The north-west of Sardinia is a country of low volcanic hills, pasture, cork oak and stone, and the villages of the Logudoro are small, quiet and far older than they look. This area, around Cheremule and Giave, is dotted with traces of a world that predates the Romans by a very long time. The island's prehistoric people carved tombs into soft rock, the domus de janas, which translates as fairy houses, and built round stone towers called nuraghi, of which there are thousands.
Around here, domus de janas are cut into rock faces and boulders, sometimes with painted or carved details in the chambers such as horned symbols and false doors, and they are thought to be several thousand years old. The best known of the nuraghi in the area, Santu Antine at Torralba, only a short ride away, is a huge three-lobed tower with a corridor and a stair, and it is worth the detour.
The riding is some of the best on Sardinia and almost nobody is on the roads. Smooth, curving two-lane routes cross the high plateau and drop into little valleys, with views over cork forests and open grassland dotted with sheep. The main arteries, the SS131 and SS597, are fast and easy, while the smaller roads can be rough with potholes, loose gravel and sleepy livestock, so keep an eye on the surface. Spring brings flowers and green hills, autumn is mellow, and August is hot and dry with wildfires an occasional risk.
Cheremule and Giave are very small, with a bar or two and not much else, and fuel is a concern. Ittiri, about eighteen kilometres away, is the closest sizeable town and has pumps, as does Thiesi and Bonorva, and it is wise to top up there before heading into the quiet country. Pecorino, flatbread and a strong red from the island are the right things to find in a village bar, and Sunday lunch is serious business in Sardinia, so do not expect a quick bite at two in the afternoon.