I’m not sure about posting this one, mostly because looking at it from a 2025 perspective it seems somewhat alien to me. The photos are dull and uninteresting and I can’t say I love the text. It reminds me of just how much of a twat I used to be… But here it is – Lenore’s final ride; a Coronavirusy jaunt around Sarda. Copied from Bookface.
TET Sardinia – Days 1 – 3 – Lörrach to Sardinia and Olbia to, well, Olbia.
An early start in the black forest to ensure I crossed the Alps during the warmest part of the day. It was easy to start early because I’d tried to make a start the day before but got held up chasing an electrical fault, turns out that just riding around the garden isn’t really enough to prove that a rebuilt engine is ready for a long distance trip. Who knew?
My main stress was the fact I had to cross though the Milan area. Italy have adopted a traffic light system for their Covid response, in red areas all movement is completely forbidden unless you’ve got a good reason for it. Milan is red. I was pretty shocked to discover that none of the eight border guards all huddled together at the Italian border considered “Tourism” to be an acceptable reason to transit the region. Who knew?
In any case, I am trying to be reasonable so had already fuelled up (where I noticed that my engine guard had fallen off, but in a show of Adventure Spec solidarity the bash plate had caught it!) before crossing the border, so my feet didn’t touch the ground in the red region.
The easy border crossing had me well ahead of schedule so I made a dash for Livorno to get the overnight boat to Sardinia. I was expecting another struggle with the frontier authorities but again, nothing was said. I got my ticket, I boarded the boat, I fell asleep on a sofa and I woke up in Sardinia. Easy.
The first day on the island was always going to be an easy day, I never sleep well on ferries. Light and noise. I pottered my way up the coast on the tarmac, drank coffee and took it easy. I also posted my fateful post here, which got over 1300 likes at last count. Crazy shit. It also rustled up a riding companion, who I’m sure will appear on future posts.
Not much of real note happened, but it was a day of curious experiences. The island is sleepy, nearly in a coma. There are very few people out and about – off season and the virus. The rules are treated strangely out here, as one of two Italian Americans I spoke to that day said – America may be the land of opportunity but Italy is the real land of freedom. I know in southern Europe people tend to eat meals late in the day but the rules stipulate nobody can dine in a restaurant after 1800, takeaway is allowed. I assumed people would eat earlier…
I was wrong. I turned up at 1700 for a pizza but had the curious experience of sitting in the restaurant having a drink while I waited for the pizza guy to start. Which he did at 1800. I took my pizza in a box to a wall just 5 metres from the restaurant and, entirely within the rules, had my dinner.
Back to my previously scouted campsite I went, set up a quick lean to shelter by the sea and that was that. I will, however, take a moment to rant about the lack of trees here! Every set of two nice trees well suited for a hammock tent are locked away in fenced compounds. This place is a bloody tree prison!
Day three was another simple one. The day before I discovered that the bike had burnt some oil on the way down, a lot of oil. More oil than my 600ml reserve bottle. Not much more, but I didn’t want to push the bike until I could top up properly. The little bit of the TET today was beautiful and, aside from a few slightly hairy hairpins very straightforward. No photos I’m afraid, I didn’t stop! This section is about 50/50 small tarmac roads and routine dirt. Easy going for any bike, although anyone on very mild mannered tyres will want to take things carefully on some of the downhill sections.
I’ve been pleased with my gear over these first few days. A lot of it is largely un-tested, on the bike I’ve found the steering damper to be a thing of beauty – both on and off road. It keeps the bike going in the direction I want with only the lightest touch to the bars. I can wholeheartedly recommend it. I’m still undecided on the suspension upgrade, I’ll report back on that. The AS Mongolia gear is new to me and, aside from a split seam which I’m sure the guys will replace, it’s brilliant – just the right balance of freedom of movement, ventilation and protection. My tech is working out nicely, even the old tablet which I was concerned about; as long as I take care to charge it when I can it’s definitely got enough power for a days use.
Tomorrow will be all about sourcing some more oil and trying to stick the engine guard back on.
TET Sardinia. Days 4 to 6.
Day four didn’t have much to report, I needed oil before I could really ride with any degree of confidence, so the day was dedicated to finding that. Easy enough. Finding a new camelback however… that took all bloody day. Eventually I found one in the first place I looked, after looking in a bunch of other places between that first and last visit. They had it when I booked online, didn’t have it when I went to the store without pre-booking. No idea how that works, but what the heck. I found a gorgeous campsite by a marina and was rocked asleep by the wind to the sound of boats making boat noises. Clink clonk.
Day five I met up with Henriette, who had taken the boat over the night before. A new set of tyres were installed on her bike and off we went to rejoin the TET where I had exited on day three. Bad move. I knew we were in for a tough section there but it was too tough, for both of us. The section marked in red in the photo above is serious stuff, not for the faint of heart – I couldn’t get the 701 through it, too many slippy rocks, too many brutal ruts. Could I have got through? Yes, probably, but it would have taken hours of blood, sweat and tears – and risked damage to man and machine at the same time.
By this point Henriette had already cooked the clutch on her Honda and had limited power. More abuse could have left her stranded. We made the decision to turn around, set up camp when we could and take the obvious detour the next day. Fires were lit, pasta was cooked, beer was consumed and the harmonica was played.
The detour was easy, but beautiful. Just turn left as you come past the signs for the national park. I’ve logged it as a GPX and will ultimately make it available somehow. It’s a flat trail, fast and flowing – with a few bumps and lumps. Then you’ve got some beautiful narrow tarmac roads to see the lake and rejoin the TET.
But not for us, we needed a new clutch. No point heading into the trails with equipment that’s ready to fail. Off to Sassari we went, talking pretty tarmac roads, broken bridges and decent lunch but no trails. I was shocked and not a little bit jealous that my traveling companion scored a free set of clutch plates from Honda back home, KTM’s “fuck you, dude” over my engine stings that little bit more now. But the parts will take a week to get here. The rest of the day was spent in search of parts or interim solutions with the wonderful owner of Progettomoto in Sassari going above and beyond the call of duty to help out. But Honda are using very unusual clutch plates in this little bike, so we’re still in need of a solution as I write.
Who knows what tomorrow will hold. Hopefully a little more of the actual Trans Euro Trail (TET)!
TET Sardinia Day 7
Breakfast in a hotel to start the day, always a good start – especially if I’m not paying! First stop was the incredible Marco at Jet Racing who had Henriette’s bike. Incredible because the night before I’d watched the guy rebuild two engines side by side, with a beer in one hand and a blow torch in the other. But he couldn’t fix the strange clutch in the CRF without the proper parts so Henriette and I parted company.
The TET from Sassari is a lot of road until further inland so I headed towards the start of the WRC stages that Dave Parker sent me earlier in the week. Good tip, following two stages I was able to link up with the TET Simple, wide gravel roads that you might expect a rally car to launch itself around – no challenge for a bike, but quick and beautiful. Sheep farms, wind farms and pretty views.
As I came off of the last part of the WRC stage I found myself at a roadside fruit and veg seller, perfect for lunch. While there a big fat guy pulled up and, noting the Saltire on the bike, asked if I’d come from there. I said Germany, he gave me a big thumbs up and said “Big Balls!” then he was gone. Maybe that explains the holes in my trousers…
The TET took me though Cuzina and the signposts for Terme di Casteldoria caught my eye. Following the signs landed me at the hotel side, if you follow the TET and take a right after the bridge you’ll end up at the other side, where the big tap is. I considered camping there, dreaming dreams of a hot lake – but only a little bit of the water at the sides is actually warm. I took a swim, I packed up and pushed on – it was too early in the day to stop.
The TET takes you up into the hills from here, through the windfarms. It’s fairly steep at points, but relatively easy going. It’s also drop dead gorgeous. The top was covered in dark cloud so again I considered stopping. Pushing on was a good call though, I picked my way through a strange, spooky twilight world with obscured propellers turning in the cloud above me.
The route has a gate across it, which was closed but unlocked. Following the rules I know apply in Portugal went though, but found a locked gate about 2km further down. My bike was too big to get around, so I rode back and took the bypass. I wouldn’t say it’s hard going but it’s certainly a mid level bit of trail, lots of mediuy sized rocks that could be alarming for a new rider. Needs a little confidence to get through safely. I’ll make a GPX and waypoints available on all of this at the end of the whole endeavour.
Side question. Do any of you know the rules on gates in Italy? In Spain and Portugal we have always gone with the rule that if it’s locked or clearly signposted no entry then you don’t go in. If the way is blocked but not secured then proceed and close the gate behind you.
I came down out of the cloud and the windfarms into much more dusty, sandy terrain for a spell before rejoining the road. The road took me to the city of Tèmpiu and my second strange encounter of the day. As I got off the bike outside a cafe a guy offered me a cappuccino, or so I thought. That’s not unusual, I’ve had local motorcycle enthusiasts offer to buy me a coffee a few times so far. What was unusual was the the guy drank his coffee and walked off. Apparently what he’d offered me was the chance to buy him a coffee. His company wasn’t worth it, but the girls were – they’ve been hiding on this trip but now I’ve found them. They’re in Tèmpiu, competing to see who can wear the tightest trousers. Well worth a coffee or two.
By this point it was getting past dusk so, regretfully, I got back on the bike to find a camping spot. I hit the jackpot. No thermal springs, sadly. But two solid trees, perfect seclusion, fresh water from a spring and a big stone table to cook on. The whole day cost less than 15eur, the trails were great, the views – of all kinds – were beautiful, the food was decent and the day was good. Now I’m going to go to sleep. Goodnight all.
TET Sardinia Day 8
A fairly short day on the trails today thanks to weather. It was 9ish before the rain stopped and I could pack up the tent, there’s a storm tonight so early into in bricks and mortar accomodation today. Needed to do some clothes washing anyway.
The ride up Mount Limbara, where the three parts of the TET here meet, from the north west is super easy. It’s a tarmac road. It’s a tarmac road that’s very much worth taking, even if the top of the mountain is buried in cloud. Ride on a little past the turnoff to go back down on the southern spur and you’ll find the old USAF base. There’s a guard hut, but no guard and no barrier. Maybe it was the weather conditions but it’s an incredible, intimidating, interesting and spooky place. The video below says more than I ever could.
The ride down is straightforward enough. There are a few slightly rocky sections and it’s very steep at points, but nothing alarming in either direction. You’ll find a little road before the next section takes you back amongst the windmills, all fairly flat flowing trails where you can really get up some speed, if the mood takes you.
You’ll come out into redneckville, or so it seems from the fact that every – and I mean every – road sign has been shot repeatedly. I’m not talking .22 peashooter shot here. I’m talking big bore, big holes kind of shot.
Up to this point I’d been dodging the weather very successfully. It didn’t actually rain on me in the mountains and I had a ring of blue skies around me everywhere I went, up to a point. That point was the trigger happy town of Udescò. After a coffee I headed to the next trailhead and my luck came to an end about 5km into the trail. It pissed it down, hailstorm included. I put my waterproofs on, doubled back and went looking for accommodation – which is where I am now.
It wasn’t just luck that helped me dodge the weather, let me share a tip with you all. There’s a weather app called Flowx. It’s not a normal forecast, but in conjunction with a traditional weather forecast it’s great for us motorcyclists, because we move so quickly. You can set a point you want to see the graphs for and turn on / off map features like weather or rain radar. Then you can slide your finger left and right to move through time. Overlay that predicted rain radar with your route and you’ll either have a good idea that you’ll stay dry or you’ll be able to make new plans.
Now it’s time to find 🍺 and 🍕. Cheers, folks.
TET Sardinia – Days 9 and 10
I can’t say a lot about day nine, the storm was still very much a thing and so I stayed another night at the hotel. I barely touched the bike, except for maintenance – instead I hiked up a local hill. The highlight of the day was being invited to an illegal dinner, the rules say no restaurants after 1800 but my host invited select guests for an evening meal where he played chef, waiter, host and co-diner. Beautiful food, a great evening, five litres of red wine and rushing back across town drunk to beat the curfew. Highlight of highlights – an Italian gentleman declaring that he definitely would not be doing any “favours” for the local police officer who issued him a fine last week. Marlon Brando was there in spirit.
Today the weather cleared up, although it was and is still damn cold. Winter gloves and the puffer jacket all day long. Even at sea level it’s chilly. The TET today, from Nuoro to parallel with Tortoli was schizophrenic. Mostly it was tarmac. The area around Lago Di Olai is utterly, completely drop dead gorgeous. Mixed herds of cattle, sheep, horses and donkeys roaming around a high altitude pasture that looked like an African river delta teleported to the Scottish Highlands. Paradise, I was tempted to stop and camp even though it was only mid morning – I work with cows in the Swiss mountains and this place touched my heart.
But I was hungry, so onwards! The route eventually starts to follow an old road that’s been superseded by a big new highway. Roaming cows, easy riding on occasionally broken tarmac and a broken bridge leading to a water crossing that’s more like a puddle crossing are the order of the day. Until TET Sardinia pulls another one of its OMGWTF moments.
At Lago Alto del Flumendosa there be dragons. The route isn’t particularly well plotted in this area, there is a lot of space between track points which makes finding the way tricky, a short detour is needed due to a locked farm gate which also doesn’t help. On top of that I found myself seriously doubting I was going the right way when the trail led me down a steep rocky section to the base of the dam itself, under the sluice gates. Where, alarmingly enough, if they opened the gates you’d get washed away. You’re then making your way over a pretty hairy pile of medium size rocks, along the river bed and up the other side.
Once I got down there I walked the section and decided to turn around. It’s rocky, it’s damn steep at points and there’s a lot there that could go badly wrong for a solo rider. If it hadn’t been late and in the day or if I’d not been on my own I’d probably have given it a shot, but today this section exceeded my tolerance for risk. If something had gone wrong I would have been stuck at the bottom of a pretty steep river valley at altitude, on a damn chilly night. Discretion was definitely the better part of valour. Suddenly switching from easy-peasy to crazy-hard seems to the a thing for TET Sardinia.
I headed down to sea level to get some supplies and set up camp somewhere a little warmer. Or at least a little less cold. Tomorrow I’ll see if I can find a way to rejoin the TET while bypassing the damn dam.
TET Sardinia Day 11
That felt like a long day. Back up the mountain to the reservoir I went, approaching the Damn Dam from the other side. I can confirm that having looked up from the bottom and down from the top that the “official” TET route is bloody steep. I also did a quick reccie of an alternate route through the forest sightly to the west, it’s still a tricky trail but it’s a lot less tricky than the TET route there. So you’ve got three options, the guts and glory TET way, the easier trail and a very easy tarmac bypass. You pays your money, you takes your choice. Personally I would take the tarmac, it’s more scenic and you get to visit a tumbledown disused railway station. If you’re looking for riding challenges though the trails are certainly that.
After the reservoir we head south on old tarmac roads with incredible views, before passing into a national park between Osini and Santa Barbara. Holy crap, this area is my kind of trail riding. It’s not technical, but it has mixed terrain, reasonable changes in altitude and a 50/50 mix between straights and curves. It was a perfect, beautiful, playground.
From here the TET heads south on a mix of tarmac and gravel before heading back up high amongst the windfarms again. The vistas here are remarkable, views with such depth you forget you’re on an island. The way down is a good solid trail, but physically demanding – you’re just going down, down, down and it’s pretty rocky. I certainly struggled to find a comfortable mix between a good, controlled, safety margin and a flow that conserved my energy.
For the next part of my day I more than struggled to find a balance, I failed. I took a detour suggested to me by Andrea Solinas that takes you off a tarmac section of the TET and over a mountain to the pornstar-named hamlet of Foxi Lioni. Then you’re riding south, right by the coast. It’s utterly isolated and a ruggedly handsome place but it’s not easy going.
My poor timing really messed my evening up. I’d stopped for a coffee before starting this section, but was too early to go to the shops and get camp cooking supplies. The route by the coast was perfect to camp and I was exhausted, there were trees for the hammock and perfect views. But I only had leftovers from lunch and no beer. So what choice did I have but to push on?
Well, I probably shouldn’t have. It got dark and it got rough. Lots of climbs and descents and a lot of rocks too dodge or bump over. All while tired, riding in the dark and with a drop into the sea to my left. I should have turned back and just accepted dinner was bread, cheese and sausage – washed down with water. But stupidly I didn’t. This wasn’t wise. No drops, one near miss but an extremely high level of stress brought on by fear, isolation and uncertainty. I’m damn glad of my Rade Garage rally kit, with the stock lighting I’d have been in trouble – these LEDs are bright.
The other side is a military zone, I was dreading being sent back the way I came but it seems you are allowed to be there – but must stick to the trails. Hot food and beer was the goal and the goal was achieved – but the whole thing was not prudent.
After a pizza in a very classy dining establishment – my bike – I found the nearest picnic area, up a forest trail, and set up camp. Pretty shattered today, most of it – the coastal route aside – wasn’t particularly challenging but it was all consistently demanding. Time to recharge the batteries and see if I get to the end of the TET tomorrow! Goodnight all.
TET Sardinia – Day, eh, I lost track. The last day!
That is, as they say, that. Yesterday I reached the end of TET Sardinia. The morning was spent on a spectacularly inefficient way of rejoining the trail, I misjudged the route back and ended up looping north and coming right back to where I started. A detour to an old mine was nice, but nothing overly remarkable to report on this section.
The next section, west of Vilaputzu, though… the TET really goes out with style. It’s just gorgeous. After passing through the gallery on the main road you go up small roads and along farm tracks. Eventually you’ll go down a very steep, very rocky section which would have been a big problem for me had I attempted it at the start of the trip. But over the course of the trip I’ve relearned how to ride and I was able to bump down and back up the other side. I would strongly advise anyone on a big adventure bike to seriously consider a detour here though.
From here you’ll ascend into heaven. The tracks are cut into the the treeless highland landscape like brown scars, they connect the various peaks and some of the ascents are pretty tricky stuff – lots of rocks to contend with. But it is absolutely worth making the peaks, the views and sense of achievement are remarkable.
Eventually you’ll start to descend into the plains where Cagliari and it’s neighbors are. It’s a long, long way down with near vertical drops off the side – attention is needed. It’s an exhausting ride down, I was very happy to roll into town, order a beer that came with greatly appreciated crisps and offer Lenore a toast. That’s the TET in Sardinia complete.
Overall it’s a great route. The challenge level is a little schizophrenic, the vast majority is very easy going and there are three sections that very suddenly get very hard. There are profoundly interesting places to visit on the way, the old radio base standing out above all. I’ll probably write a more extensive summary and cover a few other topics relevant to the trip over on my blog when I next find a keyboard.
I’ll probably stop posting to the TET group for a while now, as I won’t actually be on the TET. I’m going to take a day or two off then go explore the west side of the island, maybe assembling a TET Sardinia West route as I go. Then I’ll probably get in a boat and head to the Balearic Islands or to Spain itself. The final destination is the Algarve, with as many trails as possible between here and there.
A few people deserve some thanks, first of all are Alessandro Baldisserri and John Ross for putting all of this together. Andrea Solinas for the fantastic detours, especially the one by the coast, even though it nearly killed me. Henriette Thiim for her company for a day on the trails and for her understanding when I ditched her. Finally I have to thank my beloved bike, Lenore. She’s the butt of many jokes; I blew her engine in ’18 and my terrible skills as a mechanic have left her a wreck until just before this trip but she’s back in action and made it this far.
TET Sardinia – Epilogue
In 2018, in Iceland, last time I used the bike, I found myself stranded in torrential rain with a broken engine. Here we go again. More on that later.
After completing the TET route I booked a couple of days in a B&B to hide from a storm, wait for deliveries, service the bike and start scouting out a “TET Sardinia West” route. The idea being that the west is also beautiful and most ferries arrive and leave in the north, so TET riders could make it a round trip. I had a stack of routes from other riders and linking them up looked pretty easy.
The second day at the B&B the bike was just a little sluggish to start, but it was cooler weather and lithium batteries are funny like that. No worries. I explored a little but mostly enjoyed the pleasures of a real bed and the company of two professional enduro riders who just happened to also be staying there. A loop around the beautiful islands of Sant’Antioco and Isola di San Pietro led to another dinner invitation from a mad Irish family who live there. A boozy evening was enjoyed by all!
Then it was time to head north and scout out routes. It’s mining territory at this side of the island – many of the trails link up old mines and the highlight was a perfectly preserved old mine that closed in the 50s but looked like new. I camped between two trees in the scenic uppermost yard and enjoyed a sunset Africa would be envious of. I love this island.
The next morning the bike was painfully hard to start. Every indication of a dying battery, which was fine – I had let this one discharge completely while the bike was out of use and had to “resurrect” it with a jump. There was a good chance it wasn’t in good health. Subsequent warm starts were good.
After lunch things were sluggish again, but acceptable. I said to myself “just one more easy trail, then I’ll head to a town and try to sort a new battery”. It was not an easy trail. It started off moderate, some mud and rocky sections but nothing to worry about. Next it followed an old mining road in the valley, medium size rocks but perfectly acceptable. Until the road was washed away by the river.
I should have turned around, I don’t have any photos – getting off was not an option. The only viable route for a good 250m was the remaining parts of the road which were, at points, about 20cm wide with a 50cm vertical drop to the either side. I’d rather have ridden in these mega ruts but they had a pipe through them and were impassable. I still had to make a few scary transitions from one raised section to another.
At one particularly alarming point I lost it and started to fall to the right, to the right was doom. To the left was a deep hole but fortunately the river defences were still in place at the other side. I threw all of my weight to the left and fell onto the wall. The wall was close enough that when my pannier hit I wasn’t at enough of an angle for the tires to slide from the ridge. On my own there would have been no way out and a long walk to the road.
But I did stall. The bike did not want to start. There was no way to get off. I was holding the bike upright with my left leg at a horizontal, leaning on the river defences. My right leg had nowhere to go. A lot of cranking later and she was running. Another 100m of this shit and I was through – nerves severely frayed.
The rest of the trail was easy and off I went to the town of Buggeru. “Buggeru” – I thought – “more like Buggerme”. That was some scary shit. Pulled into a lively local bar for a panini; the bike started fine though – repeatedly. The panini became a conversation, conversation became a beer, which became two, when the bar closed there were fireworks, then there was a huge illegal 4 course meal and an obvious overnight stay. In the morning the bike would not start without the jump pack. I called ADAC and chilled in the bar, around midday my Yellow Angel arrived – playing ACDC on the radio – and off we went to get a new battery. Which didn’t help. Ok, thought I, not charging.
We were in for terrible weather over the next week and I have a place to stay, with workshop, near Barcelona. So I hooked up couple of wires so I could use my jump pack without taking my luggage off and headed for Porto Torres and the boat to Spain. 200km with a dodgy charging system. No problem, the bike is generating enough volts to run and it’s one tank of fuel to get there.
Everything seemed fine until I got an oil pressure light. Stopped, checked levels, no problem. Light gone. Continued with care, but the light came back under low RPMs. Pulled over, checked a few things and chanced one more start. Crunchy noises. Grinding. The sounds of doom. A good 90 minute wait for ADAC to come pick me and the bike up, on an exposed hillside in torrential rain and gale force winds. Which was fun.
So I’m going home, they’re bringing the bike home. I think the cylinder head has torn itself apart somehow. It’s been a fantastic trip, this island is a paradise for trail riding and I’ll be back to finish my western loop. But I don’t think I’ll be back on Lenore. I’ll take things apart and find out what’s gone wrong, I might even fix it, but she’s failed me twice now. It’s time for a change. I’ve got a beautiful DR350S SHC in the workshop with only 3000km on the clock. I think I’m going old school. I’ll be back in the spring.
I’ll write a full length ride report when I get home and publish it on my blog at www.dirtbikejesus.net. I’m planning a short version that’s aimed at describing, in brief, the TET route on the island with a view to giving other riders a section by section guide on what to expect. I’ll also write a full length story version based on these posts that nobody except my parents will read. I’ll also publish what I’ve managed to finish of the western loop as a tidied up GPX file in case anyone wants to finish the project.
