Sardo, Via Montebello, tel 0784-64179
Aritzo, Via Umberto, tel 0784-627235
Desulo, Via Lamarmora, tel 338-2501654
Fonni, Via Zunnui, tel 0784-57197
Walking in Sardinia
In many respects, Sardinia is ideal for walking, while in other respects it is very challenging. It all depends on your expectations and skills. Some paths are notoriously difficult to locate and follow, and even some popular paths are surprisingly rugged. On the other hand, several paths and tracks have been cleared, signposted and waymarked in recent years for the benefit of walkers. In this guidebook the box at the start of each route gives a brief description of the terrain and indicates whether any part of the route is waymarked. It is important to read the route descriptions carefully and to choose routes that suit your desires and abilities.
How to operate a rustic ‘gate' in a tall fence
The cliff coast of Ogliastra is absolutely stunning, but the only route along it, from Santa Maria to Cala Gonone, is the Selvaggio Blu www.selvaggioblu.it. This requires rock-climbing and abseiling skills, and is not included in this guidebook. Some routes offer beach access, while other routes explore further inland on the Supramonte, even to the highest mountains on the island on Gennargentu.
Where to Stay
Sardinia is a large island, and although this guidebook covers only one part of it, walkers wishing to complete several routes would be advised to choose more than one base in which to stay, in order to limit time spent travelling to and from the walks. Some small towns and villages offer access to several walks (see the ‘Location of walks' map at the front of the guide to spot concentrations of walks and handy villages).
It is likely that most walkers using this guidebook will arrive via Cagliari, Olbia or Alghero. Nuoro, however, is the largest town lying close to the highest mountains, and it could be used as a base for several days, especially by walkers relying on bus services (remember to obtain and study timetables well in advance). Other useful bases with good access to a handful of walks include Oliena and Dorgali, for the Supramonte and Ogliastra. Villages such as Baunei, Santa Maria, Lotzorai and Tortolì are popular with people exploring Ogliastra. Mountain villages offering accommodation close to walking routes include Ulassai and Laconi. The highest mountains of Gennargentu can be reached easily from Aritzo, Desulo, Tonara and Fonni.
What to Take
Those visiting Sardinia in winter and hoping to explore extensively in the mountains will occasionally need full winter kit, even to the extent of using an ice axe and crampons. For most of the year, however, decent sun protection and lightweight waterproofs to guard against occasional showers are sufficient. In many areas, and particularly in the summer, sources of water dry up, and it is necessary to carry plenty of water to guard against dehydration. Footwear is very much a personal choice, but bear in mind that while some routes follow roads and gravel tracks, others follow very rugged paths or even cross bare, broken and loose rock that may reduce walkers, quite literally, onto their hands and knees!
When to go
Sardinia's weather is typically Mediterranean, with long, hot summers and most of the rainfall concentrated in the winter months. Most visiting tourists head for the beaches, which may experience as many as 300 sunny days per year. Many walkers also head for the coast and so will enjoy the same weather.
Snow covers the gap of Arcu Gennargentu before the final climb onto Punta La Marmora (Walk 39)
The mountains are rather different and make their own weather. In winter the highest mountains are covered in snow, sometimes from November until March, to the extent that a couple of small ski pistes flourish briefly. They may also be covered in low cloud, which robs visitors of extensive views. When the coast becomes oppressively hot in summer, the mountains offer cooler conditions and shady forests. Spring offers some of the best weather and most colourful scenes.
Sardinia occasionally suffers storms and short, but intense periods of heavy rainfall, generally between October and April. Devastating floods in November 2008 caused extensive damage to roads, bridges, houses, tracks and paths. Some of the walking routes in this guidebook run along riverbeds that are normally dry, but occasionally carry torrential floodwater. After heavy rain, therefore, some routes cannot be used. Weather forecasts can be checked out on www.ilmeteo.it.
Until recently, few routes were waymarked, but some directions were literally carved in stone
Waymarking and Access
While some land is privately owned in Sardinia, many wild areas are held in common and administered by various comunes, or municipal authorities. For the most part there is no objection to walkers following paths and tracks through such places, but bear in mind that activities such as hunting (mainly September to January) take place on this land. In some areas, notably around the Golgo plateau, local shepherds would prefer visitors to hire them as guides, and to ‘encourage' this to happen they aren't keen for paths to be signposted or waymarked. In other places, notably those extensive areas managed by the Sardinian forestry agency, access is actively promoted, and routes have been identified, cleared, marked and signposted (these are mainly concentrated in the area covered by this guide). The trails range from short circular routes to long-distance routes.
New signposts give detailed directions throughout a network of waymarked walking trails
Maps of Sardinia
Government maps covering Sardinia are part of the Carta Topografica d'Italia series, published by the Instituto Geografico Militare d'Italia (IGMI). There are two scales – the 1:50,000 ‘Serie 50’ has orange covers, while the 1:25,000 ‘Serie 25’ has blue covers. Every ‘Serie 50’ map is divided into quarters to create ‘Serie 25’ coverage. Bear in mind that some coastal sheets cover very little land area. Sheet-by-sheet coverage can be checked online at www.igmi.org/ware, but the site is available only in Italian – and while it is very useful, it isn't obvious how to get the most out of it. These maps don't show all the available paths and tracks, but other useful maps highlighting at least some useful walking routes are available (see below).
IGMI maps can be ordered in advance from The Map Shop, 15 High Street, Upton-upon-Severn, WR8 0HJ, tel 01684 593146, www.themapshop.co.uk.
Vast areas are managed by Ente Foreste delle Sardegna, the Sardinian forestry agency (www.sardegnaambiente.it/foreste). They have identified, cleared, marked and signposted a series of short and long trails. They publish a series of excellent 1:25,000 scale maps, completely free of charge, covering dozens of waymarked trails. These can be studied online and printed by clicking first on the ‘Sentieri’ link, then (in spite of everything being only in Italian) clicking on each area, then clicking the ‘Scarica la carta’ links to find the maps. You won't find better trail maps anywhere on Sardinia.
There is a good 1:50,000 scale
