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 map with walking trails highlighted – Ogliastra – published by Balzano Edizioni. A similar, but simpler version is published by Edizioni Serinet. Balzano Edizioni also publishes a good 1:50,000 scale Comunità Montana map, and sheet 9 covers the mountains around Nuoro. There may be other maps that show walking routes with varying degrees of usefulness and accuracy, but the ones mentioned here are the best.
Travelling around this part of Sardinia requires the use of a suitable road map. Michelin and DeAgostini both publish maps with a good level of detail at a scale of 1:200,000.
Emergencies
Depending on the nature of an emergency, phone for the police (carabinieri) on 112, fire service (vigili del fuoco) on 115, ambulance (ambulanza) on 118, or road rescue (ICA) on 116. There is an organised mountain rescue service on Sardinia, based in Nuoro, with a branch in Urzulei (both in the area covered by this guide). If a rescue is required, call 118 and specify that mountain rescue (intervento tecnico in montagna) is needed.
Using this guide
This guidebook covers a selection of walking routes stretching from the cliff coast of Ogliastra to the highest mountains of Gennargentu. Routes include short, easy and popular walks as well as long, difficult and less frequented walks – the information box at the start of each route gives key details about the walk. Always read the route descriptions in advance and don't be tempted to tackle anything beyond your ability.
The higher parts of the track climb gently around the slopes at Su Arcu Mannu (Walk 43)
The routes in the guide are arranged by location – the guide first describes those in the north of the region, then routes further south and east, and subsequently walks in the west. Not all the walks are circular, and for linear routes information on transport back to the start is provided in the route description. Many of the walks adjoin or overlap each other, and can be joined together to create longer walks (the maps show some of the adjoining routes in order to help the reader do this).
Take note of the length of each walk, the time needed to complete it, and the nature of the terrain, then take account of the day's weather. Timings vary from person to person, so if you need more time for one route than that given in the information box, then you will probably need more time for all the routes in the guide. Just work out how much extra time you are likely to need. Conversely, if you finish early on one route, you might well finish early on all of them, and should take this into account when planning each day's walk. The timings are walking times and do not include time spent resting, stopping for lunch, or in long contemplation.
Macchia-covered hills around Giustizieri are easily explored while following clear tracks (Walk 13)
The strip maps in the guidebook concentrate on features close to the walking routes, and if you want to explore further you will need maps extending beyond the area covered. The more remote the route, the more important it is to carry extra mapping. Step-by-step route descriptions are given in the guide, and place-names shown in bold in the route description also appear on the strip maps, allowing walkers to keep track of progress. Any shops, bars or restaurants along the way are mentioned, otherwise walkers need to be completely self-sufficient. Although some routes include spring-fed water sources, these cannot be guaranteed during a long, hot and dry spell, so always carry sufficient drinking water.
Sardinia is a huge island, and the 50 walking routes in this guidebook, covering around 750km (465 miles), represent only a fraction of what is available. After completing several routes, walkers should have a good understanding of the nature of the Sardinian landscape, and should be able to approach other parts of the island with greater confidence.
THE WALKS
WALK 1
Monte Ortobene from Nuoro
| Start/Finish | Chiesa la Solitudine, Nuoro |
| Distance | 16km (10 miles) |
| Total Ascent/Descent | 650m (2130ft) |
| Time | 5hrs |
| Terrain | Roads and tracks, from farmland to wooded slopes, and a steep wooded path for the descent |
| Maps | IGMI ‘Serie 50’ 500, ‘Serie 25’ 500 IV |
| Refreshment | Plenty of choice in Nuoro; bars on top of Monte Ortobene |
| Transport/Access | ATP city buses run between Nuoro and Monte Ortobene |
| Note | Descent uses
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