Cycling along the western ring road on the Island of Elba in an anticlockwise direction

The western ring road is 47 km long and goes all the way round the western side of the Island of Elba, that you can do either in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. If you choose to go anticlockwise going uphill is more difficult, and the most difficult part is from Marciana Marina to Poggio. In 5 kilometres you reach 330 metres above sea level.

Departure is in Marina di Campo in the direction of "Procchio". The road is flat for about 330 metres as far as the hill in Procchio, and after that you go downhill as far as the town of Procchio, where you turn left in the direction of Marciana Marina.

Be careful as you go along because the road to Marciana Marina - about 6 km - is quite busy. There are also quite a lot of ups and downs but they aren't very steep.

As soon as you get to Marciana Marina you'll see the Conad supermarket so turn left at the start of the bicycle path; this is where you start quite a steep uphill climb towards Poggio: 5 kilometres where the difference in level goes from 7% to a maximum of 12/13%.

The road is straight as soon as you leave Marciana Marina, but as you get nearer the football pitch (on your right) you start going uphill quite quickly and this is when the bends start.Half way up you will come to the "Civillina" junction, also called "Le due vie". If you follow this road your journey to Marciana will be a little shorter and a little easier because there are less hills; our route though continues along the main road towards Poggio.

Go past the junction and round the two bends then you can relax a little for about a hundred metres; the road from here to Poggio is in the heart of the Mediterranean bush so even on sunny days you will still come across many areas that are in the shade

After this easy part you now have a more tiring part ahead of you, that is mostly uphill and with three sharp bends, but once you're past it you're in Poggio. Keep going along the main road until you get to the Napoleon springs and then the junction for the chairlift that takes you to the top of Monte Capanne, then uphill again till you get to Marciana.

Go through the town of Marciana and the road is then downhill practically as far as Chiessi. Although the road is smooth and isn't very busy, keep an eye on your speed, not just for safety reasons, but also so you can fully take in the breathtaking scenery from the road that runs high up above the water's edge.

Go past the junction for Capo Sant'Andrea, go through Patresi] and Colle d'Orano. You now have a short, uphill road ahead of you but it isn't too tiring. Once you're near Punta Nera we suggest you stop and take some photos, because the view of the Islands of Capraia, Pianosa and Corsica is breathtaking.

Once you get to Chiessi the road downhill comes to an end. From here onwards the road is at times uphill and at times downhill as you go through the towns of Pomonte, Fetovaia. Seccheto and Cavoli. This stretch of the road, called "Costa del Sole", is without a doubt one of the most suggestive on the island, because all along you can admire the beautiful sandy beaches that are part of it.

Cavoli is slightly uphill, but once you pass the signpost for Colle Palombaia, you only have another 3 kilometres to go downhill until you reach Marina di Campo, where you started off.