If you are a regular reader you may remember I said last Saturday, if we don’t leave today we may never leave. Then our ferry on 10th was cancelled. Now the overnight ferry on 17th Dec has no cabins left. That leaves departures on Christmas Eve or New Years’ eve at 5pm to arrive Christmas Day or New Years Day into Palermo at 6am. Or don’t go to Sicily and go straight to Naples, Rome etc.
We after much deliberation, we thought what is the rush?! So we have booked the ferry to Palermo for 7th Jan. So we will be in Sardinia for the foreseeable. 🥳 That gets us to our most southerly point of our trip for the colder weather of January which is another bonus. Plus we can take our time a bit and get in some more cycling etc.
So we swung straight into our new routine today. I went for a 30 mile cycle ride this morning along the ex-SS125 toward Tertenia. Not along the SS-125 as that is a new, sometimes even dual carriageway, road complete with big concrete overpasses etc on which no bikes are allowed that runs alongside the old road. Obviously people must have know the number of the old route though, so why give the new road a new number? Just put ex- in front of the old one. The old ex-SS125 though is nice and quiet as all the fast cars are on the SS125 fast road… except for the Italian driver who came round the bend at me on the wrong side of the road but thankfully I had just enough room to get inside him by tightening turn. Italian drivers really are as bad as they say.
A nice inland route, just there and back on the same road, as my route planner did not offer me anything without mountains / big miles. Still it was a lovely route through the mountain valley with vineyards either side, rural scenes all around. A lovely vintage truck, paint rusted away in the middle of a field where it presumably last ran, grass growing up around it. A wooden pallet prior on a gatepost painted up with wares of the small holding seller at the side of the road. No photos, I was going for a speed record on my bike 😂 7mins off my fastest 40k!
When I got back we decided to move a little up the coast to a small campsite in Foxi Manna. Run by a young couple who are very welcoming and who have been busy working all day on what looks like it will be a small bar. They provide all services including washing machines at 10€ a night. A gap in the perimeter fence leads you straight onto a lovely beach with powdery sand and mountain backdrop. We have passed a pleasant day with beach walks, yoga, Italian lessons, Kev went for a local reccie on his bike. Bar located 😂
So everyone is settled for a night or two. Except perhaps Lola who is wildly incensed by the several cats wandering around at will in the campsite 😂
In for a Penney 