Corgcian cave

Packed up bright and  early this morning the sun was out and had nice down hill ride for about 6km where i found Louis and Matteo repairing a puncture in Louis front wheel said the normal good mornings and how you doing Matteo seemed please to see me but cant say the same for Louis. Set off just before the job was done and continued down hill to Gravia where i picked up supplies and asked directions to the corgcian cave and the road condition. Road sounded fine and in reality it was even better.  The route Gravia on to mariolata, lilaia and eptalofos, where i got a  couple of hot coffees from a lovely cafe and asked directions once more. The turning on the right just passed the ski center and was also informed to be very carefull staying the night up there as the likely hood of bears and wolves was more worried about snow and tics nothing any bigger. When i got just passed the ski center there it was marked with a picture of a person on mountain bike written in greek kopikeion andpo which is corgcian cave i guess. Got there just after sunset and a little jumpy about bears and wolves so found a big stick and promptly rang Friend to say where I was and to expect call from me in the morning. Now in tent and can undead hear a wolves howling but is on another hill far a way or sounds that way any how. Hopping that my mountain hardware tent is Wolfe proof. Got food on bike a good 5 meters a way prob not far enough but got the stick and my butter knife with me. :-)

Location : Δελφοί, Delphi 33054,

Onwards and upwards

Back on track or so i thought till i got to a T junction that was meant to carry straight on but there was no sign of this road just cabbages by this point i was looking for a main tarmac road to just get outta here Ive got some corrections to make to osm when i get a computer with Internet and not a android phone.

The wind has been hot and strong unfortunately its been a head wind i found i had to pedal down hill to move this morning. Got to Lamia for lunch time and quickly left heavily polluted with fumes and chaos on the roads across another small plain in up another hill stopped a the foot of the hill for lunch at a quaint church in a olive grove. The maps are completely wrong again it had me climbing up the same route that the power pylons took impossible by bike but luckily there was a road that snaked up the hill side and joined the original route near the top found a nice level grassy patch to set up camp for the night. With wonderful views over the plain below. 

Location : Ηρακλειάς-Σκαμνού, Γοργοπόταμος 35100,

Routing errors

For the first time osm and bikeroutetoaster has let me down there is some serious mapping errors of the trikala plane its a maze of dirt and tarmac roads and the previous 3 days of rain turned the dirt roads to mud. It started out fine from kalambaka and around metroa spectacular views and very picturesque. Coming down onto main road the route was across olive grove no road in sight it was ok there was another road that joined main road in a few hundred meters then next turn took me into builders yard ummmm. Finding correct roads again but seemed to be out of position by a good few hundred meters. Cycled on enjoying the sun and got to river where I supposed to cross but no bridge, may be there is a ford in summer months but it was swollen by the previous days rain and no sign of a road leading up the flood bank just a rabid dog barking and bearing his teeth. Asked old lady weeding her veg patch using international sign language but only got Greek replies but think i understood there was a bridge in either direction but how far was any body's guess. Eventually found a bridge and many locals looking at flooded river pointing and shaking there heads. Now not to many kms off course and managed to join it again taking a right down yet another farmers dirt road led me into the stickiest mud I've ever seen and Ive spent years mtb in the high weald south of London and that mud is legendary into antiquity. After a good hour of hauling my bike mud and all i get to yet another river that's impassable but not according to my map. The only thing to do was turn back try something else. By the time i was back on the tarmac it was dark and my mudguards where full of mud making cycling a big effort scraped out the best i could with a stick getting long curved sausages of mud. I managed to find a hose and was able scrape mud away and carry on till 10pm where i looked down at the speedo to discover 115km covered today my biggest day on this trip pulled over and slept in a disused petrol station and awoke to beautiful sun and views of snow capped mountains.

Location : Καλαμάκι, Lamia 35100,

Kalambaka

I decided the other day to continue the journey on my own leaving Louis and Matteo just south of Neapoli in a village called Mikrokastro we stopped for lunch in a bus shelter as it was windy and raining. I stopped the night just out of Grevena and in the  morning watched them cycle past on the low road as i came down the  hill.

That morning there was a onslaught of accents and descents that brought me to the river Pinios and the plain of Tirkala. It was a easy ride into Kalambaka along the river, still raining so i booked into hotel Odysseneon where i had a great view of the Meteora sandstone rock formations with almost a full moon raising behind the largest outcrop.

Ive been hoping for.a dry spell to get out on my bike unladen but no such luck. Been reading about Delphi, the Corycian cave where i hope to camp for a few days and after  eleuisis. Ive booked  flight back to the uk with eazyjet 25 euros extra to bring bike back. Leaving December 15th.

Location : Καλαμπάκας-Καστρακίου, Kalabaka 42200,

Ever changing plans

Albania turned out to be really nice, the people are amazing very generous. The roads got much better as we travelled south ended up not going through Macedonia but went down on the west side of lake orichd and staying in Albania a little longer we met up with a Sicilian  cyclist heading to Athens and onto Israel we have been together a few days now covering a few km. We are now in Greece finding everything much more expensive than Albania. Wished we had picked up more supplies. The weather is  changing with wetter days and cold nights but we have been at  around 1000m above sea level for the last few days so it should get warmer as we head down and south. Tonight camping in a bird watches hide by lake kastoria in Greece strong winds but at least we have a roof for the night and a quick pack up in the morning. Heading to kalambaka to see the rock formations.

Location : SH 3,

Macedonia here we come

Plans always in constant flux found the roads in Albania not so cycle freindly either the choice of main roads with good surface or roads with many pot holes and much trafic but moving slower. We have decided to head to Macedonia and down to greece where the roads and trafic are reported to be much better. Albania is having a major rebuild after the war with kosavo, sitting in a trendy cafe using internet in tirana the capital the town center is all dug up for new water pipes. People seem very freindly. 

Location : Rruga Reshit Çollaku, Tirana 1001,

Montenegro

I have got to Dubrovnik in Croatia then on to  Kotor, Budvar and Bar in Montenegro, Kotor was a real surprise spectacular mid-evil walled city on a bay surrounded by mountains we got a room for 10 euros a night in a nearby village the whole bay area was one of the most beautiful areas Ive seen on this trip so far.

Location : Zog I Blvd, Tirana,

Change of plan

We have decided to change our plan to head to Grease instead of Istanbul. The route seems a lot easier with the highest pass at only 1000m and not 1800 which could be covered in snow at this time of the year once in Grease we hope to stop in Delphi and Sparta and from there some how work out a way back to England with my bike poss with inter rail train ticket that allowes us to travel for a number of days anywhere in europe except Albania so there could be  few detours to get back nothing is ever easy. We stayed in Dubrovnik for one night and checked out the old city void of cars but a nightmare to see fuly by bike as there is many stairs but truly spectacular built in middle ages but was badly damaged in the war but has been repaired and the walls where never damaged. 

Location : Konavle,

Only 2 and Stoned...

We cycled through certina valley and over the hill to the beach what a wonderful view we had. The days are very short now sunset at 1645 we decided to camp behind a cemetery but then we met Antonio a Croatian man who managed to repair leas rear wheel although the wheel had only covered a few hundred km all the spokes rattling loose.

He then invited us to stay in his spare apartment for the night. Shower and bed what a treat. Awaking in the morning the girls Informed us that they wanted to travel alone. That was fine by me but i just hoped that it was nothing to do with me joining there trip they assured me it wasn't and now Louis and i are traveling together to Istanbul. We crossed back over the hill to the valley that runs parallel to the sea but on reaching 3/4 of the way to the summit we found a big rock fallen had blocked the road with a TV crew reporting the incident nearby, they interviewed us I said I wasn't going to let some stones on the road make me turn back and they then  filmed us crossing the slip. Apparently it was going to be on the news at 1915 nova channel. We failed to find TV to see the report but guessed the locals prob called us idiots. Oh well we passed with no problems and got back on route.

Location : Vrgorac,

On the road in Croatia

We took the boat sailed at 2100, from Ancona to split and arrived at 7am the journey was pleasant and void off people it must have cost jadrolinija the ferry company money to sail. We arrived to 17 deg temp with sun on our faces. We sat at a cafe on the sea front  studying the new map and enjoying the coffee.  We where on the the road by 11am  after stopping at the market for supplies.  Although its a port town with duel carriage ways the road where quiet for us people seemed friendly and some  speak very good English the surrounding hills look ferocious but the climbs aren't that hard at all, long and steady. It looks as if the highest hill is 714M although one of the bikes needs to go to a bike shop and have the spokes tightened they are only finger tight. As Its a new wheel and i suspect there was never any loctite applied to the nipples. It could be a trip back down the hill to Omis where we have been told there may be a bike shop.

Location : Omiš,

Ancona by train.

We stayed a extra day at Darios house as a crazy storm passed  we took a train to Rome and on to Ancona where we take a boat in the morning to Split in Croatia then we will start cycling again on our way to Istanbul. The trains in Italy seem to charge extra for bikes and dogs but all in all the trains are reasonable in price about 30 euros for a 6 hour journey including the bike but the french seem expert blaggers and i think the bikes went for free. Arriving in Ancona we had some persistent light rain so i went for a budget hotel by the station while the french looked for some free accommodation else where in town tomorrow i will see how there night was. At least they are well setup up for wet weather so they should stay dry at least.   

Location : Molo Nord, 28, 60121 Ancona,

Location : Molo Nord, 28, 60121 Ancona,