Campomoro

I needed a spot of exercise but it was so lovely that the beach was calling, so I decided to combine the two and take a little road trip to Campomoro.

The sand here is fabulous for walking because it’s very fine so it compacts down and makes a really comfortable, low impact base to walk on. Despite the cloud over most of the Valinco, this little corner was gloriously warm and sunny.

I followed the beach all the way through the village and headed up towards the tower. I knew it would be closed at this time of year, but it’s a nice walk with plenty of steps so it gives you a decent bit of exercise.

Along the way I amused myself looking at all the flowers still in bloom; gorgeous morning glory - even though it was the afternoon! - Arbousiers (strawberry trees) which not only had fruits but also still had flowers, a testament to the temperate climate.

There were also all manner of berries and even roses in the odd sheltered spot. Quite amazing for mid November.

From the top of the lotissement, there are several paths you can follow. One leads up to the tower and grounds with fabulous views over the surrounding coastline and countryside, one leads to I Pozzi along the Sentier littoral, and the other leads in the other direction to Punta Bianca, also along the Sentier Littoral.

I know that out of season the tower is closed, but my inner trespasser told me to try the gate anyway, and I was amazed when it opened. The tower itself was closed up for the winter, but I still managed to get some great shots through the holes in the ramparts.

I also found lots of delicious olives that were ripe for the picking!

The walk up hadn’t been too challenging, so it wasn’t long before I found myself back on the track heading down towards Punta Bianca. I have walked the Sentier Littoral in both directions. But I particularly like the rock formations along this stretch

The best bit was actually discovering a natural granite heart shaped into the underside of one of the rocks. Aahhh!

I spent a bit of time scrambling through the taffoni which are rocks that have been sculpted by the wind into weird and wonderful shapes. It’s even possible to climb inside some of them which given my propensity for freak accidents, probably wasn’t a great idea.

After the recent storms, some sections of the path were impassable, so eventually I had to admit defeat and start my ascent back up to the tower. The combination of sun and rain meant that the wooded areas were covered in a carpet of mushrooms. It’s just a shame I didn’t have a bag with me...

I made it down onto the sand again and it wasn’t long before I came across what looked like an ugly branch but was in fact breathing. There was no way I was going to touch the slug like creature, but I also couldn’t leave it to die on the sand, so eventually I (hopefully) saved it by nudging it back into the water with my shoe. I am such a wuss.

I walked the full length of the beach up to the coach car park at the entrance to the village and then back along to where I’d left the car. Amazingly, the whole walk had only taken a little under two hours but by the evening, it was beginning to feel more like 2 weeks!