Swing unit for Golfo Aranci at Olbia
Wednesday 18.10.23
Our journey today is going to be lengthy. In rail terms we are going to go to the north of the island – first on the long journey to Olbia and then on the remaining line to Golfo Aranci on the coast.
Leaving Cagliari the train is well laden for the first half of the journey and the existence of this part of the railway system is very definitely needed unlike the thinner loadings on some of our earlier trips. Our route threads through the island touching the west coast at Oristano before turning east and then north east.
The train then revisits some locations through which we have previously passed – Macomer first. At Macomer the narrow gauge lines from Bosa Nova and to Nuoro meet and terminate in a separate station across the way where we were a week or so ago. Then further north at Ozieri-Chilivani we repass the destination of our ill-fated excursion from Sassari – this time in the same station as that was also a standard gauge train.
The first part of the journey is across the fairly flat plains of southern Sardinia which were no doubt inundated in the tsunami mentioned previously and then after Macomer the unit starts having to apply real power to climb the hills and the speed drops at times. We move into the more elevated areas in the centre of the island, again with some wonderful views, before we drop down again to sea level at the end of the journey.
Olbia is a terminus and the train goes no further. After checking our next train is waiting at another platform and we actually walk across the tracks – just like all the other travellers. The services are much less heavily used and we have a nice run through the countryside to the final destination.
Isola di Figarolo
At Golfo Aranci there is a coach ready and waiting and after a brief photo stop of Isola di Figarolo we are whisked to the airport – and in plenty of time as the check in desks are not yet checking in!
However they do, we eventually board and fly home.