I woke to the sound of rain and wind. It really wasn’t what I was hoping for, but last night, I noticed that the forecast for today had changed. It was more like yesterday – rainy and windy. It certainly started that way. Also, last night, I couldn’t decide where to go. Weather and accommodation seem to influence every day of this trip – especially in winter.
I’ve been following a trail that I downloaded which takes me down the west coast and then into Cagliari where I’ll jump on a ferry to Sicily. There’s only one ferry per week, so I think I’ll leave Sardinia next Saturday.
Today, the trail would take me through some nice villages and up some hills before descending to the beach. It’s low season so campgrounds are closed as are many of the B&Bs along the way.
I wasn’t sure of getting any accomodation at the beach and it was too wet and windy to wild camp, so I decided to stop early in Cuglieri. It would only be a short ride, but there was a lot of climbing involved and with the weather, it was an easy decision.
I’ve said before that it takes me quite a while to warm up – about 45 minutes – but today I had only about 450 metres before the serious uphill started. It levelled off after about six and a half kms of not too strenuous riding that provided fantastic views firstly over Bosa and then the next valley along.
As I climbed, it got colder and a couple of rain storms went past without me getting much more than a sprinkle. I was lucky and my timing was perfect. The wind got stronger though and the light drizzle stung my face as I looked down the valley from Suni to the sea. I rugged up and left the nice view.
Being Sunday, l wasn’t expecting anything to be open, and for the first hour or so, there wasn’t. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I went past a very small café, so I stopped for coffee and a savoury pastry of some sort. My luck continued as a rain storm came through while I sat in the warmth of the cafe. I also booked a place to stay in Cuglieri while I was there.
It was downhill to the village of Sennariolo where the trail took me on a bit of a tour. There was plenty of traditional street art and it looked like very nice village – except that there was absolutely no sign of life anywhere.
I knew the final climb wasn’t far off and I could see Cuglieri perched at the top of the next hill. It was quiet as well.
I made my way to my accommodation and unfortunately, the owner was 40kms away in Oristano. Apparently, today would have been a great day to be there with horses racing through the streets. Luckily, I could let myself in, so I relaxed and updated the blog etc for the rest of the afternoon.
Dinner was a sensational pizza at one of the few places open. It was takeaway and was a rectangular piece folded over and served in a bag. I ate it as I walked around the interesting town. The pizza was so nice, I went back for another.
Apparently, 50 years ago, the town’s population was about 30 times more than today, with a university and seminary. All that’s gone but the buildings remain. It’s no tourist town, but it’s definitely got character.
