I had a great sleep in Cuglieri and knew that there was an easy day ahead – it started with a downhill of about 10kms to the coast. Today’s unknown was where to spend the night.
I thought that there’d be plenty of wild camp options near the coast so I postponed that decision until later and just enjoyed where I was. There was an historical site 12 kms from Cabras that I wanted to see, Tharras.
The coastline was beautiful and had lots of character. As usual though, there were lots of houses and buildings but very very little activity. The surf was working today and I couldn’t believe it, here in the Mediterranean.
I had intended to follow a dirt trail along the coast but the turnoff to it was completely covered with water after all the rain in recent days. I checked the map and there was also a creek crossing involved, pretty close to the beach so I thought it would be a dumb move.
I didn’t have any food, so I detoured to Riola Sardo and hit the supermarket. On the way out of town, I found a very nice cafe and simply couldn’t go past – such is my addiction to Italian coffee.
I usually don’t like coffee without milk, but the espressos here are all superb as well as ultra cheap They certainly take pride in their coffee. In small villages, they can be less than a euro and in larger towns and cities it’s a euro and a half.
Later I found a park in Cabras for lunch before riding out to Tharros. It’s a great place. I rode to the entrance and parked the bike and got out my lock. As I took the keys out of my back pocket, I dropped them in the long grass. It took at least ten minutes on my hands and knees looking stupid, to find them. What a relief when I finally did.
I hiked up to one old fortification and had a great view of the whole area. There was a small flat area where people took selfies, but behind it was a steep drop and I can only wonder if …
On the way back down to the village area, I stopped at a cafe, ordered a drink and asked about any camping possibilities. Not only did they say no, they warned me not to try camping around here. That was quite a surprise, so I booked a place in Cabras and headed back to town.
Cabras is another big place that’s quiet too. It poured with rain just after I arrived. I had a fantastic pizza at Three P and worked on a plan for the next five days. I felt like a challenge and really wanted to camp, so I planned a route over to the other side of the island to include two days on the Trans Sardinia. I knew I’d regret it later
The alternative was flat easy riding and a couple of nights in Cagliari, neither of which inspired any enthusiasm in me at all.
That’s another thing – all of these challenging rides (such as the complete Trans Sardinia) sound amazing but I simply can’t do them on an ongoing basis. My body and mind both need rest, and the more strenuous the riding, the more rest required.