Bosa to Cabras

November 8, 2023

Through villages and along the coast

We woke to a rain shower at 7 am, but the forecast looked good for the day. Both of us were feeling slightly better than yesterday - super stuffy noses, but no more sore throats. We were in no rush to depart, and took our time over a good breakfast. When we went to leave, the landlady reported that the Finnish guy was gone. I sure hope he’s heading home for treatment.

Our exit was delayed by Sue discovering that she had a flat front tire. We tried pumping it up, but that just confirmed the slow leak. It didn’t take long to insert a new tube, but that’s the last new one. We’ll need to patch one as a spare, or find a bike shop, which seems unlikely in the small towns we keep staying in.

The funniest part of our departure is that when we went to exit the property, the gate was locked. We’d been instructed to leave our keys in the apartment, so had no way out. Sue went up to the landlady’s apartment to ask for assistance. And when she came down, she showed us that the gate just pushed open. The lock wasn’t functional. Oops. 🤦‍♀️

The streets were still wet, but we had a sunny start to the cycling day, and the temperature was just below 20 C. Perfect.

We started our first climb soon after leaving Bosa. And then departed from the provincial highway onto a great rural road. Shortly after we passed by a pop-up veggie stand, a woman noted in gestures that we’d be going up. Shortly afterwards, a man on the side of the road said to us: piano, piano (‘slowly, slowly’). I guess we’re not setting any speed records.

Nice quiet road. Grey clouds are building.

We’ve seen multiple examples of farm gates made from old bed springs. This one was a double-decker.

Today was the first time we saw an old headboard incorporated into a fence.

We saw lots more sheep today, and olive groves too. Plus horses, and our first roosters. And hairy Sardinian pigs enjoying the mud and wanting to say hello to us. They stuck their noses through the fence.

Just before noon we made a coffee stop in the beautiful village of Sinnariolo (population 175) with murals on lots of the buildings.

Fabulous coffee spot. That’s a typically ratty Sardinian flag in the background. We haven’t seen an undamaged flag yet.

We went slightly off course, and Komoot suggested a route with stairs. Oops.

The clouds had been building, and there was a brief rain shower as we descended back to the sea. We had lunch on the beach in Santa Caterina di Putinnuri, with the sun out again. If you don’t like the weather here this week, wait 5 minutes. The beach was quite small - the signs specified how much space must be left for each umbrella and beachgoer. It must be crazily packed in the summer. Today there were a couple of divers in the water, and we saw two paddle boarders heading out through the surf.

Lucky for us, this ‘road closed’ sign didn’t amount to anything.

Our lunch spot on the beach. It’s hard to believe it was was raining ten minutes before this photo was taken.

We had a few unpaved sections today, all pretty good.

These pigs in mud were as happy as pigs in mud.

After lunch, it was an easy, relatively flat ride out to our destination of Cabras. We are staying in a really nice place. The Gioia Guest House has a walled courtyard and central breakfast space. We might be the only occupants of the five suites tonight.

Komoot’s off-highway routing was quite good today. We hit a ‘road closed’ sign on one rural road, but it was just too narrow in one place for cars. No problem for our bikes. We ignored one suggestion to go up a steep unpaved hill. But enjoyed being sent through the vineyards and olive groves as we approached the end of our day. It’s always nice to get off the busier roads here. Some Italians like to pass us too close for comfort.

The land quality seems better south of Bosa. Not so cobbley. Despite the recent rain, we also didn’t encounter mud today. Not much clay in the soil in these parts, I don’t think.

We wandered around the confusing town centre in search of food. Most restaurants in town are closed for the season, or weren’t opening til 8, which was too late for us sniffly cyclists. Instead, we went to a bar and split a wonderful big salad that had tuna, mozzarella, hard boiled egg, carrot, and lettuces. Yum. The locals couldn’t have been nicer. The table next to us were a bunch of senior men. And when they left, they turned and said goodnight to us. And I watched the barman blow a kiss goodnight to a couple and their toddler who were leaving. I really like the people here.

Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 482 km (299 miles)

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