[erm, sam]

Hi All,
I am going to Sardinia on Thursday for a family holiday and wondered if anybody had any particular tips as to places to visit. Not so much for climbing, unless it is bouldering on the beach, but interesting mountian walks, non beach campsites, rivers to swim in etc. General areas of interest.. We are heading to Cala Gonone first but have no plans beyond that.

Ta

[tomtom]

Slackers has been iirc?

[dave]

I've been twice, both times around the northern tip around Capo Testa with all the granite and what not. Very nice area, not often you get beaches where you're sunbathing next to abandoned half-carved Roman columns. There's some pretty amazing granite scenery to explore.

[Muenchener]

Tiscali - ancient village in gigantic semi-collapsed cave, built by locals hiding out from Roman slave raids. The cave has huge steep walls of golden flowstone and would be a world-famous mecca for hard sport climbing if it weren't for the pesky ancient ruins.

We went to Tiscali with a guide from a jeep tour company in Dorgali. Wouldn't know how to get there without a guide, but I assume it must be possible. Quite a steep hike on non-obvious paths though.

Goroppu Canyon also v. impressive.

[slackline]

Tiscali - ancient village in gigantic semi-collapsed cave, built by locals hiding out from Roman slave raids. The cave has huge steep walls of golden flowstone and would be a world-famous mecca for hard sport climbing if it weren't for the pesky ancient ruins.

We went to Tiscali with a guide from a jeep tour company in Dorgali. Wouldn't know how to get there without a guide, but I assume it must be possible. Quite a steep hike on non-obvious paths though.

Goroppu Canyon also v. impressive.

These would be my recommendations, you can walk to Tiscali pretty easily, parking is very similar for walking to Goroppu (after going over the concrete bridge you can drive a few hundred metres North before parking).  You then go up the hanging valley, I thought it was a obvious and well sign-posted trail (in 2011).  Think it took about an hour and a half, but I was on my own.  There is some very easy and short scrambling required getting up into the hanging valley (non-climbing girlfriend of friend did it fine).

Walk to Goroppu starts just after crossing the concrete bridge heading South down the valley (park as far along as you dare take the car and won't cause an obstruction), good trail, well signposted.  Warnings about tricky upper sections, but there were none climbers in our group who all got to the top of the gorge ok.  A bit over an hour to walk to the start of the gorge from memory.  Very impressive.

I was climbing the three times I've been so didn't explore much else.  Cala Luna is a beautiful beach, but likely very busy at this time of year (sports climbing in the caves and the crag on the left (facing inland), sandy unlike Cala Fulli (which is just outside Cala Gonone).  Cala Goloritze is another very nice, but small beach (with a big tower behind it, which is why we visited).  You'll be able to get boats to any of these from Cala Gonone.  Luna and Goloritze are both 45 minute walk-ins, more back as its uphill.

[Muenchener]

Grotta di Ispinigoli is a fairly impressive show cave too, also fairly close to Cala Gonone.

And extensive stone age ruins at Serra Orios. My lad loved them when he was seven, to my considerable surprise - seemed to be able to make the mental leap from a bunch of stone circles to "people actually built these and lived in them".

[erm, sam]

Thanks All.
The Granite North looks like a nice place for week 2..

[Ceej]

How was your trip Sam?

What did you get up to?

[erm, sam]

First of all we spent 5 nights in Cala Gonone. Had planned lots of hikes/Canyoning stuff/random karst cave exploring and what have you, but in the end it was SO HOT that we did nothing but swim in the campsite pool or swim in the sea. The thought of heading out into the sun in the 37+ degree heat was insane.

We then went the West side and camped on the coast near Oristano. Fantastic chilled agricamping place near the beach, but not much to do nearby except beach stuff, and then headed North for a few days near Castlesardo.
Overall, some great beaches, snorkeling etc, and we had a brilliant time, but it was just too hot to summon any interest in doing anything. Corsica has much more mountians and height so you can do more in the heat, where as Sardinia is much lower and hotter feeling.

Don't go in August, that would be my tip.

[tommytwotone]

Sounds similar to my experience - went to Cala Gonone in early Sept and it was roasting, mid-30s every day.


We stupidly tried to climb and I can verify that limestone (and anchors) get very, very hot when they've been in direct sunlight that long.


On the plus side, I found a place on the sea front that sold a chip pizza so it wasn't all bad.

[Muenchener]

I've been to Sardinia in September a couple of times on family holidays in previous years & it's been perfect - sunny but not unpleasantly hot.

It has been an exceptionally - tediously - long & hot summer all over central & southern Europe. I'm free from family duties this weekend but the forecast for the Frankenjura is in the low 30s. Again. Seriously wondering whether I can be arsed.

[SamT]

First of all we spent 5 nights in Cala Gonone. Had planned lots of hikes/Canyoning stuff/random karst cave exploring and what have you, but in the end it was SO HOT that we did nothing but swim in the campsite pool or swim in the sea. The thought of heading out into the sun in the 37+ degree heat was insane.

We then went the West side and camped on the coast near Oristano. Fantastic chilled agricamping place near the beach, but not much to do nearby except beach stuff, and then headed North for a few days near Castlesardo.
Overall, some great beaches, snorkeling etc, and we had a brilliant time, but it was just too hot to summon any interest in doing anything. Corsica has much more mountians and height so you can do more in the heat, where as Sardinia is much lower and hotter feeling.

Don't go in August, that would be my tip.

We had very much the same experience as t'other Sam in Corisca.  record on the car temp guage was 42 in Ponte Leccia.  Just waaayyy too hot.  We spent most of of our time up at Haute Asco campsite which is probably the highest campsite on the island so just about manageable in the mid 30s.  Being a 50 mins drive up a torturous twisty dead end road, it also has the benefit of deterring the gazillions of germans/dutch/italians/french who were also holidaying there.