Sardinia in May Capo Coda Cavallo Promontory hike

 On Tuesday, considering the heat of the day before, we get off to an earlier start and are already parking at the Capo Coda Cavallo car park by nine o’clock. The wind is from that direction and is quite strong and there are waves so instead of setting up on the beach as planned we walk along the beach and then continue along the promontory. This is not a long walk but we are very satisfied. It’s something we’ve half-heartedly attempted to do several times and in the end the problematic stretch of narrow rock which required trainers or sandles with a decent sole is short and we’re soon back on a path, albeit one full of scratchy undergrowth. The view of Tavolara and the other islands make it well worth a few scratches.

Back on the beach, we’re undecided. It’s true that it’s going to be another hot day, but considering the wind, you wouldn’t have thought so. We decided to drive a little way back along the promontory to Cala Suaraccia Spiaggia delle Farfalle. The parking is still free and just a few steps from the beach and there’s some shade from trees behind. It’s another place we visited last year.

This year the difference of about ten days is noticeable. There are quite a lot of people (for our standards), perhaps because Capo Coda Cavallo is windy, the hut renting sea equipment is already open and the route across the water to and from the beach for boats etc is already cordoned off. All in all, not ideal, but if we want to get back for lunch there isn’t time to go anywhere else and I would like a swim, so we stop.

The water gets about midriff after just a few steps so I don’t go out any further but it’s quite warm and nice to swim back and forth in the limited space available. The other side of the cordoned off bit the water seems more shallow and families and children have converged down that end.

We don’t linger, just go back to Budoni to stock up for lunch (more pork meat and vegetables) and rest out of the sun because it’s still hot.

Late afternoon we go to Porto Ainu, because it’s the easiest option. A little less seaweed, although what there is accumulates where the water is just the right depth for my swim, so I resort to the shallower part. Anyway, it’s nice.