Sardinia
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7. Codula di Sisine
After unforgettable rides with Roberto we went back
to the west, to the area of Iglesiente, which used to be
a large mining area. Today it is a ghost land full of
deserted villages and mines and as such very much
suitable for mountain biking. It is a perfect wilderness
in a different way.
And how was Iglesiente? We spent our second night in
a car because of the strong wind, found a wild camping
site of climbers in the vicinity of Grotta di San Giovanni
- a cave near Domusnovas and went on a combination of
two tours (Arenas and Antas).
In the following days we had some bad weather and
still some nice rides, while cruising the broader area
of Mt. Supramonte and Mt.Gennargentu, with the highest
Sardinian peak Punta Lamarmora - 1834 m above sea.
Codula di Sisine (codula = a canyon, gorge), a tour
in the guide Sole, Sale, Salita, is quite exceptional
and deserves to be mentioned. There is a DH first and
uphill last. So, quite the opposite as usual. It starts
on a mountain at the height of 650 m, descends to the
sea along magnificent gorge and ends on a beautiful
deserted beech with emerald green water. The return goes
the same way.
The gorge is also accessible by a four-wheel drive
car, but only the first two thirds, the last part can
only be walked or ridden by a MTB. Terrain here is quite
different than the one in the south with a lot of gravel
and big rocks.
Here on the east coast, between Orosei and Tortoli, there
are more such beautiful and hidden beaches. The biggest
is Cala Gonone, where a nice resort was also built. It
is normally accessible by car through a tunnel. Cala
Gonone is quite luxurious with higher prices and crowds
off season as well. They also have a nice camping site,
which is usually full of climbers, who have their
paradise in the vicinity.
To the south from Cale Gonone there is also Cala di Luna,
another beautiful beach only accessible by sea or via a
gorge similar to Codula di Sisine. In
Sole, Sale, Salita book guide there is a loop type trail
described, starting in Cala Gonone, ascending to the
crest above, descending into the gorge towards Cala di
Luna and returning along the coast. The trail is nice,
but the last part along the coast is hardly cyclable,
which means 2-3 hours of walking. Verified!
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