Monte Pulchiana (Tempio Pausania) · Sardinia · Italy
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A rising rightward traverse across the smooth granite dome of Monte Pulchiana, following a thin quartz vein. Pure friction climbing, well bolted but insecure if you are not used to granite slab. The rock is lichenous from pitch 3 and should be left alone after rain.
The route
Monte Pulchiana is a big granite dome in the Gallura hills of northern Sardinia, between Tempio Pausania and Aggius. Arcu de Chelu (also written Arcu de su Chelu) starts with Pocahontas and then traverses up and right across the whole slab along a line of quartz before climbing straight to the top. Six pitches, all between 5b and 5c+, with almost no positive holds: it is friction climbing throughout. Bolts are close, which every recent party appreciated. Several repeaters found it harder than the grades suggest if you are not at home on smooth granite.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c+ | 40 m | 16 bolts | Start up a flake with Pocahontas, then immediately traverse right along a thin line of quartz. The first bolts are very close together. Belay on two bolts. |
| P2 | 5c | 20 m | 9 bolts | Continue diagonally up right to a belay on two bolts with an abseil ring. |
| P3 | 5c | 30 m | 12 bolts | Still diagonally up right to a chained belay. Lichen starts here. A gulliver.it repeater who linked pitches 2 and 3 quotes 5a for this pitch but thought it harder. |
| P4 | 5c | 25 m | – | The last of the traverse, to a belay on two bolts. One party notes an awkward move at the end where you step down onto a foothold. |
| P5 | 5c+ | 30 m | – | A little further right, then straight up a slab that lies back. One repeater found this the easiest pitch, about 5b. |
| P6 | 5b | 7 m | – | A few metres to the summit belay. Easily linked with pitch 5. |
Getting there
From the SS133 take the narrow road north signed for Monte Pulchiana and follow it for 1.7 km to a fountain with space for two cars. Gulliver.it files the route under Tempio Pausania. The sources read do not cover travel to the area.
30 minutes. From the fountain walk back east along the road for 200 m to a wooden gate on the left. Take the path from the gate, which is marked by many cairns: it climbs steeply north at first, then turns west towards the face. Where it heads north again, take an obvious cairned track south that passes under big boulders. The start is under an oak and is shared with Pocahontas.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 1470452
Contains the route point. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 40.99204, 9.11360 (crag)
Getting down
Three abseils down Pocahontas (camptocamp). The gulliver.it repeater mentions other equipped abseil lines on the dome that may be more direct, but had not checked them.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Retreat works from the lower belays: a party in March 2026 escaped from belay 2 with a single abseil. Higher up the route has traversed a long way right, so abseiling straight down takes you onto other ground; belay 3 is chained and the normal descent is down Pocahontas from the top.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South facing granite slab at about 500 to 670 m. Lichenous from pitch 3 upwards: do not climb it after rain or in damp air. A party in March 2026 retreated from belay 2 in cold wind when drizzle threatened. No source states a season; the reports read are from March, April, May and August. Expect it to be very hot in summer sun.
Sun on the wall · S-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 14 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 34 | 34 | 28 | 24 | 18 | 15 |
| Mean daily low °C | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 100 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
17 quickdraws for the first pitch if you clip everything (a party with 14 ran out). Two 60 m ropes for the abseils. Slings or cord to link the bolts at belays 1 and 4. Cams are not needed. Helmet.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Arcu de Chelu.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.