a beach. We made it to Spiaggia Punta Molentis which is a outcrop of land. The beach was lovely and sandy and we stayed there for awhile until the sun went behind a very large ominous looking grey cloud. Given the breeze and the grey could we decided to head into the van for an hour or so and have a hot chocolate (thank you Judi) while the weather past. We then headed back out on the beach for a hour or so before the sun was going down. We planned to stay the night in the car park of the beach so we moved the van to a flatter stop and relaxed for the evening.

The next morning we woke up to grey clouds and the start of some rain so we decided to get some chores done. We headed into the largest town here called Villasimus where there was a supermarket for some food and a laundrette where we could get our first wash done (as it has almost been three weeks). Once everything was washed and either dried or hanging in the van (the items that cannot be tumbled dried) we had breakfast and headed to a nearby saltwater lake as the little rain this morning has dried up. . We walked around the lake birdwatching and saw some oyster catchers and some flamingos – the first we have seen this trip. They are very elegant and while not as pink as you might expect they have some very pink feathers below their outer feathers and they have very long swan like necks. We then headed back to the van and carried on driving this time more inland into the forests where I have found a walk and a cycle for us to do tomorrow. We headed to our planned stop for the night to find it wasn’t as nice as it had sounded on the app and most importantly it had no data or signal and I hadn’t downloaded the routes. So after a short walk (where a large dog backed and scared us) to see if we could find any signal (we couldn’t) so we jumped back into the van and retraced our drive to see where we could get data. We decided to give one of the other stops ago as it sounded nice but the drive to it could be sketchy but given how quiet the roads were we didn’t think it should be an issue. It really wasn’t as bad as it was made out to be and not long after driving up a paved road we found the stop and pulled in. This stop is surrounded by woodlands and oak cork trees which are stripped of their cork bark up to about head hight. There was only one problem with this stop, it was a little two quiet! As we were protected by the woods there was no wind, the only noise we could hear over night was the wildlife outside including the cuckoo bird and other birds. It did freak us out for a second as we could hear something outside but we realised it was out water pump because a tap was left open a tiny fraction (this had never happened before so we had not heard the noise before). Eventually we got to sleep and there were no more unusual noises.

The next morning we got up and got the bikes ready for our cycle. Rich planned it (big mistake) and off we set. Little did I know it was a mountain bike route and there were several large rocky hills we had to navigate but we managed them and then we got to a section where the water/ a small river) crosses the path and so we needed to cycle up the river for a short section. Rich went first and it was not long before hit foot entered the water to stabilize himself. He then walked the rest of the way with his bike as the issue had been large rocks in the centre which he hadn’t seen. I headed off, knowing about the rocks but I to struggled at the centre point but managed to land my foot on the dry rocky side and walked the bike through the rough section and then managed to cycle through the rest, surviving with two dry(ish) feet. We continued the cycle up and down hills until we got to a very steep and rocky/sandy hill. This was a problem as it was really difficult to even push the bikes up it (especially my heavy on) and we didn’t know what the rest of the path had in store for us. I went to have a look at some of the path and it looked okay but pushing my bike up this hill just wasn’t happening so we turned around and headed back. We again navigated the many hills and both had to cross the river again, both making it with fairly dry feet this time and finally after some time made it back to the paved path and this time followed the paved road up the mountain. While this was might not have been a rugged it was a darn sight easier, albeit it was a continual up hill slog. Finally we made it to the top and then headed off onto the different paths to get across the hills, but these paths were far easier to ride. We made it to a rock shaped like a mushroom, which had great views down to the capital Caligari before cycling around and seeing some of the different view points. We then decided to head back down the hill to the van, with a stop at a Nuraghe on the way down. We managed to get to the van safely and remained on the paved roads before grabbing some food and driving a little way down the hill for a walk. We only did a short walk in the nature reserve area before deciding it was a little warm and heading back to the van and continuing our drive to Cagliari.

We found a park up near the sea front where a couple of Belgium vans were already parked up and while it was an okay spot it was a bit remote, especially when the other van left and we weren’t that happy to leave the van there. We decided to head to the harbour which was only a short walk into the city and park there for the night (it had better reviews and was less remote). Once there we headed out to the city and walked around many of the sights exploring in the baking sun. We walked to the Bastione Di Saint Remy which is an iconic structure which you can climb and has a large plaza with great views over the city. We then walked into the old town and around the hotchpotch of streets and found the cathedral, the two towers which were used for fortification and the town hall. We then meandered back down to the city via the Roman amphitheatre and past the botanical gardens (which were unfortunately closed already). We then headed into the main square of the town for a beer at an Irish pub and dinner at a nice Vegan restaurant (one of two in the city). We both had two courses and I had a limoncello cocktail (when in Italy!). Then we waddled back to the van and settled in for the rest of the night. However little did we know we had parked near a night club (and it was a Friday night) and while we got to sleep it all seemed to kick off at 1am as people started to leave meaning there were loads of noise and cars. After an hour it quietened back down but it did keep us awake for at least an hour. It is probably the worst night sleep we have had but it wasn’t that bad all in all. The next morning, after a lie in, we cycled back into town to see a couple more things, including the cathedral again as I hadn’t realised we had already seen it (its not as grand as many of the cathedrals we have seen in Italy -Rich wasn’t impressed by this as it was on top of a large hill which we had already walked and now cycled up), a vegan supermarket and the civic market (which is the largest covered food market in Italy) before heading back to the van.

Then we headed off West across the island to another little island called Sant’Antioco which is connected by a road bridge. We headed straight to Spiaggua Di Maladroxia for the afternoon/night and parked up next to the beach. We walked around the area and planned a run for the morning while admiring the sun setting and the relaxed atmosphere of the beach. The next morning we headed off for a short run around the headland, which was hillier than expected and therefore quite tiring. After some breakfast we headed the short walk to the beach and enjoyed the morning sun (when its not too hot but still around 20-23 degrees) and relaxed before we got the paddleboard out and played on the water for awhile. After a couple of hours we headed back to the van for food and to get ready to carry on our journey. We got ready and made a couple of stops on the island before we planned to leave and head up north on the West coast. The first stop was a 10 minute walk from the car park and was called Arco Dei Baci – Is Praneddas which is an archway from the land, made by the volcanic rock which is present around the area. This archway creates a protected little pool of water (although its still unsafe to swim if its rough seas). We could have tried to walk down to the pools but decided to give it a miss and headed back to the van to head to our next stop which was the Cala Grotta which is a large cave. This was again about a 10 minute walk from the car park and did have lots of young locals hanging out but this time we walked all the way down so that we could see into the cave and watched the locals jump off the sides into the deep dark sea. After taking some pictures (and not being brave enough to jump in) we headed back to the van and headed on the long drive north to another beach where we planned to park but by the time we got there it was already busy with campers and after seeing if there was somewhere we could fit in and failing we decided to go a little further north to yet another beach. This time we found space at Spiaggia Di Mansua and the thing we noticed first is how many paddleboarders there were in the car park all deflating or packing away their paddleboards. This must mean there is something good around here! We got out and firstly had to admire the views, they were stunning. We could see a stack out in the sea and research told us this was Pan di Zucchero (Sugarloaf) which is 133 meters high and the highest sea stack in the Med. The sun was setting behind the cliffs and the colours ranged from the turquoise sea to the orange and then pink and purple skies and I could have stared at it all day. We soon found out you could easily paddle to the sea stack and down the coast with lots to see (how much and how far was dependent on what you wanted to do) but there were also 4 hour rib tours available – showing how far you could go on this stretch of coast. However you need to be careful as the seas can get rough. We settled in the for the night and made plans for tomorrow.

The next morning we got up and headed straight out onto the sea as it was like glass, with barely a wave. We first paddled along the coast to Port Flavia which is an old mine built into the cliff and has a tunnel which allowed the mine to empty the mineral production straight into the ships from the mine. It was really interesting to see how it was carved out and how it linked local mines to the ships. We then paddled over to Sugarloaf and through one of the two arches around the back and through the arch the other way and headed back to the beach having completed around 4km in total. Once we were back we had breakfast and saw that it was starting to get busy making us glad we went early as we were the only ones on the sea at that point. After cleaning off we headed inland to see an old roman temple called Temple of Antas which was built in 500 BC. It still has some of the columns which measure 8 metres tall and some of the steps. While there we also saw an old Nuragic village and a 200 year old cork oak tree. It was a lovely site in the mountains and we enjoyed walking around it before heading back to the van and continued northwards, with a mandatory stop at a supermarket for some food, to a camperstop for the evening where we can service the van and where we hoped there was WIFI so we could get some admin done as we haven’t had WIFI since we left the UK.