Sardinia - West Coast; advice and ideas

ixion

Hi

Just booked my tickets to fly in to Cagliari, and ferry out to Livorno in May.

Planning to cycle up the West Coast from Cagliari to ALghero, across to Sassari and then either bus or cycle to Olbia to pick up ferry (have to join the missus in Pisa).

Any suggestions or info about the roads, terrain on the west coast. Should I take a tent or will I find enough places to stay in mid-May,

got about seven days, planning to average about 50 miles per day; how does this sound for an averagely fit tourer who's done the same in Greece and France?

Any places, things, eats, dos and don'ts gratefully received.

thanks

Ixion

andymiller

I'd recommend a book called La Sardegna in bicicletta by Rosanna Gosamo. I think you can get it from catrtovelo.com. It has useful route maps (but unfortunately not route profiles) as well as lists of campsites, bed and breakfasts and 'agriturismi'.

I don't know the west coast particularly well. I'd definitely recommend making a detour to see the beaches of Las Piscinas (which are themselves worth seeing as the largest sand dunes in europe) north of Buggeru.

You definitely must check out the 'nuraghe' - prehistoric stone towers and fortresses which are unique outside Greece - at their most impressive they stand comparison with Mycenae.

It will almost certainly be worth taking a tent to give yourself a greater choice of places to stay.

Both Alghero and Cagliari are worth visiting in their own right. So don't just treat them as the place where the airport is. However I can tell you from bitter experience that Alghero airport does not have any kind of left luggage facilities. I expect the same is true of Cagliari.

Bear in mind that Alghero and Cagliari are popular short-haul destinations so hotels could be busy at weekends. Beware also that some hotels listed as in Alghero are in fact in a small town called Fertilia across the bay - handy for the airport but not for Alghero itself (though it's not that long a ride).

I've heard people raving about the boat trip around Alghero.

On the subject of terrain profiles you the terrain view in Google Maps will give you an idea. You should also be able to use mapmyride.com to give you route profiles. Generally when Sardinia is flat its' very flat and when it isn't it's pretty hilly.

raybo

Here is a link that might be of interest: http://www.sardiniahikeandbike.com/eng/default.php.

It is a well done site that provides an interactive map of bike routes across the island.

Ray

KeithG

I've cycled some of the roads around Alghero on day rides and I was impressed by how hilly they are and by the strength of the winds esp on the coastal road.
The coast road South of Alghero is a real roller coaster and a beauty, wide and well surfaced. There are plenty of other cyclists about and traffic was generally well behaved.

ixion

hi

Thanks for all the replies - starting to get excited about this excursion. Keith - does "impressed" by the hills and wind mean "taken aback?" ;-)

Ixion

bicyclist

i cycled from oristano along coast to alghero last october.it is very scenic and also hilly.to west of alghero is grotta di nettuno well worth a visit

cpeachey

Pics of our tour from Cagliari via Fonni and back via east coast.
http://s100.photobucket.com/albums/m33/ ... ster%2005/?
The coastal area from Cagliari is hilly and was lacking in accomadation when we went, although by May places should be open. There is a large flat area NW of Cagliari, it's a bit boring. Once you get past Oristano it gets hillier and pretier. (very hilly inland) Bosa to Alghero coast road rolling hills and very scenic. No cafes (or anything else!) on this stretch.
We did Alghero and the north coast in 2000. Sassari is a busy city. Stopped in Castelsardo and Santa terresa before Olbia.
Reccomend Hotel Sanfrancesco behind the church in Alghero. (narrow street) They have a secure parking area for the bike. Carry daytime food as lunch stops may be hard to find.
Chris
ps wind very strong from the west.

ixion

thanks for the replies - the scenerlylooks great Chris; nice pictures.

Have got a plan at last! Which will probably end up changing once I get there.

off to start packing and unpacking things!

Ixion

john holiday

Excellent youth hostel on outskirts of Alghero. We flew into Alghero last May & then cycled to north before catching ferry across to Bonnifacio,as tour was really around Corsica! We landed at 22.00, so the hostel was a bit tricky to find in the dark!
There didn't seem to be many other hostels available, so stayed mainly in small hotels.