FROM PELOSA BEACH TO OROSEI
It’s four degrees, and the heat coming from my Ducati Diavel V4 engine can barely change the fact that I’m freezing. We are 200km from Hamamatsu, the birthplace of Yamaha and Suzuki, and I can hardly wait for the ordeal to end. On my right, the colossal Mount Fuji peaks in between the clouds. Fully covered in snow, it is a mighty sight to be seen (and quite rare, too, as the local folks tell me later). Still, all I can think about are the never-ending bends of route SP95 towards Alavari. That, and a warm cup of green tea!
Leaving Pelosa
We leave the picture-perfect Pelosetta Beach behind us and set our bikes due east to the posh town of Porto Cervo. To get there, we will ride 180km along the northern coast of Sardinia, hugging the coastal road as much as we can. This should take us slightly more than 3 hours, not including stops. Given that it’s already past 2 p.m., we have no time to waste.
First, we’ll ride SP34 – the same road we used earlier to get to the beach – but this time south to Pozzo San Nicola, some 17km south. From there, we’ll turn left onto SP57 for another 17km to the port town of Torre Aragonese. Then, we’ll continue on SP81 along the coast for 19km, pass Eden Beach on the way, and connect with SP200 for another 6km until that road connects with SP90.
On the SP90, it’s 70km to Rena Majore, where we will turn right and navigate our way through town to SP71. 12km of narrow twists and turns later, we should meet the SS133 and head 8km towards Palau (the town, not the Pacific island state, which as I write these words still remains a “bucket list” item). When the road ends, we will ride left on the SP13, passing Palau and continuing hugging the coast for another 27km to our nightly destination at the Hotel Poltu Quatu.
Previously on the Sardinia Tour: * Part I - From inception to Carloforte * Part II - From Carloforte to Mamoiada * Part III From Mamoidata to Pelossa Beach
Sardinia’s backside
A short fuel stop and we’re off riding towards the eastern horizon. What looked from the beach like a scene of exotic hills turns out to be no more than a boring set of flat, industrial, and ugly towns. It is as if on the way from picturesque Pelosetta to glitzy Porto Cervo, one must first go through Sardinia’s version of Skid Row. The road is boring, and it’s becoming hot. Did the spirits of Sardinia conspire against us? Is this but a brief test of endurance, or a sign of things to come?
We reach route SP90 after an hour of a punishing ride. Once on course, things take a turn for the better. Passing the town of Badesi, the road begins to narrow as it snakes its way through the low coastal hills of northern Sardinia. As we ride eastwards, we can’t help noticing that:
- The road is really fun and beautiful – a bit like the SP105 we took the day before from Bosa to Algheroץ
- The cars coming from the opposite lane are getting nicer
- There’s a large Island with significantly taller mountains to our north
We stop and park our bikes in the next available rest area to admire the view, snap a few shots, and consult Google Maps. We find that, yes, the island is indeed Corsica. A black McLaren Senna passes us as we mount our bikes. I consider chasing it down the road, but more responsible instincts prevail as we continue east. Clearly, Porto Cervo is getting closer.
More motorcycle tours in the links below * The complete survival guide to India motorcycling * On a ride to nowhere * Scouting Malibu on an Indian * 6 essential rules you must know before doing Nepal off-road * You only die twice
So close, but not really
I wouldn’t bore you with more descriptions of beautiful winding roads paralleling a turquoise-perfect sea. If you’ve read my previous chapter, you surely have got the point by now. We get to Lello Bar on Cala beach around 4pm. The place and the beach are 100% deserted. This is great if you have a towel and some time on your hands, but useless if you still have two hours of riding ahead of you. We settle on admiring the view and the now visibly close Corsica to our north. The French island is so close that we can make out the terrain in detailed resolution. A quick look at Google reveals that at its closest point, the two islands are just 17km apart. We made a decision then and there to add Corsica to our motorcycle destination list. As I write these words, it is still on there.
With the unplanned stop at Beach Abandoned behind us, we spontaneously decide to change plans. Instead of continuing with the SP90 to Capo Testa, at the very northern tip of the island, we make a shortcut through the sleepy town of Rena Majore. The shortcut proves a bit trickier than we thought, as I lead us through some wrong turns and dead ends. Frustrated, we finally clear town, and with Rena Majore finally behind us, we take a beautiful but broken back road eastwards. Happy to be riding nimble motorcycles rather than a lumbering SUV, it takes us another 11km before we team up with a “normal” road, SS133, towards our next stop – Palau.
Palau. The Italian version
I always had Palau on my list of “things to do”, though not this Palau. And while the exotic Pacific archipelago will need to wait for now, the Sardinian one proves to be every bit as much of a jam in its own right. We park our bikes at a lookout just above town to what is undoubtedly one of the most elegant panoramas Sardinia has to offer.
At a distance, the tall Island of Corsica towers over a scene of tremendous beauty. Underneath it, a series of low-lying Islands are dotted with picturesque towns. The scene reminds me of the city-state of Braavos from the show Game of Thrones. Michelin Green Guide gives it three stars, its highest ranking. Given the view, they are probably on to something. Palau, as I later learn, is the Catalan name for a “palace”. With ferries shuttling posh tourists back and forth across the laguna, I frankly cannot think of a better description.
The never-stopping watch cuts our daydreaming short. Like other sites, the archipelago of La Madalena will also have to wait until our next, more leisurely visit. We arrive at our nightly destination at the upscale hotel of Poltu Quatu at six o’clock sharp and manage to grab a poolside cold Mojito and some snacks just as the sun sets. Nestling at the very end of an 800 m-long fjord, the aptly-named Poltu Quatu – which means “Hidden Port” – harbors more than 300 expensive yachts during peak season. Since we arrived a week after the hotel opened up for the season, we get to enjoy the facility free of the hordes of affluent and annoying clientele, at a traveler-friendly cost.
Quartering at Poltu Quatu
The Poltu Quatu is spread over a considerable area. It includes both individual bungalows and a few low-laying central buildings surrounding a large central pool. The brochure says Poltu Quatu was designed by architect Jean Claude Le Suisse as a white-bleached North-African pueblo. Nestled between bare, sand-smoothed rocks, the rounded contours of the alabaster buildings reminded me of a Star Wars set of Moss Eisley.
The hotel advertises a set of high-end restaurants that host the best chefs on the island during high season. As we were still in the off-season, we probably got their assistants. Either way, the dinner of Fragula with a main course of lamb was good enough for us. We concluded our long day of riding with a well-earned Mille-feuille and went searching for our room amid the long, empty hotel corridors.
The sun rises above a cool morning amid the rolling rocks of Poltu Quatu. We take our breakfast outside just across the narrow end of the fjord. A fresh, crisp Croissant and a perfectly-made cappuccino later, and we’re ready to hop on the bikes and head to our next destination – Orosai. Being just 114km south on the eastern coast of Sardinia, we deside not to take the short and direct rout. Instead, we’ll try a longer way that would hopefully lead us to some of the island’s best riding roads.
Failed in Cervo? Head to the mountains
As the town of Porto Cervo is considered by some to be the Saint Tropez of Italy (and judging by the number of Ferraris, it probably is), we decide to explore it in earnest. We try to hug the coast as much as possible as we ride southwards, but soon discover this is easier said than done. Dead ends, streets on the map that don’t exist in practice, and gated roads greet us every time we try to venture off the main road. If that’s not enough, the weather turns sour. The soft and pleasant morning sun makes way for a cover of clouds. The wind turns chilly too. 11km and over an hour (hour!) later, we give up our fruitless pursuit and turn left at Abbiadori to SP94.
From Abbiadori, it’s 24 km south to Olbia. Due to its location, the town, the fourth largest on the island, functions as its key transportation hub to the Italian mainland. But before you get too impressed, being the fourth largest in sparsely populated Sardinia requires only about 60 thousand inhabitants. Olbia is not much to look at either. We pass through it without giving it a second glance. On the other side of town, the clouds begin to shed some light rain, just in time for us to take right on SP24 and head west into the mountains of Central Sardinia.
Riding Eden
The SP24 is a classic. 38km of narrow and serpentine tarmac lead the venturing rider from sea level to 600m elevation in the middle of the island’s central range. Only a few minor villages disturb the otherwise continuous stretch of riders’ nirvana. Our spirits soar the more we ride westwards, and the weather too. Grey, drizzling skies disappear in favor of pleasant, partly sunny skies. I would have described it as SP24 in greater detail, only there’s one we’re about to ride that’s even better.
We reach the end of the road at the intersection of SS389. Riding 5km south on the SS389 brings us to the marvelous SP95. How good is it? I would say, “the best road we had in Sardinia”. No, I’m not bestowing this title lightly. In 2010, Top Gear’s classic trio went on what would become their most exceptional (and in hindsight, daring) Christmas adventure.
I want to marry this road and have its babies!
They started in Iraq(!), continued through Turkey to Syria (Syria!!), Jordan, Israel, and ended in Bethlehem. I remember it for Clarkson’s comment as he climbed the road leading to Mevo Hama, Israel, “I want to marry it and have its babies!” exclaimed Clarkson in near ecstasy. As for me, I know the road to Mevo Hama by heart. I’ve driven it more times than I care to remember. I even included it in my list of Israel’s top 10 hillclimbs. But it was this very special quote I was thinking about as I rode my bike through the SP95. Here’s why.
Starting at the intersection of the SS389, the SP95 goes on, uninterrupted for 39km until it arrives in Talava, a small hamlet of 31 residents. In those 39km, the road (which changes its numeric designation twice for no apparent reason) has literally no more than 100m of straight sections. All the rest is a motorcyclist’s paradise. The road is so remote and forsaken that there’s no cellular reception through most of it. You should think about this if you are in the habit of crashing your bike every now and then.
When we get to Tavala, we decide not to let a good thing pass away and ride up the road and down again. Only our depleted fuel tanks and the lack of gas stations convince us to move on. Besides, we’re getting hungry. Stopping at Brunella, just a short skip and a hop down the road from Tavala, we realize that, according to Italian “law,” it’s too late for lunch. These Italians can be so punctual and pesky when it comes to food, don’t they? We head to a local bar instead for a quick espresso and some cheesy snacks.
Scattered in Orosei
It’s now 4 p.m., and we have 52km left, about an hour’s worth of riding, to reach our destination, the Albergo Diffuso Mannois at Orosei. Passing Brunello is like going back to civilization. The road goes through numerous towns and villages until it joins the main SS125 coastal road. From there, it’s an afternoon traffic slog all the way to Orosei. We stop to refuel and reach the reception a few minutes past 5 p.m.
Albergo Diffuso is an Italian form of hotel with guest rooms spread out in various buildings. You would typically find it within a small town or community, generally of historical significance. The concept was launched in Italy in the early 1980s to revive small, historic Italian villages and town centres off the usual tourist track. As such, the Hotel Mannois is an authentic specimen, as is the old town of Orosei. Placed about 3km off the east coast of Sardinia, it looks like a place forgotten sometime during the early 20th century.
Not having equipped ourselves with this important Italian trivia, we park our bikes only to discover we landed at the wrong “Albergo.” One of the locals directs us to the right building (there are five, apparently) using universal hand signals.
At the Mannois
We arrive at the reception building (called “Su Rosariu”, in case you were curious), just a few steps from the main Piazza del Popolo. With a nice, quiet patio, the house doubles as a restaurant, bar, and breakfast place.
Unfortunately, though, our room is in a different building uphill. We trek back to our parked bikes and slowly navigate them through the darkening alleys of Orosei to the remote building where our room is waiting for us – on the second floor. There is no elevator. The pain in my foot reminds me that, despite my immature brain, I’m not a kid anymore, and my body takes longer to heal. We settle at our room and then head down to an unremarkable dinner, followed by an unremarkeble tour of the Piazza del Poppolo, of unremarkable Orosei. Then, we call it a day.
Tomorrow, is going to be a lot more challenging.