Walking Guide Books

We have by now completed many walks, from the easiest to the most difficult, and explored the local area in some detail, so we can help our guests with route descriptions. We use a number of different guidebooks and information sources:-

  • sardinia-walking-IGMThe best maps for walking in Sardinia are from the Istituto Geografico Militare . We have all the 1:25 000 and 1:50 000 maps needed for walking in Ogliastra, and they are really excellent for detail and contours, although sometimes the footpath information isn’t up to date and newer roads aren’t shown… we can tell you where they are! If you want to buy them in advance of coming, the best place to buy them in the UK is The Map Shop, Upton upon Severn.  They keep a number in stock, and it takes them about 6 weeks to order other sheets.  Here is an interactive map finder to decide which maps you need. If themapshop doesn’t have the required IGM maps in stock, it is also possible to order them from http://www.maps-store.it.  There is an “English” button on the site, however the payments section is in Italian (though Steve who suggested this to us had no problems with the assistance of Google Translate).  Minimum order quantity is 4 maps, and with shipping the prices are comparable to those from themapshop.
  • During 2009 the Ente Foreste della Sardegna worked very hard to improve 76 of the island’ssardinia-walking-cartina-ente-foreste mostly-inland walks and equip them with signs, and have published detailed descriptions in Italian and English of them in 12 maps. The project is called Un’Isola di Sentieri, An Island of Paths, and is one of the best such initiatives we’ve come across during all our time in Sardinia! As the map on the right shows, The Lemon House is ideally located for accessing these walks, with four of the areas right on our doorstep:  4. Supramonte Ogliastrino 5. Gennargentu 6. Gennargentu Ogliastrino 9. Tacchi d’Ogliastra. You can download the maps and the brochure here. At The Lemon House we have lots of copies of the brochure and copies of the 4 nearby maps to consult but not to take away—they’re too precious! As described in the brochure, each map can be picked up free from the local Comune or relevant  Ente Foreste station.

In English, the Cicerone guide, the ‘Rother Walking Guide to Sardinia’, and the Sunflower guide between them describe about 40 walks in or near the Ogliastra region. 14 of the most “classic” walks are included in both the Rother guide and the Cicerone guide, such as the most well-known and easier walks such as to the Gola su Gorrupu and Cala Goloritzè, both of which can be done with children of about 8 or above. No walks harder than E (escursionistico) on the Italian Alpine Club scale of difficulty, meaning they are generally on paths.

sardinia-walking-Cicerone

The Cicerone walking guide to Sardinia, written by Paddy Dillon, was published in October 2011.  The author, Paddy Dillon, stayed with us in 2009 and 2010 as he was documenting his 50 walks. Paddy writes, “Sardinia has long boasted of being rugged and beautiful, abounding in historical interest spanning thousands of years. From the point of view of walking, people used to struggle, following clear paths and tracks that expired on rocky slopes, or terminated in thorny macchia. On my first visit I had to agree, but then my luck changed, and I found a brand-new signpost planted in the ground [one of the Ente Foreste signs]. I discovered that an intricate network of trails were being cleared, restored, signposted and waymarked. More than this, they were all being featured on detailed maps available free of charge. So, dear reader, you are among the first in the world to hear about this, so enjoy Sardinia this winter, safe in the knowledge that the paths you follow are actually going somewhere!” Our guests who’ve used this guide here have remarked how good its descriptions are.

sardinia-walking-rother-UK-cover

The ‘Rother Walking Guide to Sardinia’ is published by Bergverlag Rother www.rother.de. After the 2000 English edition( 50 walks, 14 in our area) had been out of print for years, in May 2011 the English translation ISBN 978-3-7633-4800-8 of the updated 2010 Rother guide in German was published with 63 walks in the island, of which 22(!) in our area. Peter gets a special thanks on p264 for his help in suggesting walks in Ogliastra and The Lemon House gets a couple of  mentions, both as a place to stay and for information on sports in Sardinia (walking, climbing, mountainbiking, kayaking). You can buy it from Cordee in the UK.
The Sunflower guide is regularly updated (4th edition 2010) and the online Update service means you can get the latest  up-to-the-minute information. Although a car touring as well as a walking guide, this does include the most popular walks.

Selvaggio Blu guide

If you want more challenging walking, consider the Selvaggio Blu,  “Italy’s most difficult trek”, a 7-day expedition from Santa Maria Navarrese, 3km from The Lemon House, to Cala Gonone.  The second half of the route involves climbing up to UIAA grade IV and 45m abseils, but if you don’t want to do the climbing and abseiling we can suggest  equally-interesting alternative routes. The guide (in English) to the Selvaggio Blu , for which Peter did the translation, was published in April 2008. ISBN 978-88-88776-25-5 €16. You can order it from Cordee in the UK or from the EdizioniSegnavia website. With this guidebook, and without a guide-person, you can confidently undertake the trek. The major problem of Selvaggio Blu is the lack of water along the route, and it’s best to carry the water you’ll need or (as most people do) drop it off in advance. We help our guests  by suggesting exactly where they can leave water easily, as well as providing other advice to help them complete the whole trek or just a part of it. We can also help you get a lift by boat from Cala Goloritzè to Cala Sisine if you want to avoid the stages which involve climbing and abseiling.

sardinia-walking-paddy-looks-over-codula-di-sisineIn Italian, we use the following guides. If you are looking for technically-challenging walking in remote places, you find it described in these books:  many are rated  EE (escursionisti esperti) means for expert walkers, with difficult route finding and often absence of paths or route markings eg across scree or open limestone pavement.

 

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