Three hikes with sea views
Summer dilemma: to finally dedicate one’s holiday to a stage walk or to answer the call of the sea? It is not always necessary to choose one or the other solution. In fact, there are some walking itineraries that combine the experience of walking with the maritime landscape and the pleasure of a dip in the sea. In collaboration with our Cober ambassadors, we have selected three sea-view walks of increasing length and commitment, from the four-day ridge crossing of the island of Elba to the more than five hundred kilometres immersed in the history and nature of south-western Sardinia.
From one end to the other of the Elba Island in four stages: the Great Elban Crossing is an experience that is perhaps closer to trekking than to walking, because of the total positive height difference of over three thousand metres. The route follows the ridge from east to west, starting from the village of Cavo, which can be reached by ferry from Piombino. During the day you walk immersed in the nature of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, in the evening you descend to Porto Azzurro, Procchio and Poggio, small towns on the coast where you can spend the night and bathe in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Reaching Monte Capanne, the route forks for the last stage, offering two alternative destinations: Patresi (with a greater difference in altitude) and Pomonte (all downhill).
Length: to Patresi 58.7 km; to Pomonte 51.2 km
Stages: 4
Format: linear, with two arrival alternatives
More information: www.caielba.it/risorse/gte-grande-traversata-elbana/
From Lecce to Santa Maria di Leuca, the Via del Mare of the Salento Walk is a route of one hundred and fifteen kilometres divided into six stages, tailor-made for those who have a week to dedicate to this walking experience. The first stage with destination San Foca already leads to the Adriatic coast, and from there the route basically keeps to the sea, winding mainly along paths halfway along the coast, among coastal towers, natural pools, caves and small bays, but also passages on the beach or through Aleppo pine forests. The itinerary ends in Santa Maria di Leuca, at the south-eastern tip of the Italian peninsula, climbing the 284 steps of the Santuario de Finibus Terrae, i.e. the final limit of inhabited land for Roman cives.
Length: 115 km
Stages: 6
Format: linear
More information: www.camminodelsalento.it
An entire month in south-western Sardinia along the paths and dirt roads of the Sulcis Iglesiente Guspinese area. The numbers of this ring-route walk, with departure and arrival in Iglesias, are remarkable: thirty stages for a total of five hundred kilometres. The route winds around Sardinia’s Historical and Environmental Mining Park, created to enhance the disused mining areas of Sardinia which, during the development phases of the industrial revolution, almost entirely provided for the metal requirements of the nascent Italian state. The places crossed are memorable, both inland and at sea, and include the famous Dunes of Piscinas, the Buggerru coastline and a ferry crossing to the island of Carloforte.
Length: 500 km
Stages: 30
Format: loop
More information: www.camminominerariodisantabarbara.org
New for the 2024 summer season is Adonis, poles characterised by materials and design inspired by nature, such as the long foam grip that picks up on the aesthetic cork motif, and the green accents of the technical and graphic elements. The grips features an ergonomic design, with a 7-degree tilt and infra-directional grip. Height-adjustable from 110 to 140 centimetres, Adonis is a three-piece pole made from a combination of Ergal shafts, a lighter aluminium alloy for the same strength, and Alu 5083, widia tip and double CamLock closure for quick and efficient height adjustment.
