Sardinia in May Hiking Costa Paradiso to Li Tinnari

On Tuesday I wake up feeling energetic and so we drive to Costa Paradiso after stopping at the Despar for Irgoli sliced raw ham. In Spain, Costa Paradiso would be called an Urbanización. Holiday homes spread amongst the rocky hillside with great sea views. Hmm. Costa Paradiso was started in the late 1960s at the same time as Costa Smeralda but while Costa Smeralda took off, its optimistically named twin, basically, didn't.

For me, any coast approaching paradise parameters should have an easily accessible beach able to accommodate at least most  of the guests of the houses behind it, a requirement sadly lacking in this case.

Despite the 'controlled entry' - a barrier which is open, access to the area is free, since while the residential area is private the roads belong to the municipality. We drive down to the tiny harbour where it's easy, and free, to park and set off to the first beach - Li Cossi.

The route along the rocks is in keeping with the environment and undoubtedly panoramic: red and pinkish salmon coloured rocks modelled by the sea which is deep blue and transparent. It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the beach considering that although the walk presents no difficulties and there's a fence on the seaward side there are a lot of steps up and down and the odd steepish drop which means it's wise to look where you step also when stopping for photos.

There are a handful of people on the beach, more than I would have expected for an average beach (by Sardinian standards) so I imagine they are mostly people staying in the resort.

We continue up on the other side of the beach. This is not a safe bit of the route, after you've scrambled up there's a steep drop to the right and that small section of path is very narrow. Hmm. We continue and the path improves, although some scrambling and use of hands is involved. Also, there are no indications as to which path to take when there's a choice. Some people before us have gone up too high and it's mainly by realizing that they are coming back down that we keep lower. 

At one point the path is deep in the Mediterranean vegetation, fresh and shady and with a tiny freshwater spring and interesting ferns. The other side of that bay is Porto Leccio - a small beach covered in seaweed. Just above, a contorted juniper provides shade and tempts us to stop but we resist even though it's 11.30.

We continue along the coast up and down as far as the Piscine di Tinnari. It's getting hotter and the route is confusing due to the ometti or piles of stones often used to indicate a route when hiking, which in this case often indicate all directions at once. We are not novice hikers but there are so many paths and so many ometti it is confusing. Not ‘getting lost’ confusing but ‘wasting a lot of time going up and down at midday’ (nearly my lunchtime) confusing.

I call a halt. We visited Li Tinnari many years ago, hiking along the same path when the path was just one and no ometti, Andrea's knee has been very generous but I don't want to take advantage, there seem to be a lot of people heading that way and I don't relish sharing a handkerchief of shadeless beach with them. Andrea thinks the same, so we retreat to the shade of one of my favourite juniper trees ever, for an excellent picnic in the shade. We stay a couple of hours, explore the nearby rocks and then set off to walk back to the car.

We arrive back at the car very hot despite brief stops in any available shade.

We did this hike about 20 years ago when the terrain was the same but there was hardly anyone around and it felt adventurous. Today we saw I think at least 40 people. The path between the two beaches is not a stroll. It's for experienced hikers and we were surprised to see so many people, many, looking at their footwear and how they moved, not experienced hikers.

It's a nice hike and the views are beautiful, but they are in lots of places along the coast between Rena Maiore and Portobello which are equally panoramic but easy hikes, no scrambling, no unprotected steep drops, just sea, rocks, nature and some deserted beaches. Li Cossi is ok and Tinnari not so pretty but there are many beaches in the area without scrambling in hot sun to get there and back.

As we are getting into the car there are two wild boar wandering amongst the cars a couple of meters from the cafè. On the way back we stop at the bar of Camping Saragosa for an excellent coffee, a Magnum and a Cornetto sitting in the shade with a splendid sea view.