Starting out from the mountain village of Gavinu we aim for the Piscia di a Bughja, the Bughja waterfall, as recommended by the local guidebook. We find the start of the track OK, but having scrambled over the “ford” – on all fours – which was probably not one of life’s most delectable views for anyone watching – we find we don’t know where to go next. Fortunately there are some people behind us (the only people we see for the whole of our walk).

“Go straight up,” one of the women says. “My husband has a guide book. It says the path goes up very steeply.”

She’s right. Off we go, straight up…and up…and up….

The path is not really marked and it’s pretty vague in places. However, we’re reassured by small cairns and also some red and blue marks on trees, which we think must be marking the way… we go up and then down, until we come to a snivelling stream with a lot of rocks…

This can’t be it! Back up (yes, UP) the way we came, then branch off on another route. This is more promising, following more cairns…until we reach our destination…

Fairly impressive…

The people who we spoke to before are sitting there smugly.

“Did you go wrong somewhere?” they ask. “You should have followed the cairns.”

“We did, and the blue and red markers.”

“Ah,” they said. “Not the blue and red markers…”

Oh well. Can’t win ’em all. It’s truly lovely though, then it’s back down again, on to the road to the village – no people, only two very busy dung beetles trying to cross the road with their booty…

…and a man trying to prove that not a drop’s passed his lips and he can walk a straight line…