Wandering CrankWandering Crank

Biking the World one crank at a time

Wild Camping

Turkey is made by the kindness of its people

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

Packed and setting off from the lake, I notice a flat.  At least it is the front tyre.  Difficult to resolve on the salt and sand, I push to the edge where I decided to try and inflate and see if it holds.  It does.  I set off along the only road through the lake.  The wind pushes against me and it is tough going.  I cycle past mounds of salt collected for sale.  Its big business here and three trucks have already arrived for filling, it’s only 6am.

I’ve already made the decision I needed a shower and a rest day after the past few days.  So I will stop in Aksaray, staying one night in a hotel and the next with a Warmshowers host.  But first I had another 80km to get there.  Trucks wizzed past, the undulating nature of the road and the heat made it tough going.  20km out from Aksaray I was hungry and tired and my front tyre punctured again!  I stop and replace the inner tube with my spare.  As I am inflating the inner tube explodes.  I have no other spares and I now have to resort to trying to hitch a ride with a bike.

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A different side to Turkey

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

I had been warned about cycling in Istanbul and the small bit I had done was pretty terrifying.  But going south out of Istanbul was meant to be easy and it was for the first hour.  You follow the coast after a short ferry trip (a ferry a day keeps the bike mechanic at bay) to the Asian side.  However, then you come up to a main road and even though you try to come off it, there will be a bit of time spent on it.  Lorries, cars, vans and tractors all frequent the road making it a hair-raising experience and not one I want to repeat any time soon!

But to avoid the worse I took a second ferry from Eskihisar to Topçular.  I then start to get off the main roads on to small roads through the hills, heading towards Iznik.  There are three cyclists heading in the opposite direction.  I stop and they offer me coffee.  We climb on to some rocks and look out over the valley.  Chatting through Google Translate I work out they are on their way home to Istanbul after a day trip.  We discuss each other’s plans and follow each other on Instagram.  They also ask for a separate picture with my bike and I.  A couple wanted to give it a ride, I let them.  But they found it difficult with the extra weight; it takes some getting use to.

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Journey to Istanbul

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

The sun was rising over the horizon, it was warm and I leave with a happy feeling about the journey towards Istanbul and my fifteenth country of my trip, Turkey.  I have heard many good things about Turkey and above all the hospitality of the people.  However, the big difference is my mindset I think.  I am starting to enjoy cycle touring again after a bit of a negative period.

My journey across Bulgaria was a bit flat and straight to the point but my seat was hurting me too much and I decided to get to Istanbul quickly so I could find a replacement.  So much for Brooks saddles.  I did stop off in a campsite ran by a lovely Dutch couple which had a lovely view over the valley as the sun came up.  Plus it had the added bonus of being just round the corner from a Thracian tomb and museum.  Bulgaria has several of these tombs across their country.

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EV6 and the search for cycling companions

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

Friday and the call to prayer rings out across town, there will be a sermon and all men are meant to attend.  There’s also the hustle and bustle of market day in Çeltik (Turkey), farmers bringing produce, other clothes and shoes.  You can even find a new vacuum.  I push my bike through the stalls and find somewhere to sit.  I order a doner from a corner stall and start to write my next blog.  Once again I have fallen further behind because I am about to tell the story of my leaving Belgrade for the second time!

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Zagreb and my lack of decision making

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

After writing this blog I realised that it seems a bit discontinuous, i.e. no theme to the story. I think this reflects how I was in Zagreb. The first stage of my journey was complete, the Schengen area, and now I needed to work out what my plan was now and I was feeling a little bit lost mentally. This feeling has continued through my time in the Balkans and I will be coming back to it over the next few blogs.

The journey to Zagreb

The ride to Zagreb was two days from the festival and I planned on doing the bulk the on the first day giving me more time to do the boring admin stuff.  I ended up wild camping next to a motor home park.  I feel a little aggrieved that Slovenia provides space for motor homes to park up for three days for free but nothing for campers!  The ride itself was rather dull, mainly roads and a bit of a Komoot shortcut involving a rather interesting trail.

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