Wednesday 28th May & Thursday 29th May
Valledoria to Fertilia, Alghero via Castelsardo.
Wednesday 28th May
Last night’s sunset was just amazing. It’s the first time we’ve been able to watch the sun disappear over the horizon into the sea on either island.
We left this lovely site early, and went to Decathlon in Sassari for some BBQ gas before heading to Castelsardo.
Enroute we saw a sign for the Elephant rock. I had to google it and, as we didnt pass it, I’ve taken a pic from google to show you. It definitely looks like an elephant
, hopefully we’ll get another chance to pass it while we are here.
Arriving in Castelsardo, there’s a car park just before the castle which accepts campers free of charge.
We grabbed a spot with 2 other campers and by the time we set the van up, there were more than 7 of us! Blimey, everyone seemed to have the same idea 
.
We stopped at a lovely coffee shop just before the old town and then grabbed a map from the tourist info office.
The town below the castle is very colourful, it reminded us of the Cinque Terra. Such a good idea, so pleasing to the eye of the visitor, therefore more inviting 
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It was a steep staircase to the walls of the castle and then mainly roads and paths into it’s centre. A hell of climb according to Gareth .
What a fab little place. Apparently, its famous for basket weaving, evidenced by the lovely old ladies sat in their doorways showing their craft. Sadly we have no room for a lovely bread basket or two so didn’t buy anything.
Refreshingly, there is no room for traffic in the castle so we were free to roam without the worry of motor vehicles.
Meg was allowed in the castle, just love the inclusive Italians, so we took the opportunity to see what the defenders of Castelsardo saw all those years ago.
The view over the town and the sea is, as you’d expect, amazing, especially on such a lovely day.
Most of the castle has been given over to a basket weaving museum, but the rooms etc are still as they were. The walls are really rough, you can imagine anyone trying to scale them would have skinned knees and shins within minutes of starting 
. There are also examples of old weapons on show, the scary crossbow being one of them.
There are a few restaurants and bars in the old walls, perfect if you were there at sunset.
We visited the church and cathedral – though pictures weren’t allowed in the latter. One thing I have to praise the tourist office for is the info boards. They were plentiful, very clear and in English or Italian. You don’t get that everywhere.
A couple of hours was all we needed here. After refreshments at a bar opposite the car park we headed to our campsite for the night.
It’s just outside Alghero, called a sosta instead of a campsite and is just blooming lovely. It’s called Paradise Park Sosta
It was so hot when we got here, we just set up and relaxed in the shade of our pitch. The staff are really friendly, you can choose your own pitch and, the icing on the cake is an onsite restaurant that has glowing reviews.
While Parker had a well deserved siesta, I walked Meg to the beach. We didn’t go on to the beach as there are signs up saying ‘no dogs’.
Back at the sosta, we checked with the owner who said that at this time of year dogs wouldn’t be a problem in the beach. So fingers crossed.
Gareth fancied pizza for tea, so we popped along to the restaurant. The car park was pretty busy, blimey, the restaurant was busy too! We couldnt get a table so ordered a takeaway, and had a glass of the local delicious wine while we waited.
Wine was lush, pizza was lush and the night was very warm!
Thursday 29th May
We had a very warm night, even with all the windows open, it was a bit sticky. Gareth woke up at about 8 and put the ceiling fan on, which helped a bit.
Our day continued to be lazy. We did absolutely nothing (apart from walking Meg) until about 2pm. Venturing down to the beach through a lovely, cool, pine forest and ignoring the no dogs sign, we pitched up on the beautiful Le Bombarde beach. Wow, it is really just wow!. White sand, turquoise water, calm enough for everyone.
It was busy today. Families and people doing beach things. We all went into the sea – and not for a pee either! 
. It was so warm the only way to go was with a dunk in the shallow water.
Meg drew attention with her lovely swimming but was a little put out that she wasn’t allowed off lead. Next time we visit, we are going to go near the rocks so she has a bit more freedom.
After a shower we popped back to the restaurant for dinner. Learning from last night, I’d popped in this morning with Meg and reserved a table.
Sadly, I didn’t realise the suckling pig was a preorder, so chose a steak and roast potatoes. Gareth had a whole squid and chips. We washed it down with a litre carafe of house red wine, so nice and smooth and only €12!.
Temperatures are spiking here over the next few days. Tomorrow we hope to visit Alghero early to beat the heat. Otherwise we’ll just hide in the shade by the van 
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