A lunch invite near Zonguldak
6/3/2016 Warmshowers, Heraclia, Eregli to Gȍbȕ
D73, T5.5, Av12.53, max55, 51236, 504, Alt up1484m
Beautiful Black Sea spring day.
It had been a great couple of rest days with Heraclia. He rode 10km out of town with me to the foot of the range.
At the top of the range a stop was made for Çay, some guys here gave me some tomatoes and capsicums for my pasta tonight .
Much to my annoyance I left my reading glasses here. I always carry a spare pair so it was no big deal. They had lasted me since Swakopmund, so they had a good life and hopefully the person that found them will get as much use from them as me.
From here it was a great descent to the water’s edge.
The coast around Zonguldak was absolutely spectacular, a stop was made at one corner for lunch. Here three guys about my age had a picnic table set up over looking the sea. What a day!!. I sat here with them for an hour, we shared food and Çay.
Sadly, the Turks in these coastal areas have no regard to tossing rubbish anywhere. One of the guys unashamedly just tossed a bottle over the edge down to the water.
Not a shred of guilt was displayed.
It was an enjoyable time with Francis and his friends, in such a beautiful spot.
Once down through a tunnel into Zonguldak, the locals were out in force enjoying this lovely spring day by the sea. The promenade was crowded. It was so nice to see people just out and about. A stop was made a Migros to buy more cereal. The porridge here needs boiling, which does not suit me. I am using this Special K granola for breakfast, it is a kind of museli. On the road I eat the Turkish bread rolls with tomatoes and onion or the Turkish version of Nutella. The small village stores sell it in very small containers, which suffice one loaf of bread. This Turkish bread is one thing that is looked forward to each day. They certainly know how to make bread here.
From Zonguldak, it was a ride through village after village all close to the sea.
It was up and down relentlessly but so enjoyable.
At Tilinli, a stop was made for some juice. Then it was up and down more hills with lovely coastal views of houses built along the rugged cliffy shoreline.
The road flattened out in the valley in the village of Moslu. Here were a conglomerate of power stations all burning coal. There were three. One decommissioned, one running and one under construction. The Chinese must have been involved as there were many Chinese workers about.
Leaving here late in the day, a very steep climb began, so steep I just walked up.
As can be seen by my log, the day had nearly 1500m of ascent.
I was just to worn-out to try to ride up, anyway the slope in places was greater than 10%.
A german guy told me of a good beach camp halfway up. On the descent just before the ril track a left turn was made to the beach,. Here I stopped at a little camp area and set up under a roof .
It was right on the water front. .
The guy wanted 50TL for the night. I told him no way and got the price dropped in half, it was still over priced but had power and a roof so I was happy .
A pasta was cooked and a great nights sleep had.
7/3/2016 Gȍbȕ Beach to Amasra hill
D77, T5.19, Av14.44, max59, 51313, 581, Alt up853m
Beautiful Black Sea spring day.14°C
Again soon as I left the village it was a climb out of the bay. This terrain is getting me very fit very fast which is great. Hills are always enjoyable to ride as one does not have to pedal the whole way, unlike flat land. The views are often more spectacular in the hill country.
The village of Filyos was at the foot of the descent from Gȍbȕ bay, here a stop was made for a doner and a cruise along the waterfront. Once again there was a little used marina with very safe moorings from the weather.
Leaving town was another climb of course.
After a while, the road much to my surprise flattened out. It was just like the days in Africa just cruising along on the flats.
Good kilometres were made. I stopped in Bartin for bread and sardines at a bus shelter. In town, some yoghurt was bought at the Migros supermarket. These supermarkets carry many products that are very western.
The Yenice river had to be crossed, the road went inland before the wide river plane could be bridged. Here just below the bridge was a weir, a very big one. A fear passed through me at the sight of this. I realised just how lucky I was to be here after the frightening events on the Orange River.
Leaving town on the main road the D.010, a turn off to Amasra was seen. Sure enough it was a steady climb through villages and findik farms until the peak and a military encampment was past. Then a descent into Amasra began. It was late in the day. Before descending I doned some warm gear.
Managing the hot and cold variations in my body is of utmost importance to keep away a cold.
My brake pads are wearing fast on these hills. The roads are narrow and often the surface is unreliable. Plus, with all my weight, more pressure is required to slow the bike.
Half way down a view point was stopped at. Here were a few market stalls. A guy and his wife were packing up. They said it would be ok for me to camp here .
Before leaving, he introduced me to the vicious dog that was guarding the produce that was stored here over night. The views over Amasra were unreal in the fading light of the day. It was a great camp. Later in the evening some guys pulled in for a drink in their car. I joined them.
My phone battery got depleted fast with all the use of the translator.
One of my rear teeth is starting to ache quite bad, infact it is becoming somewhat of a problem. Something is going to have to be done if it gets worse .
Dinner was not prepared. There are so many villages on this coast that food is rarely needed to be carried.
Men are are always asking me in for Çay as I ride past. This brew is such a large part of the social fabric here for the men. The come to the cafes just to talk, play cards and watch the day go by.
A lovely sunset was experienced, looking back to Istanbul.
It was a great campsite with a short ride into town tomorrow.
8/3/2016 Amasra hill to Hisar fishing village
D45, T4, Av11.4, max62, 51359, 626, Alt up1030m
Beautiful Black Sea spring day.14°C
Waking up early, another beautiful day was in the making. Even the condensation has been so slight that my tent is as good as dry before leaving each morning.
It was a short descent in into the seaside town of Amasra. What an idyllic place it was. First stop was a bayside cafe for Çay.
I just marvelled at the beauty of this coast, with so few people about.
In town I had a good hearty breakfast, and tried to look for a dentist. People told me there was one up the hill out of town. This hill was a walker it was so steep. Up here, I found the dentist was no longer practising.
A small shop saw me buy some individual rolls of toilet paper. Sadly the supermarkets, being at the fore front of consumerism only sell toilet paper in bulk packs. This is so annoying, though one has to remember they are not there to service people, only just to make as much money as they can.
I spent quite some time in Amasra, consequently by midday I had only clocked up 10km, a record I think .
The ride out of town was steep but a pleasure with lovely views back over the town.
Its amusing seeing all the empty water bottles on the roadside with an amber fluid inside. The turks love to have a pee in a bottle and toss it out as they drive. A great idea in the wet. It would be nice if the bottles could be taken to the next town and deposited in a waste bin but no.
Each village has a waste system that includes small dumpsters, here people walk with their rubbish bags and they are mechanically emptied by trucks.
The road took me up some long climbs though all associated with great views.
Bout 1600, I dropped down into the village of Hisar, here on the small bay was a vibrant boat building industry. All done by hand, often in plastic enclosures on the waterside.
My tooth has got to the point now where eating is becoming very painful.
I checked out the waterfront. People were very friendly. I had dinner with a bunch of children and a guy Mustafa.
He asked me to sleep on his fishing boat. It was a big netting vessel with a crew of at least 4.
His mates were still in the seaside bar drinking. I politely declined. I did not want to be hassled by the others when they got back to the boat from the bar.
So a great camp right on the water’s edge was found after asking some locals if it was ok to set up there.
Turkey so far has felt so safe to camp almost anywhere. Safe to the point where sleeping comes easy. As long as my bike is connected to the tent there is no problem .
It was nice falling asleep to the lazy lapping of the small waves on the beach 2 metres from my tent. The tiny tides here make beach camping very predictable here on the Black Sea, they are less than 300mm.
9/3/2016 Hisar fishing village to Cide
D40, T3, Av12.4, max52, 51399, 666, Alt up748m
Beautiful Black Sea spring day.24°C
It was an unbelievable 24 degrees at 0800 in the morning on the beach. My tent easily dried. My tooth pain is now getting extremely painful. It is now becoming preoccupying.
Something has to be done.
Leaving the bay, I stopped for a browse in the marine shop and had Çay with the local guys on the waterfront under a gazebo. This is a relaxing way to start the day with a few laughs.
Once over the creek out of town it was a 10 percenter on the way up and within 15 minutes I was soaked. I have been riding in shorts for a few days now, it is the only way to go only these steep hills.
Once at the top of the range and views of the sea were present, a chop was visible. Accompanied with this was a bitterly cold nor easter onshore wind. There must have been some weather in the north of the sea.
I now realised how inhospitable the place could be if you were not prepared .
My intentions were to get the short distance to Cide and get this bloody tooth pulled out, it is one of my rear molars.
The pain is becoming excruciating. A stop was made for bread and nutella was made out of the wind.
There were boat builders in some of the small villages ridden through. It was a nice ride through uninhabited land for a change. Many of the trees were pines. Any roadside oak trees had been cut down.
Coming into Kalafat, expansive coastal views were observed. At the end of the huge bay was Cide.
Once here iz asked after a dentist I was directed to the hospital, here they looked but could do nothing. They gave me a prescription for antibiotics and painkillers.
I booked into a hotel, the Salcioğlu, a comfortable place for 40TL a night. It was opposite the huge mosque in town.
I got the medication and looked for the private dentist in town. He was closed.
So I just rested and put up with this pain as best I could.
The next day I went back to the dentist and he took me to his chemist friend across the road. He could speak some English and had given me the number of a friend of his in Inebolu some 100km away who is a dentist and can do the work.
I can’t ride like this. Also the tooth cant be pulled before the infection is gone. I am happy just to relax here in Cide. It is a great, relaxed town with very friendly people who number about 18,000.
Washing was done between pain bouts and movies watched. A haircut was had and good food enjoyed. Though no meat as it was too hard to eat .
D73, T5.5, Av12.53, max55, 51236, 504, Alt up1484m
Beautiful Black Sea spring day.
It had been a great couple of rest days with Heraclia. He rode 10km out of town with me to the foot of the range.
At the top of the range a stop was made for Çay, some guys here gave me some tomatoes and capsicums for my pasta tonight .
Much to my annoyance I left my reading glasses here. I always carry a spare pair so it was no big deal. They had lasted me since Swakopmund, so they had a good life and hopefully the person that found them will get as much use from them as me.
From here it was a great descent to the water’s edge.
The coast around Zonguldak was absolutely spectacular, a stop was made at one corner for lunch. Here three guys about my age had a picnic table set up over looking the sea. What a day!!. I sat here with them for an hour, we shared food and Çay.
Sadly, the Turks in these coastal areas have no regard to tossing rubbish anywhere. One of the guys unashamedly just tossed a bottle over the edge down to the water.
Not a shred of guilt was displayed.
It was an enjoyable time with Francis and his friends, in such a beautiful spot.
Once down through a tunnel into Zonguldak, the locals were out in force enjoying this lovely spring day by the sea. The promenade was crowded. It was so nice to see people just out and about. A stop was made a Migros to buy more cereal. The porridge here needs boiling, which does not suit me. I am using this Special K granola for breakfast, it is a kind of museli. On the road I eat the Turkish bread rolls with tomatoes and onion or the Turkish version of Nutella. The small village stores sell it in very small containers, which suffice one loaf of bread. This Turkish bread is one thing that is looked forward to each day. They certainly know how to make bread here.
From Zonguldak, it was a ride through village after village all close to the sea.
It was up and down relentlessly but so enjoyable.
At Tilinli, a stop was made for some juice. Then it was up and down more hills with lovely coastal views of houses built along the rugged cliffy shoreline.
The road flattened out in the valley in the village of Moslu. Here were a conglomerate of power stations all burning coal. There were three. One decommissioned, one running and one under construction. The Chinese must have been involved as there were many Chinese workers about.
Leaving here late in the day, a very steep climb began, so steep I just walked up.
As can be seen by my log, the day had nearly 1500m of ascent.
I was just to worn-out to try to ride up, anyway the slope in places was greater than 10%.
A german guy told me of a good beach camp halfway up. On the descent just before the ril track a left turn was made to the beach,. Here I stopped at a little camp area and set up under a roof .
It was right on the water front. .
The guy wanted 50TL for the night. I told him no way and got the price dropped in half, it was still over priced but had power and a roof so I was happy .
A pasta was cooked and a great nights sleep had.
7/3/2016 Gȍbȕ Beach to Amasra hill
D77, T5.19, Av14.44, max59, 51313, 581, Alt up853m
Beautiful Black Sea spring day.14°C
Again soon as I left the village it was a climb out of the bay. This terrain is getting me very fit very fast which is great. Hills are always enjoyable to ride as one does not have to pedal the whole way, unlike flat land. The views are often more spectacular in the hill country.
The village of Filyos was at the foot of the descent from Gȍbȕ bay, here a stop was made for a doner and a cruise along the waterfront. Once again there was a little used marina with very safe moorings from the weather.
Leaving town was another climb of course.
After a while, the road much to my surprise flattened out. It was just like the days in Africa just cruising along on the flats.
Good kilometres were made. I stopped in Bartin for bread and sardines at a bus shelter. In town, some yoghurt was bought at the Migros supermarket. These supermarkets carry many products that are very western.
The Yenice river had to be crossed, the road went inland before the wide river plane could be bridged. Here just below the bridge was a weir, a very big one. A fear passed through me at the sight of this. I realised just how lucky I was to be here after the frightening events on the Orange River.
Leaving town on the main road the D.010, a turn off to Amasra was seen. Sure enough it was a steady climb through villages and findik farms until the peak and a military encampment was past. Then a descent into Amasra began. It was late in the day. Before descending I doned some warm gear.
Managing the hot and cold variations in my body is of utmost importance to keep away a cold.
My brake pads are wearing fast on these hills. The roads are narrow and often the surface is unreliable. Plus, with all my weight, more pressure is required to slow the bike.
Half way down a view point was stopped at. Here were a few market stalls. A guy and his wife were packing up. They said it would be ok for me to camp here .
Before leaving, he introduced me to the vicious dog that was guarding the produce that was stored here over night. The views over Amasra were unreal in the fading light of the day. It was a great camp. Later in the evening some guys pulled in for a drink in their car. I joined them.
My phone battery got depleted fast with all the use of the translator.
One of my rear teeth is starting to ache quite bad, infact it is becoming somewhat of a problem. Something is going to have to be done if it gets worse .
Dinner was not prepared. There are so many villages on this coast that food is rarely needed to be carried.
Men are are always asking me in for Çay as I ride past. This brew is such a large part of the social fabric here for the men. The come to the cafes just to talk, play cards and watch the day go by.
A lovely sunset was experienced, looking back to Istanbul.
It was a great campsite with a short ride into town tomorrow.
8/3/2016 Amasra hill to Hisar fishing village
D45, T4, Av11.4, max62, 51359, 626, Alt up1030m
Beautiful Black Sea spring day.14°C
Waking up early, another beautiful day was in the making. Even the condensation has been so slight that my tent is as good as dry before leaving each morning.
It was a short descent in into the seaside town of Amasra. What an idyllic place it was. First stop was a bayside cafe for Çay.
I just marvelled at the beauty of this coast, with so few people about.
In town I had a good hearty breakfast, and tried to look for a dentist. People told me there was one up the hill out of town. This hill was a walker it was so steep. Up here, I found the dentist was no longer practising.
A small shop saw me buy some individual rolls of toilet paper. Sadly the supermarkets, being at the fore front of consumerism only sell toilet paper in bulk packs. This is so annoying, though one has to remember they are not there to service people, only just to make as much money as they can.
I spent quite some time in Amasra, consequently by midday I had only clocked up 10km, a record I think .
The ride out of town was steep but a pleasure with lovely views back over the town.
Its amusing seeing all the empty water bottles on the roadside with an amber fluid inside. The turks love to have a pee in a bottle and toss it out as they drive. A great idea in the wet. It would be nice if the bottles could be taken to the next town and deposited in a waste bin but no.
Each village has a waste system that includes small dumpsters, here people walk with their rubbish bags and they are mechanically emptied by trucks.
The road took me up some long climbs though all associated with great views.
Bout 1600, I dropped down into the village of Hisar, here on the small bay was a vibrant boat building industry. All done by hand, often in plastic enclosures on the waterside.
My tooth has got to the point now where eating is becoming very painful.
I checked out the waterfront. People were very friendly. I had dinner with a bunch of children and a guy Mustafa.
He asked me to sleep on his fishing boat. It was a big netting vessel with a crew of at least 4.
His mates were still in the seaside bar drinking. I politely declined. I did not want to be hassled by the others when they got back to the boat from the bar.
So a great camp right on the water’s edge was found after asking some locals if it was ok to set up there.
Turkey so far has felt so safe to camp almost anywhere. Safe to the point where sleeping comes easy. As long as my bike is connected to the tent there is no problem .
It was nice falling asleep to the lazy lapping of the small waves on the beach 2 metres from my tent. The tiny tides here make beach camping very predictable here on the Black Sea, they are less than 300mm.
9/3/2016 Hisar fishing village to Cide
D40, T3, Av12.4, max52, 51399, 666, Alt up748m
Beautiful Black Sea spring day.24°C
It was an unbelievable 24 degrees at 0800 in the morning on the beach. My tent easily dried. My tooth pain is now getting extremely painful. It is now becoming preoccupying.
Something has to be done.
Leaving the bay, I stopped for a browse in the marine shop and had Çay with the local guys on the waterfront under a gazebo. This is a relaxing way to start the day with a few laughs.
Once over the creek out of town it was a 10 percenter on the way up and within 15 minutes I was soaked. I have been riding in shorts for a few days now, it is the only way to go only these steep hills.
Once at the top of the range and views of the sea were present, a chop was visible. Accompanied with this was a bitterly cold nor easter onshore wind. There must have been some weather in the north of the sea.
I now realised how inhospitable the place could be if you were not prepared .
My intentions were to get the short distance to Cide and get this bloody tooth pulled out, it is one of my rear molars.
The pain is becoming excruciating. A stop was made for bread and nutella was made out of the wind.
There were boat builders in some of the small villages ridden through. It was a nice ride through uninhabited land for a change. Many of the trees were pines. Any roadside oak trees had been cut down.
Coming into Kalafat, expansive coastal views were observed. At the end of the huge bay was Cide.
Once here iz asked after a dentist I was directed to the hospital, here they looked but could do nothing. They gave me a prescription for antibiotics and painkillers.
I booked into a hotel, the Salcioğlu, a comfortable place for 40TL a night. It was opposite the huge mosque in town.
I got the medication and looked for the private dentist in town. He was closed.
So I just rested and put up with this pain as best I could.
The next day I went back to the dentist and he took me to his chemist friend across the road. He could speak some English and had given me the number of a friend of his in Inebolu some 100km away who is a dentist and can do the work.
I can’t ride like this. Also the tooth cant be pulled before the infection is gone. I am happy just to relax here in Cide. It is a great, relaxed town with very friendly people who number about 18,000.
Washing was done between pain bouts and movies watched. A haircut was had and good food enjoyed. Though no meat as it was too hard to eat .
Dropping into Zonguldak
Locals loving the mild Sunday weather in Zonguldak
Typical high rise dwellings packed in so close on these steeps shores in many towns and villages.
the shore at my camp in Gobu. The Black Sea has centimetric tides, that is the range is no more than 300mm
My new Brooks Champion Flyer is getting more comfortable by the day and only 500km old.
There are some bloody big dogs in Filyos!!
Typical terrain on leaving most villages
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Near Tilinli
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The sight of this bought back a fear unknown before this journey.
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the night over looking Amasra
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I shared some beer with the boys in the parking area above Amasra
Amasra
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Amasra
These harbours are in most towns
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Pat Pats a common sight in the rural areas. As dangerous as can be down the steep hills.
Lovely little bay near Amasra
boat building, Hisar
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Front door Hisar.
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Fifteen minutes out of Hisar and as sweaty a ever.
Early morning cay in Hisar
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Camp at Hisar bay.
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More boat building
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These guys are just set up along the roadside. Its such an enjoyment to see a hand built boat no matter what type.
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looking back on my home for a night in Hisar bay
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A new summer is being born here on the Black Sea, I just hope it is not premature .
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Cide