Rio Rosso di Piscinas

Before the red river in the morning first the obligatory coffee, 'but first coffee', but today on the beach. After that we jump once again into the turquoise sea - a paradise. After the shower we pack our bags. Because today we want to explore a little the limits of our SpaceCamper, we want to go off-road.

In the hinterland, the Rio Rosso di Piscinas, the red river, flows through a wooded valley to the sea. Its name is no coincidence, because its water is really red. What we think is iron at first seems to contain much more than we would like. But we only find this out at a later point in time.

While we are working with a SpaceCamper with Terranger modifications and long wheelbase are on the road, familiar  onlymalshort on its Seikel VW T5 California with short wheelbase. Both vehicles are certainly suitable toys for big boys. Because we want to follow an off-road track that leads up the valley against the direction of flow. Both vehicles are equipped with VW 4MOTION equipped, and do extremely well on this tour. The path crosses the river again and again. Each ford is a new challenge.

Sardinia Trackbook

There is a good description of the Rio Rosso in the Trackbook Sardinia, by Matthias Goettenauer. This describes Track 41 in its headline as follows: "One of the most justifiably famous and popular 4×4 tracks in Sardinia - if you're not too keen on a scratch-resistant paint job." According to the guide, a track exclusively for 4×4 vehicles with short gear or reduction gear, and engine and transmission protection.

So we see on this day also only two Swiss with modified Land Rover Defender on the red river, as well as the Austrian couple, with their classic, the Toyota Land Cruiser. The route is demanding, it may go more, but does not have to. We cross the river felt a hundred times. Who likes his varnish is wrong here. There is more than enough brush and thorns. But somehow this is part of it and provides a certain patina.

Evening we sit relaxed, with a Birra Ichnusa, a real Sardinian beer in hand on the dune. We have earned it.

Poison Kitchen:

Supposedly, you can make it along the red river in 45 minutes. We needed considerably longer. But we also stopped every now and then and let the landscape take effect on us.

Attention: What did I mean by "paradise with tears"? Sometimes it is to cry, we did not know before. But it must not remain unmentioned. The red river is probably a poison river coming from the disused mining tunnels of Montevecchio-Casargiu. Although it crosses the naturalistic oasis of Piscinas, this does not make it better. Because it probably carries cadmium, lead, arsenic, zinc, nickel and other heavy metals. So please do not bathe his feet in it as we do.