If you zip along the main highway from the capital Caglairi then you can be in Oristano in an hour. Our slow bumble up the west coast took us two weeks, slight difference on timescale but gives an indication on how quick or slow you can travel through Sardinia. Oristano is an slow paced city with a more of a town feel than a big sprawling city. Nothing much to explore but plenty nice streets to stroll around. Its great for a range of supermarkets, fuel stations and GPL. Our purpose for stopping here and although we don’t need much GPL, there aren’t too many filling points on the island, so we decide to top up. Thankfully, its only a small fill as the GPL price is the most expensive we’ve paid in a long time at €0.86 litre.
Our journey towards the Sinis peninsula is cut short when we stop at Marina de Torre Grande. There was something about the place we quite liked and after a toot around we opted to stay for a while at Spinnaker Camping Village. A spacious campsite with pool, bar, restaurant, private beach and cool pine shade. At €19 per night with ASCI card (€58 without) seems a shame to not put our feet up for a while.
Our Bumble paid motorhome campsite at Marina de Torre Grande GPS position: N039.902556, E008.529389
Over the next 3 days we enjoy the luxury of the campsite – beach, swimming pool and shade. Chatting with French, German, Italian and Norwegian picking up tips on good places to visit as we head north. Our neighbour an English couple preferred their own company and avoided everyone on the site. We did try and make conversation several times but they weren’t having any of it..
We zipped out on the motorbike to the Torre Grande and the Sinis peninsular. Its area is quiet, flat, and perfect for exploring by bike. At its edge, Torre Grande has 3km of south facing beach, backed by pinewoods and low grassy dunes. The low rise town has a nice buzz, with cafes, bars and a traffic free seafront full of cyclists and skateboarders.
The tiny church of San Giovanni di Sinis is only small but rather characterful and in many way reminds us of the Greek Orthodox churches. It is one of the oldest churches in Sardinia. It sits at the beginning of the village alongside a souvenir shop and tourist information centre with staff who think looking at the ceiling is part of the job description. Either that or they have real life like looking manikins. Worth noting that in and around the village are a number of car parks permitting overnight parking. The daily charge ranges from €9 to €12.
At the end of the village, a dirt road leads to the Sinis reserve. Here you have 3 options. 1. right to the Torre Seu Spanish tower with stunning views over the peninsular.
2. Straight on to an elongated peninsula called Capo San Marco.
3.Left at the gate and ruins of the ancient Phoenician city of Tharros. Founded around the end of the 8th century BC with a complex of buildings, roads and drains. Most of the visible remains date back to the Punic Roman era but there are indication the site dates back to the bronze age.
Mac n Tosh enjoyed a few lazy days on the beach although we did restrict Mac’s playtime. This lump is constantly up and down in size and has us scratching our head. With no exercise or very little activity it does seem to reduce but then all of a sudden it just flairs up. He remains in good spirits, so its not bothering him (just us!) and after a call with the vets he continues with more anti inflammatory tablets. Hopefully, he will see some improvement over the next week.
Glad you liked the place 🙂 I live 10minutes from Capo San Marco.
ps. the city actual name is Cagliari!
I’ve been following your blog for a while now so thanks for all your useful tips. We are relatively new to motor homing and never travelled to Europe. Have you any suggestions on where we should go for our first trip in Europe as we are both nervous on foreign roads and their way of life. I have enrolled at night school to learn basic French because I am frightened we will struggle to get by. How did you learn their language?
To be honest france is the closest and probably the easiest place to travel in a camper or motorhome, english is commonly understood, the roads are good quality and it has everything from tiny villages to the soaring Alps. You can even go north for cool weather or south for serious heat too.
Just yesterday I ran across your blog for the first time and I started reading your blog. I was telling my husband last night about you guys adventures and how your living style is very efficient. We live in America so we know motorhomes as RV’s. The same thing just bigger but built like crap. We are thinking of visiting Europe in a couple of years. Do you think we need solar panels or can we just get electric from camp grounds?
Hi Niki and thanks for getting in touch. Solar panels are a good investment because you can choose to plug in or not. Really depends on your style of camping.
If you stay on campsites then you will be able to use electricity. Aires and sosta’s are very different and electricity can’t be guaranteed. We personally like to wild camp because we get to stay in some beautiful places. Having the solar panels allows us to live off the grid and anywhere we choose, so it works well for us.
Ha, the ruins at Tharros! I remember its beautiful setting! Good to hear the lump doesn’t bother Mac.
So you’ve been to Sardinia…please share any places to visit?
Have you considered the lump may be a hernia?
We did ask Amanda but both vets shook their head and said no. I must admit it is something I thought of in the early days.
Another great read luv ,what am I going to do when you get Home ? There’s nothing on T V nearly what is on are repeats & old& I meanOLD Bulls Eye was on three times one night ,who wants to watch James Bowen ,he’s acting like he’s still a school teacher,Rubbish ,Enough of that let’s go back to the Ruins in Sardinia more interesting ,Craig is keeping is Transport Spick & Span it must be an envy to many other Campervans ,Craig looks like he’s sunbathing in the Nuddy, Hope you’re journey home is trouble free & wish that miserable couple ,a Merry Xmas from me ,Can’t understand some folk ,you can bet they don’t like Animals ,Cast your mind back & ALL the people& friends you know who are MISEABLE don’t have or like Pets of any kind ,That’s my mourning for the Day Done ,Loads of Luv Pops ❤️💖❤️Mac n Tosh Woof Woof 🐟🐡🐟
I used to like a bit of bully when I was young. Do you remember dusty bin too and the guy who used to do 3 2 1 flicking his hand around?
Craig in the muddy, lol. Just got his trunks on ready for a plunge in the sea.
I hope Mac will get better soon😄
Thanks Gilda, he is fine in himself, so fingers crossed. We have also managed to speak to our vets in the UK which gives us some reassurance and a few things to watch out for.
Love the blog and site – thanks for sharing- have you travelled with sea kayaks at all and if so, where do you fit them on your motorhome?
Hi Chris, sorry we’ve never used kayaks but we have seen plenty motorhomes with kayaks on board. In the main they tend to be the inflatable kind and I must admit they do look good fun.