Sardinia: the Latest 'New' venue.
Sardinia is a large island (about the size of Wales) about two hours flight from Stansted Airport. The start of flights by RyanAir to the tiny airport at Alghero has opened up yet another superb Sun/Rock destination, with flights starting at around £30 return if you choose your times carefully. Although the whole island appears to have quality climbing, it is the area around the tiny resort/fishing village of Cala Gonone on the east coast that has found a degree of popularity amongst visiting Brits, and with good reason; quiet, excellent weather and surrounded by quality limestone. When we first visited the area last November it was exceptionally quiet (far too cold for the locals) but it has become increasingly popular.
For ACCOMMODATION in Cala Gonone try contacting Tiziana Marongiu by e-mail on matizia@tiscalinet.it, she has self-catering apartments right on the beach front, plus a hotel and plenty of contacts in town. Also well worth considering if you are after somewhere a bit classy are Freelance Holidays a UK based company who have links to a variety of smart accommodation all over the island (including Grand Central - Cala Gonone), you sort your own flight and they get you somewhere nice to stay! Brochures can be obtained by phoning Tel: 01789 297705. Usefully they also deal with Mallorca, another place worth a little of your time.
In the south west of the island I have had good reports of the accommodation offered by a German lady, Anja has self-catering accommodation from €10 per person per night. Contact her by e-mail at heart67@libero.it
Cala Gonone
The place to be centred at least as an introduction to climbing on Sardinia, it is central, amazingly quiet in the winter and surrounded by quality climbing. Although a bit of a trek from the airport (two and a half hours) once established there is little need to drive more than a couple of miles. Of course if you do want to explore, it is only a short drive to the superb and unspoiled interior of this wonderful island. Or it could be back to Benidorm - yet again!
I have stopped in worse places!
Cala Fuili
A five minute drive from Cala Gonone along the picturesque coastal road is the parking above the inlet of Cala Fuili. There are cliffs scattered all around the bay, and vary from easy slabs useful as an introduction to our sport, through to some of the hardest (and steepest) climbs in the whole area. The setting is as magnificent as any cliff I have climbed on, and as ever the rock is superb (and sharp!).
The picture right shows Dave Spencer on the fantastic '16' named for the number of bolt runners in the pitch. The local guide give it 6a but 6b/b+ is nearer the mark. Oh and it is immaculate!
Cala Luna
An hour and a half's walk from the parking at Cala Fuili is the magical inlet of Cala Luna (Moon Bay). The beach is superb, and rising behind it a are a great set of tufa encrusted tilted walls. Needless to say the routes here are generally pretty tough, though for normal mortals there are a few things to have a go at - and apart from that it is worth just doing the walk in. From Easter to October it is possible to get a boat in and about of the bay (c£8 return). Out of season it might be worth a trip to the harbour to try a bit of bartering.
There is little doubt that Sardinia will become increasingly popular amongst British climbers, it has all the attributes of the popular Spanish cliffs, quality rock a whole variety of routes, excellent winter weather and currently a real lack of climbing 'traffic'. RyanAir have done us proud, get there before the Germans discover how good the place is!