Bicycles offer a perfect alternative to the usual petrol- or diesel-driven forms of transport, allowing you to enjoy the countryside from the slowly-changing perspective of the cyclist.

With your own bicycle (or one that we can hire for you), you can discover everything that just zooms by in a car – beauty, after all, is often to be found in the small details.

Here are some of the routes that we recommend, ordered by geographical area and level of difficulty, with departure from Il Melo or from a different location, which can be reached with our bike-rack-equipped van.

LA NURRA

These recommendations may involve a transfer, lasting around 15 minutes, to Pozzo San Nicola.

Departing from Il Melo or with a short transfer, we pedal along the roads of the Nurra, that north-western offshoot of Sardinia that faces the mistral (north-west wind). The landscape here is an extensive series of low hills with the odd mountainous relief, today awash with Mediterranean scrub and pasture, which have taken the place of the great forests that once covered the ground. The roads, which are in good condition, are only ever used by local traffic and the occasional agricultural vehicle, making their way through the myriad small towns and villages scattered across the region.

You can opt for a brief, 34 km route that will take you to the town of Stintino and on to La Pelosa beach, where the wonderful colours provide the backdrop to Asinara Island.

Alternatively, you can cycle the 77 km towards Argentiera, the village dominated by an abandoned mine, giving a fascinating insight into the once-important mining industry here.

Another possibility is to attempt the 116 km route linking Capo Falcone to the north with Capo Caccia to the south.

Here are the routes listed in order of difficulty.

Road bike – Easy level

STINTINO AND LA PELOSA

Distance 34 km – Total ascent 220 m

This route takes you from the village of Pozzo San Nicola towards the town of Stintino before reaching the famed beach of La Pelosa, where the magical colours serve as the backdrop to Asinara Island.

Road bike – Medium level

LA PELOSA AND L’ARGENTIERA

Distance 77 km – Total ascent 800 m

A trip through the countryside of the Nurra with two destinations: La Pelosa beach and Argentiera with its mining village.

Road bike – Medium/Difficult level

FROM PROMONTORY TO PROMONTORY

Distance 116 km – Total ascent 980 m

From the Capo Falcone promontory, the location of the stunning beach called La Pelosa, all the way to the Capo Caccia promontory with its limestone cliffs, passing along the peaceful roads in the agricultural expanses of the Nurra.

ALGHERESE AND PLANARGIA.

This route involves a transfer lasting around 30 minutes to the city of Alghero.

After a 30-minute transfer, we’ll find ourselves in Alghero, Sardinia’s vibrant “Catalan” city. From the capital of the so-called Coral Riviera, you can pedal westwards to discover the bay of Porto Conte, with its beautiful sea views, the beaches of Lazzaretto and Le Bombarde and the white limestone cliffs of Capo Caccia.

An unmissable section for us cyclists is the tract between Alghero and Bosa, along the spectacular coastal road where Mother Nature’s gifts have been exceptionally well-preserved; we will ride between the sea and the mountains, amid the slopes that on rare occasions lead to hidden bays, and the high cliffs where griffon vultures nest, before we reach the royal riverside town of Bosa.

This itinerary can come to an end in Bosa (55 km) or you can continue on towards Alghero, heading back along the coastal road (102 km).

With a mixture of coastline and hinterland, taking in the quiet road for Bosa and then the basalt upland of Planargia, amid pasture and dry-stone walls, as well as fields and vineyards that give rise to the excellent Malvasia wine, this 95

km route encompasses a height difference of almost 1800 m.

Here are the routes listed in order of difficulty.

Road bike – Easy level

ALGHERO – CAPO CACCIA

Distance 44 km – Total ascent 400 m

A brief trip leaving from Alghero to discover the bay of Porto Conte, with its beautiful sea views, the beaches of Lazzaretto and Le Bombarde and the white limestone cliffs of Capo Caccia.

Road bike – Medium/Difficult level

THE ALGHERO – BOSA COAST ROAD

One way: distance 50 km – Total ascent 800 m

Return trip: distance 102 km – Total ascent 1600 m

Along the spectacular coastal road where Mother Nature’s gifts have been exceptionally well-preserved, we will ride between the sea and the mountains, amid the slopes that on rare occasions lead to hidden bays, and the high cliffs where griffon vultures nest, before we reach the royal riverside town of Bosa.This trip can finish in Bosa or you can continue on towards Alghero, heading back along the coastal road.

Road bike – Difficult level

PLANARGIA LOOP

Distance 95 km – Total ascent 1870 m

This trip offers a mixture of coast and hinterland, along the quiet coastal road for Bosa and then on to the basalt upland of Planargia, amid pasture and dry-stone walls, also taking in the vineyards that are the origin of the excellent white wine called Malvasia.

ANGLONA

Road bike – Easy level

CASTELSARDO

Distance 32 km – Total ascent 250 m

This trip takes us along the coastal road that faces the Gulf of Asinara, skirting the long Platamona beach, with its sand dunes and juniper trees, all the way to Castelsardo.