A beautiful sunny day again today but a stiff and cold wind blowing down from the north. A perfect drying day today so we got a load of washing done and out on the line before heading out for a walk through the sheltered forest and then out onto the windy beach at Baia dei Turchi….
Not a great deal of shelter to be had on the beach and with the fine sand coming at you in waves we opted to return to the shelter of the trees and amble down to Spiaggia Azzurro to catch a bit of respite in the shelter provided by the closed up activity centre there.
I sat for a while just enjoying being and throwing a pine cone that Tilly had brought from the forest for such an activity….
Fortunately Tilly is very easily entertained and quite happy to walk for miles or not, as long as there is a bit of fun in her day, she is good.
It is fascinating to look at the shapes and forms created by the wind in this fine sand….
A mostly sunny, if a little breezy day today so after a lazy start we headed out around 11 with our sights set on walking along the rocky coastline southwards towards Otranto.
Baia dei Turchi was looking absolutely stunning, though with few takers as the wind was blowing straight down the beach…
Somehow we ended up losing the coastal path as we approached the large seemingly private and closed Holiday Park of Villagio Club Med with all access points closed and ended up walking for several miles along a very quiet lane with olive groves on either side. It was quite a pleasant albeit not very interesting walk as it was pretty flat and with no passing traffic, in fact it almost felt like we were the only people about! Eventually using a combination of Apple Maps and Ordnance Survey we walked across a couple of fields (according to OS a footpath) until we could get no closer to the sea….
Quite frustrating but the edges did look a little precarious and again any access continuing south was blocked by another closed holiday park. However as we have been walking for well over an hour, I decided that we would abandon any plans to continue further south as access to the coastline didn’t seem to be possible. Instead we continued to walk along the edge of the field, that could or could not have been a diversion for the closed coastal path and managed to catch a couple of glimpses of Alessia Bay (one of the bays we had been trying to reach) – how stunning….
We did somehow end up inside the Club Med Holiday Village, which was very definitely closed for the season but fortunately the gate buzzer was still functional, allowing us to get out rather than retrace our steps! From here it was a case of retracing our steps along the lane and back into the open pine forest to pick up the warren of footpaths from Caletta Totaiello….
Back to a still windy and now mostly in the shade, Baia dei Turchi….
A little frustrating but actually quite enjoyable 8 mile round trip.
The forecast for today was not good but by late morning the grey clouds had come to nothing so we set out northwards through the pine forest and along Spiaggia Azzurro….
The beach ends at what would appear to be the overflow from Lake Alimini….
Here we had to join the road to cross the inlet and had planned to perhaps walk around the lake a bit but with no obvious access we contented ourselves with this view from the bridge….
To be fair it didn’t look to be the most interesting lake so we crossed back over the road and joined Spiaggia Alimini to continue our walk instead….
We walked on until the beach literally ran out, sat for a while watching a lone windsurfer and trying to work out what the wreckage in front of us was (a Greek Cargo Ship that ran aground in 1978)….
At this point the rain (only light rain) that was promised did catch up with us and kindly accompanied us most of the way back though the sun reappeared as we were nearing the end of Spiaggia Azzurro and thanks to the chasing wind we were fully dry by the time we got back to the van, though I rather think that a swim is off the cards today!….
This weather is just perfect so we are going to stay and enjoy the peace and tranquility of this location. It is ideal not having to walk out onto or along any roads with seemingly miles of pine forest and coastline to explore from our doorstep. Today we make our way to the beautiful Baia dei Turchis….
This time heading south we mix between walking along the beach and along a path, leading us through bamboo tunnels and hedgerows….
Across rock beds with natural arches and stunning aquamarine pools….
Along to the hidden sandy inlet – Spiaggia dei Porticeddhri….
And finally around a headland onto the moonlike plateaux Caletta Toraiello….
At this point we decide to turn back and return to site for lunch before returning to Baia dei Turchis to catch the last of the afternoon sun and for a swim….
We are struggling a bit to find places to stay as many campsites are now closed for the winter and the weather looks a little stormy the further north we go. Having found a little campsite just a few miles up the road on the coast by the Baia of Turchis we bid farewell to Otranto the town and follow the coast road to the somewhat remote Agriturismo Fontanelle….
The campsite is a small holding offering fresh fruit and veg and of course Olives from the farm, along with daily deliveries of bread and croissants and is actually a little gem sitting behind a belt of pine forest and the rather stunning beach – Baia dei Turchis, a collection of rock backed beautiful white sandy bays….
We quickly get settled and set off for a walk down to the sea – what a sight for sore eyes….
We venture along the beach to the north passing the petite Lido dei Pini….
Onto the beautiful wide expanse of white sand that is Spiaggia Azzurro….
As the sun is warm and the sea beautiful and clear we pop back to the van for a quick bite to eat and change, before heading back to Spiaggia Azzurro to spend the afternoon playing, sitting and relaxing on the beach with the occasional dip in the sea (for me) – I honestly can’t think of a better way to spend our time….
