2 March 2024 – Detours & Double-Backs

Miles driven today = 127

Total Miles to date = 1,918

As the crow flies we have barely moved on 60 miles today but we have driven more than twice that.  We started the day with three alternative routes to follow.  The fastest, and in retrospect the option we should have taken, was to head back North to pick up the E45 toll road.  The second was the coast road but that looked to be very wiggly and single track in places.  So we took the middle option cutting directly across the “barnacle”, as Lisa put it, formed by several different mountainous National Parks.

At Agropoli we picked up the SS18var which smoothed the curves by sliding over numerous viaducts with scenery to either side, which would have been impressive were it not for the low cloud and rain which dogged our journey throughout.   

The first detour came a little way South of Vallo della Lucania where the SS18var was closed and we were diverted onto the old SS18, which was much more contour hugging and winding.  We climbed up through Massascusa and Cuccaro Vetere.  At this stage Lisa is usually gripping the arm rests and stamping on her imaginary brake pedal but I think she is finally starting to trust in my abilities to handle the van around hairpin bends with vertiginous drop offs.  Although she did go rather quiet for a while.

We wriggled our way back down the hillside and after a sharp right turn in Futani we rejoined the SS18var and sped on to the coast at Policastro Bussentino before stopping for a sandwich on the seafront at Capitello.   Then it was on through Sapri and the very attractive looking Acquafredda, which was the kind of place you look at as you drive through and think to yourself you wouldn’t mind coming back again someday.  We certainly didn’t expect to be back again within the hour!

On we pushed through Cersuta and were within 25km of our destination when we were greeted by a very serious looking barrier across the road.  We turned ourselves around and studied our phones for a while before coming to the conclusion that the only sensible option was to retrace our steps for 20km back to Sapri, where we could pick up the SP104, another corkscrewing road which took us inland to meet the SS585 and to finally continue our journey South.

We eventually pulled in at the Lido Zio Tom on the Southern outskirts of Scalea a little after 3pm, almost 6 hours after leaving Patheum.  But at least we were set up in plenty of time for me to stream the Tractor Boys’ fabulous 2-0 victory away at Plymouth which lifts them back into the Championship automatic play-off positions.

We had a quick look at the beach and it’s nothing to write home about.  But we can easily hear the roar of the waves from inside of the van to rock us to sleep.  The coast road is a lot straighter now that we are heading down Italy’s bootlaces.  Here’s to a slightly less eventful journey tomorrow.

 3 March 2024 - Stromboli Ahoy!