The children are squealing with sheer delight and enthusiasm. I am screeching in sheer agony. We’re aboard a dinghy at full throttle on a day trip to explore the coves north of Lotzorai, halfway up Sardinia’s eastern coast and a short distance from the port of Arbatax. My ailing back is not enjoying the bumpy ride as I’m jolted mercilessly up and down to the rhythm of the waves. I’m almost ready to throw myself into the deep blue just to escape the pain. Realising my agony is genuine, the family agree to reduce speed and I agree to move to the side of the dinghy that is nice and squishy and where there is a rope to hold on to.
Slowly I begin to appreciate the surrounding beauty and take in the ever-changing blue hues of the water, ranging from crystalline turquoise to teal, to navy, to inky, midnight blue. The cliffs along the coast are forbidding and make for arduous walks to
