Early days in Georgia

My night on the coast passed very peacefully leaving me rested and alert for the crazy driving in Batumi, one of Georgia's  three largest cities and containing a developed area of modern high rise office blocks, hotels and apartments that looked rather like Salford Quays and Manchester when viewed from the Pennines. I had passed an imposing war memorial and diverted out to the lighthouse adjacent to a cemetery where many of the graves had images of the deceased engraved - an interesting way to remember lost loved ones.

My destination for the night was the remarkable New Chateau Chkaduashi north of Zugdidi where I had stopped briefly to call at the Tourist Information Centre where the friendly lady spoke good English and gave me ten leaflets covering the various regions of Georgia which had more than adequate maps and lists of places to see.

P4N reviews of the park up made references to The Prince and the associated history of the property so I was somewhat intrigued. On arrival a large German Overlander truck had just pulled up and a guy said ' le patron' would be back in an hour or so before leaving us to set up. I moved on to close cropped grass for a better view and more privacy before getting my table and a chair out to begin poring over the new leaflets.

In due course an elderly gentleman turned up and introduced himself as Prince Alain Murat. He was French born but his family, of some nobility and related to Napoleon had come to Georgia decades ago to establish a large estate with a palace in Zuguidi and this building which was the hunting lodge. However they had had to flee to France when the Soviets  invaded and lived in exile for thirty years. Alain eventually returned but the palace remained in state hands so he relocated to the lodge which was in advanced disrepair and has spent many years bringing it back to life and turning it in to both a home and visitor accommodation. All this and more was learnt during a couple of hours that evening when he invited the German couple and myself over to the house for drinks and nibbles. It was a surreal evening and he was proud to show us room after room of historical and not so ancient artefacts relating to his ancestral family and the more direct offspring who live in Geneva and Ottawa.

After a very peaceful night I filled up with water before heading off after another conversation with Alain and his wife - such fascinating people.

My first destination was the vast Enguri dam that provides 45% of Georgia's power needs and was built in Soviet times. It is of a twin arch design which can flex 15cm depending on water levels and then feeds 4 turbines further down the valley but these, the pipes and other turbines lower down all actually lie in the breakaway area of Abkhazia which offers some hope for a reconciliation one day. From Alain's terrace we could see the glow of lights from a large Russian military base and indeed the border lay less than fifty miles away high on the ridges of the Caucasus range.

I paid a few quid to walk over to the viewing platform with a bored ticket seller directing me to a bored ticket checker who then directed me to two bored security guards, all rather pointless. However it was a remarkable sight and in an adjacent building a slightly more engaged young man set up the video with an English commentary for a good insight in to the construction and operation of the scheme. In rooms below there was also an exhibition by a local artist of some remarkable 3D portraits with clever masks made of stainless steel mesh mounted on painted canvases.

My route lay north in to the mountainous Svaneti region tucked under the border mountains and characterised by numerous small villages, many containing the defensive Svaneti towers dating back to the Middle Ages. These were sprawled out across the widening valley floor reached after a hair raising thirty miles on the worst 'main' road I have ever driven. Landslides and rockfalls regularly interrupted progress and landslips had left many sections down to rough single track with precipitous drops just beyond the lines of stones placed on the thin edges. It was very wintery up there and all the livestock were free ranging over the road to add to the hazard, whilst the torrential river began as we left the calmer headwaters of the Enguri reservoir behind.

I tried to stay in a rural park up in the village of Mazeri but several feet of snow put paid to that and I carried on through numerous small rather sorry looking hamlets

P4N sent me out of Mestia to a potential location outside of town adjacent to the closed ski lift but in the end I returned to town and parked up opposite the police station by a small park. I took a walk round amazed that such a large place, although perhaps more of a village could survive at the end of such a long and tortuous road : there had been very little traffic other than timber lorries from the numerous mills situated precariously on the occasional flat area in the steep gorge.

I decided to eat out for a change so tried a small restaurant that had a cosy stove going and enjoyed a vegetable based starter and then the local speciality, an enormous round flat bread covered in and stuffed with cheese, served piping hot. This needed a local beer to wash it down but still left me partially defeated. I had a quiet night as the area is between its skiing and hiking seasons as the winter snows melt. There were huge dirty grey drifts piled up around town as the same snowfall that had hit Turkey a fortnight ago had added a late covering to the area. I went to see if the chairlift up to the ski lift was running but both were now closed so I explored the backstreets, did a small shop and then headed out past the small airport to follow the muddy and increasingly snowy dirt track up towards the walk to the Chalaadi Glacier. As there was a choice of good spots just off the track and above the river I decided to park the van, don my boots and head off. I left the Bluetooth speaker playing, closed all curtains, left an old pair of shoes outside and set the alarmed padlocks on the bike cover. Ninety minutes later I reached a new hydro station and then started on the path through the snowy pine forest to the glacier another ninety minutes further on. A young Turkish couple had said they'd had to turn back after half an hour as the snow was so deep but their tennis shoes can't have helped either. I slipped and slithered over the deep snow which obviously covered a boulder field as I went in up to my waist several times. Eventually I reached the raging torrent where the couple had turned round and battled on for another hour before deciding in the absence of any other footprints that further progress would be foolhardy. Yellow and white marks normally at waist height on trees were at or beneath snow level so I knew I was on the path but the glacier snout was still a mile or so away. I retraced my route cautiously and was glad to get back to the track safely. Three young Georgians were also setting out in unsuitable footwear so I explained the challenge that lay ahead and wished them well.

Back at the van as dusk fell it was getting chilly so I fired up the Ever, grabbed a hot shower and was in bed by 8pm.

After sleeping a straight twelve hours I was woken by gunfire and with no explanation other than possibly some training exercise by the military outpost down at the airport I had breakfast and was away to Mestia once more. Europe 's highest permanently occupied village up at Ushguili another thirty miles away on an apparently terrible road was put to one side and after buying bread I decided to retrace my steps out of this harsh environment. Almost immediately I saw a young guy hitch hiking with a large rucksack so pulled over. Vlad spoke excellent English and had just finished working as a snow board instructor for the season which had just finished, hence the lift closure. The late snow fall had not extended the season as it was too soft and he said it had been a mild winter with only one normal week back in February when temperatures remained at -25.

We chatted generally although with heavy rain I was concentrating intently on the atrocious road surface as fresh rocks had come down and the largest potholes were obscured by surface water. He explained that most goods and produce were flown in as Tbilisi was only a half hour flight away. It felt intrusive to ask about the situation in his home country (Ukraine) as I guess he would be like many of his generation be conflicted about joining up to fight, after all what would you do ..... honestly??

He was heading to Tbilisi via Zuguidi so I dropped him off at Poti as I was turning inland and we were immediately approached by a feisty old Georgian lady who wanted a lift in to the next village. I duly obliged and was amused when an errant steer wandered in to the road and she realised she didn't have any controls, despite sitting on the left.

I'd noticed a lot of Delicia 4x4 imports in the villages, presumably secondhand from Japan as many were RHD and like a large numbers of local vehicles missing front and rear bumpers.

After letting her out I continued on to find a riverside park up for the night where I was immediately adopted by two stray dogs who wolfed down two of the jam filled rolls I'd inadvertently picked up in the shop. Just along the track was a derelict former Soviet state farm and next morning a guy came over and insisted on showing me round and indicating that I could stay there on his meadow for no charge. However I thanked him and carried on to to Tskaltubo a former Soviet spa town where the now collapsing formerly elegant spas house displaced migrants from the dispute in Askhabia.

The Martivelli canyon hosted an unnecessary rash of cafes and souvenir stalls on the walk down to a beautiful limestone gorge where when the water levels are lower rafting is possible. A zip wire passed overhead and excursions by 4x4 were on offer to other gorges and cascades, all part of Georgia's push to develop its tourism sector which will inevitably spoil naturally beautiful areas.

The monastery at Martivelli was an oasis of calm and spring growth with the church containing stunning if faded frescoes after which I headed north to the large Prometheus cave only discovered in 1984 but now artificially lit, accessed by concrete steps with handrails and again supporting a large interpretation centre with attendant cafes and the like. However the visit itself was well worth it with over a kilometre of well decorated passages including 3 vast chambers. A 200m exit tunnel had been blasted out to the location of a hotel from where we were bussed under half a mile back to the car park. Hey ho, I guess it gives less capable people a chance to experience something rather special and provides employment locally.

I took the opportunity to give the van a good spray of pest killer as since my spell on the Chateau lawn I had had a significant invasion of ants and hoped that the closed doors for a few hours would do the trick.

I moved on back in to the mountains taking the road over to the Racha - Lechkhumi valley with a small side valley entrance route providing a good overnight location by a fast flowing river with surprisingly good 4G cover. Vlad had suggested Azerbaijan has closed all land borders since COVID and whilst that threat has receded there are still disputes over Nagorno Karabakh and Nakchivan keeping them closed so I will need to replan some of the trip. In fact it will help as Georgia obviously has more than enough to occupy me for a month, Armenia will take at least two weeks and then 4 weeks or so across Turkey will see me able to return to Europe by crossing in to Greece after June 9th.

Today has been a bit wet and cold as I followed the valley eastwards passing through Tsageri and Ambrolauri stopping at a particularly attractive church with yet more frescoes, golden icons and a superb wooden screen : the rather severe looking and silent monk sat almost invisibly in a corner deterred me from taking any photos inside.

I reached the head of the valley and the snowline once more before dropping back a little to my current location, off and above the very quiet road with the heater on and a good book to read. My first week has been memorable largely due to the huge contrast between the high snow covered mountain valleys and the warmer climates to the south to which I return to tomorrow with a possible visit to the city of Kutaisi for a culture shock......

Pics

Turkey in the Snow and on in to Georgia

Just as I was dozing off outside Trabzon there was a loud rap on the side of the van and I could hear voices so called out hello and slid the side window cautiously open a little. Three guys were on the other side but came round and to my relief were in uniform and turned out to be the Jandarma. They were friendly and intrigued, asked for my passport and then where I was heading. I told them east to Rize and they seemed fine with that, had I said Istanbul or Ankara where some of the recent demonstrations have been taking place I'm sure they would have advised against it for my own safety. Anyway off they went but I'm not sure if they disturbed the two Italian vans.

Trabzon itself is a large city and port and I parked up alongside a huge new shining mosque under construction and disappeared in to the central bazaar of the old town - the Carsi quarter where I nosed around the lively and well stocked fruit and veg market and bought some delicious looking roundbread.

Under an hour north I pulled in at the Otopark for the Sumela monastery which lay in a side valley past Macka where the snow had obviously fallen heavily a few days earlier. I was directed to a ticket office which turned out to be for the shuttle bus to the monastery, itself a further 3km uphill. I could have walked but was glad I didn't as the wooden pathway was still a foot deep in snow so I would have had to follow the road which snaked uphill. At the top carpark a few stalls had fires going for tea and the usual souvenirs were on sale. The actual monastery is built under a huge cliff overhang and was reached by a 300m track which was extremely hazardous as the deep snow had been compacted in to ice and the path rose steeply which put a few people off right away.

I gingerly made my way to the entrance, paid the €20 entrance fee and climbed another set of steps to enter the remarkable complex.

Built over many levels it has of course seen many changes over the years and for a long time was in disrepair and subject to vandalism but a restoration programme is well under way and the place is still stunningly beautiful with amazing frescoes and many more rooms and spaces than you first realise. The huge overhang has been heavily rock bolted and netted which must have been a hell of an undertaking but the heavy snow was lying on the nets and as things thawed huge lumps came crashing down. A flying fox has also been installed to get materials up from the valley floor and then across to the various restoration areas around the site which for the time being does intrude a little on the photos, as did the security guy absorbed in his phone.

After a good spell there I watched an informative video with English subtitles about the history of the place before carefully returning to the minibus where I wondered at the nationality of some of the fellow passengers. Back at the carpark all was revealed as half a dozen cars were displaying Iranian plates....

Returning to Macka I then turned south in to the mountains where Turkey's longest tunnel (9 miles!) took me under the snowclad range and avoided a previously very serpentine route. The south side of the range gives way to the high arid Anatolyian Plateau which sits at around 5,000' and whilst I checked out a few possible park ups none really appealed or were no longer accessible as new roads had been built. One approach to a park up by a castle was on a steep and muddy track and I made sterling progress with the Michelin Cross Climates until after rounding a bend a shaded section was too steep and snowy given my low speed, reversing back was 'interesting'.....

Thus a large parking and picnic area in Bayburt became the better option and I arrived as dusk fell. There was a lot of lying snow and the forecast was for lows of -6 so I fired up the heater which faltered a little as the 1500m altitude was near the point where Eber recommend a high altitude kit but as in Morocco at similar altitudes it eventually settled down.

Overnight was cold enough to freeze my short length of exposed pipe solid (matron!), something that has not happened since France in January. I should have thought to move the water through a couple of times during the night. Fortunately I always have full drinks bottles so was OK until it thawed out after some driving as ironically it runs very close to the exhaust pipe's heat shield.

I decided to try the mountain road across to Rize and at a police check asked if they knew if the road was open and they just said it would be very difficult but I decided to try anyway. A few miles further on in a simple village a large red sign subjected to Google Translate declared that the road was closed so I backtracked a little and took the road east that ran parallel to the mountains that reach 10-12,000'. This became one of the most memorable drives so far and very reminiscent of the High Atlas and whilst the main route had been cleared the side roads to remote villages were still blocked. Eventually at Pazaryolu I joined the Coruh valley that is the location for several projected and some already constructed hydroelectric dams which has flooded the long steep sided gorge. As a result the town of Yusufeli has been completely relocated to above the water line and the road now comprises mostly seemingly endless tunnels and viaducts which avoid issues with snow and rockfalls. I was hoping to get to a valley with an aire but the lower reaches of this one had also been flooded and the alternative route involved quite a detour so I will head there another time. Deep in one mountain the tunnel split and as the sat nav had lost signal I bore right and was ejected right at the foot of Turkey's largest dam : the Yusufeli. Security directed me to turn round and although they were friendly I knew that a photo of the infrastructure might turn their mood so left well alone. After more tunnels and a few unappealing park ups I found one high above the valley on a side road with a few villages indicated some 20 and 30 miles further along so again another reason to explore the area more thoroughly. I parked up with a good view of a bridge leading in to yet another tunnel with to my surprise a good internet signal. So far Vodafone has been a reliable network provider. The odd passing pick up hooted and waved but after dark all was quiet and the stars superb.

Down at Artvin I pulled in to do a quick shop and then grabbed a rather severe hair cut before carrying on north to the coast. Just outside the town a picnic area had an accessible tap which I used in conjunction with my Moroccan washing machine adapter to fill my tank.

At Borcka I crossed over the Coruh beneath a huge dam and a few miles further on its tributary the Murgul heading for a P4N listing that promised a small campsite which I fancied a couple of days on. As it turned out I was nearly there a lot longer as a steep rough track took me down to the water's edge where what had obviously once been a very rudimentary place had been overcome by a landslide with any infrastructure now demolished. There was only just enough room to turn round, anything bigger than my 5m wheelbase would have been stuffed and I reached the tarmac with some relief.

Earlier I had passed a sign over on the other side of the reservoir indicating Karavan Park so from this side I got the binoculars out and saw that it was actually a series of terraces below the road culminating in a jetty where two small passenger ferries were moored up.

I arrived in due course at the top level by the main road and a friendly guy pointed over the railing to show me where to go : two caravans were parked down there but didn't look occupied. I asked what the fee would be and he said it was free which seemed unusual, nevertheless I dropped down to the terrace and was soon set up almost opposite the spot I had been earlier. 

Sadly this place, which had so much potential and obviously seen a lot of expense incurred was a tip : rubbish everywhere, bins overflowing and many partially set alight and a toilet block that presented an obvious biohazard to all who ventured in.

Again grateful for the independence of the van I settled in and began cooking up a few meals to freeze or for later as I wanted to use up my Aygaz bottle and get a refill before Georgia. This also meant I could enjoy a very long, hot shower and after another this morning and boiling some eggs the cylinder was just about empty. Using the twin pole technique to support the tailgate I swapped cylinders and then dealt with the cassette in the loo block, leaving both far cleaner than they had been on arrival. Too much information perhaps but with only solo use and that restricted mostly to #2s it had lasted 10 days since the last emptying and would I reckon have gone at least another fortnight...

Down on the outskirts of Hopa I pulled in at a small store that had cylinders chained up outside and received a full one for about £4, again using the CG bung to ensure the right thread size. I also saw an old lady being lowered on a homemade lift outside her flat that accommodated her wheelchair.... remarkable.

Out on the coast road and turning east a huge queue of HGVs were parked on the inside lane including through the tunnels and the verges were a mess of discarded plastic water bottles and other trash like you wouldn't imagine. Number plates from Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and of course Georgia indicated that this is an important border crossing but fortunately non freight traffic was unhindered and I was soon at the Turkish exit point which I passed in a few minutes after customs and passport control. Friendly guys on the Georgian side were interested in a good look round the van but I was soon on my way to passport and vehicle control. I didn't spot the camera or booth window so had to back up a bit but they were fine and at pains to distinguish between the 0 and O on my number plate again to get the documentation in order. I was asked if I had insurance so said no and he pointed towards a fixer hovering further along who beckoned me over. I nearly had immediate need of it as for some reason the barrier began to descend as I passed under it (on later reflection I wonder if the black roof had fooled it) but fortunately I jammed the brakes on and a claim was avoided.

I've been at this game long enough to know that anything obtained at a border will come at a mark up but also, as for example in Mauritania last year, sometimes the very  few pounds it costs are well worth it. Thus within ten minutes I had a month's cover and a local SIM also valid for a month and with apparently (but to be confirmed) unlimited internet access, both for the same price. I paid in lire as I'd yet to get any currency and they wouldn't take a card - a good sign that they were taking a cut...but the policy was essential and the SIM guy made sure it was all working well before taking payment - both cost £20.... 

I then changed 5000 lire in to 300 lari - again not brilliant but it was only a £100 and I didn't want to be totally stranded if my cards failed at an ATM later.

So within an hour I was out, in and online much to my amazement so stopped to make sure I had retrieved all my documentation, safely stored my Turkish SIM which has data until mid June and then tackled the rather hectic traffic of Batumi soon realising that some Georgians displayed some of the worst driving I have ever encountered...

I emerged north of the city unscathed and in quieter Kobuleti stopped to try a Bank of Georgia ATM. The first machine was out of order but the second happily switched to English and gave me £100 worth of Lari with a £1 fixed fee. I then nipped in to a takeaway for a delicious and huge chicken wrap paying the £3 by card to ensure that all was well. Finally I took my Visa based card to the ATM and took out 800 Lari, about £220 with again the £1 fee so all was well on all fronts. 

So here I am still on the Black Sea coast which I will follow north for a day or two but the area of Abkhazia on the Russian border is out of bounds so I will then head east in to the mountains before returning to the centre. 

I'd like to get a paper map for planning otherwise I will have to plot things on Google maps which will make the internet essential. Fortunately and unexpectedly my Garmin Sat Nav European maps cover all 3 countries and there is even coverage on my Satmap Eastern Turkey card of most of Georgia and all of Armenia.

Parked up on the coast under pine trees after an busy day so time to bring this post to an end.....

More pics...

The Black Sea Coast heading (a long way) East.....

Leaving Safranbolu I headed north to Amasra to park up on a blustery afternoon on the parking area that also serves as the bus interchange. It was very cold and the strong winds caused waves to crash spectacularly on the nearby rocks but I'd tucked away in the lee of a cliff so all was well. I walked in to the empty town which curves round a bay and is linked to an island by a Roman bridge which also forms part of the huge walls that encircle the oldest part. Being Ramadan people do not eat or drink until dusk so although the cafes were open the occupants were just socialising and being off season for visitors many were closed up. The wind and rain eased later so I went back in with my Camping Gaz bung to source a cylinder with the correct thread and struck lucky at a shop that sold Aygaz cylinders although of course I paid for the cylinder deposit as well as the 2.5kg of gas so it came to about a tenner - still a fraction of EU let alone UK prices.

Back at the van I used my new technique with the two sturdy tent poles that I have devised to allow me access to the gas locker and WC cassette without having to remove the bikes : so much quicker and easier. The new cylinder has a protective bar around the thread which meant that I had to disconnect the regulator from its hose, screw it in and then reattach the rubber pipe, easy enough and everything worked fine. I will use local gas as much as possible and keep the CG for back up and may have to get a different cylinder yet again in the Caucasus.

After a night of heavy rain the morning dawned cold but dry and I noticed several minibuses had pulled up full of school children. It transpired that they were on an organised orienteering style race around the town and as I walked round they kept stopping to ask me if I knew the location of various landmarks......

As I left I gave the kiosk attendant 800 lire as his colleague the previous day had pointed to the tariff board and I expected to pay 650 but he handed 2x200 lire notes straight back and then gave me another 130 in change - so honest as I had no idea of the  charging structure, or perhaps he didn't!

As I am in no rush I enjoyed the drive on a road that climbed, twisted and swooped paralleling the Ilglaz Daglari range that were covered in snow and before long turned down a steep tarmac track to a small bay that would do me for the night. Apart from a small ruined cafe there was nothing there and it was quiet and sheltered so I enjoyed some reading and had put the genny on for the afternoon as I want to drain it of fuel as it is unlikely to be used for a while now. It was sobering to think that the Crimea lay only 200 miles north where events continue to resonate globally.

Heading along the coast again I stopped for lunch at a small harbour where a hungry hound was grateful for half a loaf after which the road looped inland up in to the mountains where there was plenty of snow lying around before it dropped back down to the sea again. West of Turkey's most northerly point, Inceburun, I turned on to minor roads and then a gravel forestry track. This then dropped steeply and became very muddy but eventually popped me out on a remarkable place to stay. Short well drained grassy areas lay just above the beach and although the plastic waste was as dispiriting as elsewhere it was a superb location with a dramatic sky and a good internet signal. I had a peaceful evening and cooked using up the very last dregs of my food supplies as some have been around since Morocco a year ago. I was a bit concerned that the sat nav wanted me to go out the same way and that if it rained the muddy ascent would be tricky but fortunately a farmer came in from the east in a standard car and Google Earth seemed to indicate that tarmac lay just a mile or so that way.

It was so quiet that I slept until after 9am and was pleased to find the blacktop as hoped for followed by a few more lanes that took me out to the windswept Inceburun headland where a small farm clung to the rocky landscape and a lighthouse faced out to sea.

Beyond Sinop the road became a dual carriageway in places as it transitions in to the Black Sea Coastal Highway and became another remarkable route with fantastic views, long tunnels and surprisingly little traffic.

West of Samsun the Yali Karavan Park was of a high European standard and provided level gravel pitches each with power, water and waste connections and a laundry room with free to use washer and dryer all for a very reasonable £13. There were a couple of caravans in situ but no one else actually staying so I did two lots of laundry and used the dryer to good effect. The northerly wind blowing in off the sea kept the temperature on the low side but as always the van was warm and cosy and I had doubled up the down bags for the overnight.

A diversion inland to Unye Kastili found it locked up so I dropped back to the coast and carried on, noting the regular police stops - as soon as they spot my UK plates I am waved on feeling like royalty as tends to happen in Morocco.

Cape Yason provided another place to park up - I'm only driving 2/3 hours a day so I arrived mid afternoon with the weather still cold but a huge improvement forecast so I walked out to the headland passing a closed church and reading a board about Jason and the Argonauts who allegedly stopped here, hence the name.

So today did indeed herald a change in the weather with blue skies and a strong sun giving me a good reason to walk out to the headland again before heading towards Ordu where a cable car lifts you above the town up to the hill of Boztepe on the snow line. As it wasn't due to start running for another hour I went in to the town and found myself in a multi level shopping mall similar to those in the UK and elsewhere. I was in search of a new Bluetooth speaker and found a particularly naff example based on a Volkswagen camper which should at least provide some laughs at a later stage.

Back at the cable car foreigners pay 3 times the rate the locals do but it was still only a tenner for the return and as it was early days I got a pod to myself. Starting with a swoop above the town centre we then climbed steeply passing directly over mosques and houses and arriving at the lofty vantage point after a brilliant journey. Good views across the bay and warm sunshine added to the experience but I ignored the various souvenir stalls and was soon on the way back down.

So I am now near the large city of Trabzon on a parking area allocated as an aire and next to a park where there are the first two campers I've seen in over a week, two Italian couples travelling in convoy. I did pass a Russian registered camper earlier who is presumably heading home but otherwise there is no one else around and I doubt it will be any different in the Caucasus which I should be over to in about a week.

Before then as the wintry conditions have eased I'm going to leave the coast for a few days as the Dogu Karadeniz Daglari (mountain range) seem to have plenty to interest me which should drop me out near the border town of Hopa for the next leg of this journey.

More pigs ear

Turkiye and beyond.

 After ensuring all my documents were to hand I set off for the hour or so's run along to the border, stopping on the way to fill up with diesel. Although it is considerably cheaper over in Turkey I was conscious of the problem I had had in Mauritania last year when having no local currency and a card that wasn't  accepted I was unable to fill up. A long line of HGVS parked up soon appeared but fortunately non freight traffic was directed past them to the Greek passport control and there were only three cars and two expedition trucks, one a converted German fire engine, in the line. Within minutes I was stamped out of Europe and crossing the river bridge which had rather bored looking soldiers on either side. 

On the Turkish side I first had a security and customs check with two friendly guys : the van being unusually for them RHD is always a good ice breaker and I was soon waved on to passport control where my photo was recorded and the book duly stamped. The next kiosk was for vehicle importation and as post Brexit UK drivers no longer get a Green Card valid in Turkey I was directed to park up and buy local insurance (sigorta) from inside an adjacent building. I was speedily dealt with and got 3 months cover for £175 paid by card which worked : hurrah. I could have paid cash in Euros but wanted to keep my stash for back up later in the trip. I returned to the vehicle import kiosk with the document and was soon on my way : remarkably despite various horror stories the entire process had taken only half an hour, something I discussed with the German truck driver.

Ipsala was just a few minutes drive away and I had planned to stay the night there if the crossing had taken longer but decided to stop anyway to attend to a few tasks. First up was to inspect one of a line of cash machines and take out a test amount. Thus 1000 Turkish lire appeared, and more importantly perhaps, so did my card. This amounted to only £20 so I used my other card to try for £200 and received a huge stash of 200 lire notes. Selecting as always the local rates ( ie without conversion) I also noticed a rather steep 10% admin fee.

I then went in to a Turkcell phone shop as they are the cheaper provider but the guy sent me over to the Vodafone shop saying his company could only sell to Turkish passport holders. Again everyone was polite, friendly and helpful and the assistant soon had a new SIM installed in my 'spare' phone and I was able to ensure that my main phone, switched to airplane mode, was picking up the hotspot and making a connection. 25 GB was included but I topped up another 30 GB as I am here for a fair while with a total outlay of £50. I then took a walk through the small town and as I was hungry a small caff provided, yes you've guessed it, a delicious kebab and a coke for about £2 giving me the chance to break a 200 TL note (about £4) in to smaller ones, the lowest denomination note being 5TL so about 10p.....

Back at the van as I spoke to Mandy various excited kids appeared at the window but were well behaved and didn't overstay their welcome and I was soon on my way. On the edge of town I saw a shop with various gas bottles outside so pulled over to make enquiries. A cylinder similar in size and capacity to the 907s was available so I decided to get one - it was only £4 and the guy showed me on Google translate the question 'do you have any vacancies?' pointing across at the van so I said no at which point the price went up to £8 - of course he meant did I have an empty to exchange!!

Anyway with those tasks completed I set off for my planned overnight an hour or so away on the coast north of the Gallipoli peninsula where a tiny fishing harbour had loads of space on a gravelled area complete with the ubiquitous and mostly friendly stray dogs. I spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing the day's progress, putting all documentation away and trying to familiarise myself with the sums involved in currency conversion. I also started plotting my route east marking up on the map all the places of interest from my two guide books, now some 15 years old, which helped narrow down my route. There was a Turkish camper already parked up well away and later a Dutch van and then a huge German 4x4 MAN expedition truck rolled in, as noisy and ostentatious as they always are.

After a quiet night with the dogs barking occasionally I was up and away, filling up with water from a good supply and taking the road down the Gallipoli peninsula to the numerous military cemeteries that covered the area which had seen fierce fighting in WW1. I had first heard of the area whilst in NZ as it holds a significant place in ANZAC history and had always wanted to come to pay my respects. The new Canakkale suspension bridge is the longest in the world at present and gracefully crosses the strategically important Dardanelles Strait high above the constant flow of shipping.

After passing through some long tunnels I reached Kabatepe with a plan to cross to Gokceade, an island that retains much of its former Greek history but decided as the ferry was not due to depart for four hours and was quite pricey for only one in a vehicle I would do it on another trip. Down at the southernmost tip the huge Helles memorial to British troops also acknowledged the vital role of other Commonwealth countries including India, Nepal and Canada. A few miles away the huge Turkish memorial stood proudly over the landscape and when I arrived preparations were under way for the big March 18th memorial day with numerous soldiers practising their parading skills.

Further north on the west coast lay the very moving ANZAC Cove where the allied troops on landing had to scale 300m high slopes under heavy fire. A curious rock feature was nicknamed The Sphynx as it resembled the one seen by the troops as they passed through Egypt. Lone Pine cemetery was particularly moving and a team from the Commonwealth War Graves Committee were at work tending to the lawns and graves.

Moving on to Eceabat I had a short wait for the regular ferry over to Canakkale which was £14 for the half hour journey giving good views across to the town, up to the bridge and of the huge ships heading north in a long convoy. As they were all heading north and the passage is relatively narrow it occurred to me that an alternating one way system might be in operation. Canakkale is a busy university town but had a large parking area near the covered market where I left the van for a walk round. I followed the river out to the coast passing a very rundown area full of rubbish, car wrecks and dilapidated housing before reaching the promenade where things changed dramatically. Being in the 'European' part of Turkey the dress code was very (in some cases very) relaxed and couples and families were parading up and down, the restaurants were buzzing and the atmosphere warm and friendly. A huge replica wooden horse dominates a point just beyond where the ferries land as Troy is a few miles down the coast and a majestic mosque sits at the northern end of the bay.

Back at the van all was quiet until the calls from another mosque filled the air and I slept well waking to find an open air  market had sprung up just a few yards from where I had parked : this has happened before! I wasn't in the way though and took a walk round the various piles of mostly secondhand electronics, cheap tools, piles of clothing and some domestic equipment, all very reminiscent of similar events in Morocco.

The morning's task was focussed on getting an HGS sticker that enables drive through toll fee collections and was apparently available from post offices and banks.  A PTT branch ten minutes walk away would I hope be able to help but the guy said  (via Google translate of course) that he had just sold his last one but told me 3 nearby banks would be able to help. In the event none of them could and referred me back to the PTT so I decided to head for the main branch back in town where the friendly security guy gave me the appropriate form to fill in. I then took a numbered ticket and soon had a helpful woman crossing out most of the entries on my form as I had taken a guess at some of the details required. We had to ensure that the 0 and O (look closely) were entered correctly in to the system after which she gave me the small sticker that apparently contains an RFID tag. She asked me how much I wanted to preload and again being not completely familiar with the exchange rate I suggested 100 lire. She countered with a 1000 and I handed over the equivalent of £20 realising that the tag cost 110 lire (£2) to get started!! Outside I used the ATM and was pleased to discover as is often the case that postal service ATMs do not charge the 10% fee and still offer a decent rate as long as you choose the 'without conversion' option.

Back at the van a guy came over for a look and was fascinated by the conversion but I was soon on my way heading via Biga to Bandirma where ferries across the Sea of Marmara head to Istanbul. My destination was a small cove courtesy of P4N that lay on the north coast of the small Kapi Dagi peninsula and reached by a twisting coastal road that passed by some decent beaches and through some impoverished and litter strewn fishing villages. From high points on the road I looked down in to a couple of small coves where large steel ships were being built in very confined spaces and eventually dropped down to pick up a dirt track that led to a beautiful curve of sand with plenty of flat parking in the grass. Sadly there was litter everywhere and plastic bottles all washed up on the shore but it had a very pleasant feeling otherwise and remarkably 4G coverage so I decided to stay two nights and saw no one other than a family dropping down in the afternoon. During my day there the odd fishing boat chugged by, some container ships passed by on the horizon and a few clusters of jets flew over in formation presumably for the Gallipoli event.

As I moved on the reason for much of all the litter became apparent as above one cove the communal rubbish was just being tipped straight in to the sea - horrendous.

The large city of Bursa saw the first congestion as it was a holiday weekend but a few miles north in a more rural village sat the Bursa Karavan Park reached through narrow streets and a final very steep descent to a level terrace with a few caravans permanently set up and free space for visitors. The lovely owner Bunjamin welcomed me warmly and soon had me parked up and with a cold beer in my hand. He was having a party for his mountaineering club and the other campers that night and asked me to come along later giving me time to walk back up to the village.

I wasn't sure what time things would start but people were arriving in the late afternoon and then after a blast from the mosque at sunset huge amounts of food appeared and I was soon tucking in to spicy chicken, rice and salad. A young paramedic was great company and keen to practice his already quite good English, he wants to get a job as a health care worker in the UK and whilst I admired his ambition I felt it also only fair to explain gently that whilst the pay might seem good compared to the average monthly Turkish pay packet of £400 the costs of living are so much higher. Anyway the next couple of hours passed very enjoyably before I took off for bed, leaving the group to sing and chat late in to the night.

On Sunday morning Bunjamin and another van owner wanted a full tour of the van before I left but I was away eventually to stop at lakeside Iznik which was a centre for ceramics and had an impressive surrounding wall with many fortifications and some imposing gates. Within the walls lay two beautiful mosques and other buildings and I enjoyed exploring them for a couple of hours before a final run through the mountains to Goynuk where I planned to stay the night. The larger car park was out of bounds due to a market next day so I tucked in to the smaller one nearby and took a walk through the small town that sits in a deep valley. Again two friendly guys were fascinated by the van, the older one, despute being a car mechanic had never seen a RHD vehicle.

As I walked round in the early evening there was a lot of activity but a gunshot just after dusk and a call from the mosque saw the streets empty like magic as everyone rushed off to eat...

As I dozed off there was some banging about and, yes you've guessed it, I woke at 7 to see numerous stalls being set out....Thus I dressed quickly and moved off to a nearby street before walking up to the predominant watch tower with it's lofty view across the town. Sure enough back in the centre my space was now occupied by a stall selling huge quantities of olives, many in lurid dressings. After a good look round I was away again north to leave the mountains as snow was forecast, remarkable as it had been 31 degrees earlier in the day and 22 at 19.00.

Dropping out of the hills a routine police (Jandarma) traffic stop was interesting. The first guy asked for my passport and driving licence whilst his colleague stood at the front with an IPad. He then asked the first guy to confirm my full name which of course all tallied but I was impressed that the system was up and running in less than a week since my entry and I was glad I'd got all my paperwork in order.

Near Bolu I stopped at a fascinating place where a natural spring saturated with soda had created an enormous bright white cliff that at first I thought was limestone. A huge but grubby looking pool enabled visitors to take the waters and is probably cleaned up for the summer but I was content just to follow the path  beneath the cliff and back round through the woods.

A full tank of BP Ultimate for £70 was good news as I headed past the enormous steel works at Karabuk, Turkey's largest, where acres of finished steel presented as RSJS, steel plate, rebar and cable surrounded a place that looked like hell on earth and filled the air with a colour and smell far worse than the bad old days of Port Talbot near my old place in South Wales.

A few miles further on Safranbolu was many miles away in character and has been a UNESCO WHS since 1994 as it is a largely unspoilt town of traditional tall Ottoman style wooden houses. I decided to stay at the Karavan Park and the friendly owner gave me a choice to park up anywhere as there was only one other guest. A top pitch near power and water was also the flattest so I set up and walked down to the old centre which was a maze of streets with numerous small shops catering to the tourists who congregate here in the summer. For now though apart from a coachload of Chinese visitors it was very quiet and I enjoyed a good look round stopping at one point for tea with Karam in his workshop surrounded by hundreds of copper mugs, pots, plates, lamps and other ornaments that he had produced. There was no sales pressure at all as again he just wanted to practice his English but as the sun set everyone was closing up and once more the call of the mosque emptied the streets.

So overnight we had a thunderstorm and some heavy rain and I heard a noise outside which turned out to be large black cat on the roof peering in to the bathroom where my empty tuna tin had sat in the bin but this morning it is bright and sunny and I am heading out to the coast once more. I need to source a different gas bottle as the thread is too small for my CG regulator but otherwise we are all set for the 600 or so miles slowly east to Georgia....

Extras, 

Greeced Lightning

 So after a final (hopefully) night at Plataria I was away early after making use of the water in/waste out facility and was soon parked up in Igoumenitsa opposite the ferry slipway for sailings to Corfu on a large gravelled area that seemed secure enough. With a rucksack containing overnight kit and some food and extra water I set off on the bike for the few hundred yards down to the smaller slipway and ticket office that serves Paxos. A single fare was a tenner but apparently tomorrow's return would be with a different company so I'd have to get that one on the island and confirm the departure time. The Corfu Spirit arrived around 10.00 from Paxos and discharged a surprising number of foot passengers, a few dozen cars and various commercial vehicles before I walked the bike on board and selected a seat on the top deck. It was a fair sized ship and I think covers a variety of routes in the area and we were away on time for the ninety minutes crossing. I could see right up the inlet to Plataria and we passed a huge tanker that had been at anchor in the bay for a few days.

I got talking to two guys who share their time between Scotland and Paxos where they have a villa and were a bit fatigued from the long drive south, they stay until June when it gets busy and then head north again.

The small harbour was beautifully situated adjacent to a couple of islands and I was soon away east to follow the coast road out to Lakka at the northernmost tip passing some very nice properties. A small chapel was worth stopping at and had good views over the village which I dropped down to for coffee and pastry - the place must be very lively in the summer but was now just calm and serene.

The rest of the afternoon was spent making good use of the bike to explore various coves and rural tracks with quite a lot of ascent and descent and included a lovely church and religious set up with old houses and a tower to scale for more excellent views from beneath the four large bells. A tap provided a water top up after which I began to look for a quiet tuck away for the night. One possibility turned out to be the road down to the municipal tip... I'd been trying to make out what it was on Google Earth but judging by the disappointing amount of fly tipped construction waste and bagged domestic waste I think there must be hefty charges in place which does nothing to address a serious issue.

Anyway further on a track through olive trees became a footpath down to the coast and after a couple of hundred yards I spotted a flat ledge looking straight out to sea that would get both a sunset and sunrise so decided to stop there. It was slightly precarious and I put my rucksack alongside the mat to prevent me rolling me but otherwise it was a magnificent place to be. I was warm and cosy as the stars emerged and slept through until the seagulls woke me for a memorable dawn.

I was away once the sun was up and walked on down to the Tripitos Arch before heading to the most southerly part of the island. From there it was an easy ride round to Gaios the 'capital' where I had coffee in a sunny cafe and checked that the boat would be leaving at 2pm. The old harbour was idyllic whereas round at the new part it was a bit more workaday but I watched the ship come in, bought my ticket and was back on board with plenty of time to spare. After another calm crossing I was back at the van and had a shower with the balance of the hot water from being on hook up back at Plataria.

So as arranged I arrived at the garage at 9am on the Friday morning and left them the keys and my number as I was heading off on the bike again for the rest of the day.

I followed the coast round starting initially at the sublime Drepano beach where I could just have sat and watched the ferries arrive and depart all day. One local was swimming and further offshore a fisherman was easing out an unbelievably long net across the bay. Inland there is a huge flat expanse of partially reclaimed marsh with some salt pans, a lot of orange groves and many tracks to explore, one of which was being crossed rather slowly by a terrapin that I helped along.

Whilst grabbing lemonade and a ham toastie the garage rang to say that the rear brake pads were quite worn and as I carry a full set of front and rears I said I'd be along ASAP to dig them out. Something must have got lost in translation as when I got back the van was parked up across the road but I dug out the pads and asked if they wouldn't mind fitting them as I have many miles left to go on this trip. The young mechanic fetched the van back and in a flash had both sides changed just from using a trolley jack. The pads were worn and I think would have sounded the wear indicator in a couple of thousand miles tops so I'm glad we got it done, the fronts look fine and would be an easier roadside job for me anyway so after a quick road test to confirm that the bearing was resolved I coughed up the balance. I'm well aware that I paid through the nose for the part and labour but it all needed doing, my options were limited and they were on it reasonably quickly. As were the lads on the tin of biscuits I had bought for them!

Anyway my Brexit clock was ticking away relentlessly so I set the sat nav east but avoiding any toll roads and began heading across northern Greece. It was a lovely journey with a surprising number of high, often snow covered mountains and as the toll sections of the main road were mostly to pay for the tunnels my alternatives took me up some wonderful hairpins, through small villages literally passed by nowadays and eventually to one (Selli) that was trying to get people to stay by providing a small aire. I parked up and put the cover back on the bikes before the sun set and it got quite chilly : the surrounding mountains had a fair bit of snow on them and we were at around 3,000'.

With Camping Gaz unobtainable in Greece and beyond I will be trying to get my four 907s to last so decided to give the genny a session as there was no one around. In half an hour it had heated my hot water for a shower, topped up the leisure battery and cooled down the fridge even further, it was already cold from the few hours driving. The Eber then kept the van warm whilst I walked in to the village where the cosy bar had a good blaze going in a corner fireplace.

After a very quiet night I was heading east again with the mountain routes providing stunning scenery and many ideas for my return in three months time. The town of Ioannina curves round a large lake and I then climbed up in to the hills again. At one point on a steep hill a Greek road cyclist was pushing but using his bike to keep 3 stray dogs at bay. They didn't seem particularly aggressive but I was well aware how he felt so suggested he  grabbed hold of the passenger seat belt through the open window so I could tow him swiftly out of any harm's way. It worked well and reminded me of a farmer on Mull who had assisted me away from inquisitive Highland Cattle many years ago.

A small chapel provided a good lunch stop after which I began to look for that night's park up. A P4N option took me down a sandy track and out on to a huge lakeside area with trees and plenty of space but nobody else around near the small village of Rymnio where again the genny did it's job using perhaps 100ml of unleaded to get everything topped up : cheap as chips but I wouldn't use it if I had any neighbours despite its relative silence. I'd enjoyed a few hours in the sun as well and have decided to cross to Turkey on Tuesday the 11th leaving me a ten day Brexit window although North Macedonia, Albania and parts of the Balkans beyond also provide a Brexit haven but recently Bulgaria and Romania have joined Schengen so they are out but will feature in a future plan.

Yesterday was a steady run through Thessaloniki which as hoped was quiet it being a Sunday and no shops are open. The snow capped summit of Mount Olympus to the south looked impressive and before long I was on the superb sweep of the Strymonian Gulf and parked up just yards from the waves with a view across to Thasos, the 12th largest of the Greek Islands and it's most northerly. Kavala also looked worth a return with it's mighty fortess and is the main departure point for Thasos.

A quick top up at Lidl this morning led to a chat with the first other UK van I've seen since Italy whose owner was also heading to Turkey having come down through the Balkans which she thoroughly recommended. 

My non toll route then took me across through the East Macedonia and Thrace National Park which are again mostly wetlands and salt pans around Lake Vistonida but also contain the remarkable pair of monasteries of Saint Nicholas at Porto Lagos out on stilts in a shallow lagoon.

I am now just west of Alexandroupoli on another coastal gem with an hour to the border tomorrow. I have selected a stopover in Ipsala not far on the other side as once in I can start to take it easy as I have 90 days to enjoy my intended destinations. Getting insurance, cash and a local SIM will be priorities and some research on t' internet offers a glimmer of hope that gas bottles compatible with the Camping Gaz regulator and of a size that will fit my cupboard may be available from marinas so that's something else to investigate.

I am very pleased to be back on the road with surprisingly little hassle and have only whizzed across Greece due to circumstances beyond my control but what I have seen confirms it to be a 'must return to' area particularly off season as there are so many fabulous places to stay.

A few pics here and with luck a further post in a few days time from Turkiye....

Click

Bearing Up

 So after the absolute delights of Rome we met Gino on our last evening who gave us a lovely print of the Coliseum as we said goodbye. He was away early the following morning to get a lorry part from northern Italy and we weren't far behind to drop Mandy at the airport. The signage and barriers for the drop and fly parking were, as is so often the case, confusing so she jumped out near the terminal and I headed away south and east. Tracking apps allowed me to monitor her rapid return home as I crossed central Italy passing snow capped peaks in the Abruzzo region. At the small village of Savignano Irpigno the council had provided a well equipped aire with water and power and a good toilet and shower block on each of the three levels. Everything was open, accessible and switched on so I rang the number and a guy said he would call by later or in the morning for payment but no one appeared and I spent a peaceful night with a good sunset. The village had lovely narrow streets on various levels but was very quiet although there was a football match on down in the sports centre.

Carrying on through the valley there was much work going on to push a high speed rail line through the area and I passed several lorries loaded with pre cast tunnel sections before reaching the coast again north of Bari. My ferry the following day left from Brindisi but as I followed the motorway for a couple of hours I detected a slight rumbling indicative of a suspect wheel bearing. A bit of gentle veering convinced me it was the front offside one but I guessed it would be OK for a while and carried on to reach a superb overnight spot outside Brindisi. On the motorway I had noticed that every emergency bay had piles of garbage and black bin bags dumped there and even through the mountains there had been masses of fly tipping - we've always found it depressing in say Morocco where perhaps they have bigger issues but here it seems unforgivable.

However in complete contrast in the middle of nowhere surrounded by olive trees and meadows a German family are starting up a low key campsite and smallholding which I took to straight away. It reminded me of Gary's remarkable site in Portugal and if the Brexit clock and my ferry weren't looming I would have stayed much longer...in fact as I left the possibility of house sitting was raised as they still have other family back in Germany.

It was a wonderful place to wake up to on my 65th birthday and I spent some time reflecting on other memorable milestones : 40 at the farm, 50 in New Zealand and 60 tucked away in the Pennant Valley of Snowdonia.....

As hoped my final gas bottle ran out and with some ingenuity I managed to raise the tailgate complete with bikes single handedly and got it safely supported with the awning poles. Thus in Brindisi I found the industrial supplies warehouse unexpectedly open on a Saturday morning who had plenty of 907s in stock and was soon pulling up at the old port in the centre of town. The free aire was just the job and had a mix of parked, permanent and transient vans with water and waste facilities to hand. I walked round to the launderette who said they provided a service wash only so drove out to another where a full load was done in forty minutes before returning to my base for the day. The bearing had continued to rumble so I spent time checking out my options in Igoumenitsa, my arrival point in Greece. The Tatsakis Ilias garage was a VW service point and seemed to get good reviews from a variety of local and international travellers but I discovered that Monday was a public holiday in Greece so Tuesday would have to do.

With the overnight ferry due to depart at 22.30 I made my way round to the port a couple of miles out of town and parked by the terminal building. There was little signage but a mixed crew of Romanian and Albanian truck drivers were shuffling towards a lit window to which I eventually arrived only to be told non commercial check in would begin at 19.00 at another window. In due course I received boarding and security cards for both myself and the van and by 20.30 we were in line for loading. The ship was not busy but overheight vehicles like myself were directed to use the HGV deck so I ended up squashed between two 40 tonners and next to a German lass in a former ambulance based on a T5. The deckhand had been rather abrupt with both of us as he guided us backwards : as it wasn't clear where he wanted us to go we had both been rather cautious.

Anyway the vessel was a real surprise with comfortable seating areas, plush lounges and well appointed dining areas but I'd eaten earlier and decided to find a quiet corner to settle down in as a cabin would have almost doubled the fare - you pay for the cabin irrespective of the number of passengers. The recliner seats were very comfy and largely empty so once we were away I bagged three, raised the armrests, added extra cushions, plumped up my pillow and slept through to the morning call for breakfast. Outside we  could see Corfu to the west and the Greek/Albanian border mountains to the east before we entered the bay of Igoumenitsa. There were no formalities for disembarkation but I felt for those HGV drivers who had to reverse down the long tight ramps in gloomy conditions.

I drove past the proposed garage to get a feel for the place and confirm that their access door would be high enough, it had a busy and practical feel to it with a few T4s in the yard including a lovely orange T2 shell, that turned out to be the owner's wife's pet project, so I headed a few miles round the coast to Plataria to rest up for 48 hours at an aire with power, water and WiFi for £12 a night. With a need to conserve gas and data this was a perfect place to stop and I walked round the bay for a beer before an early night.

The public holiday is known as Clean Monday and is related to the clearing out of food before Lent, ironic then that after many families had arrived for time on the beach for kite flying dozens of cheap broken ones were just left in the sand....even though an hour of heavy rain had dramatically interrupted their enjoyment there were plenty of bins that could have been used. I walked round to a small restaurant for delicious grilled octopus with grilled veg, garlic mash and a beer before heading back for BBC2 's Monday quiz night using my O2 data as that allows me access to iPlayer. Greece is an hour ahead of the rest of Europe and therefore two ahead of Portugal and the UK.

So this morning I was up and away and was pleased to notice that the beach had been tidied up as I filled up with water. I had been considering various alternative plans should the garage be unable to help as Thessaloniki the next large city is 200 miles away so a return to Brindisi or the much larger Bari by ferry was a consideration as either would minimise driving but eat in to the Brexit balance.

As it happens the staff at Tatsakis Ilias couldn't have been more helpful. The mechanic soon had each wheel jacked up and the rear off side was clearly the culprit. A new bearing is €150 euros (OEM VW over 300 but they think the cheaper part is actually better : who knows?) and labour will bring it up to €500 in total so about £400 which seems steep but even at the rear there is a lot of dismantling and a return ferry back to Italy would have been £300 so I asked them when they could do it and we have set a date for Friday. I gave them half up front for goodwill, called at Lidl and am now back at Plataria for another night cooking up a plan to take the bike over to Paxos tomorrow for a cheeky overnight bivvy on a west facing coast as the weather looks good and settled.

This is my first hiccup with the van in 7 years and 100,000 miles and the issue has arisen since my September strip down and check of the brakes and wheels 6,000 miles ago so it's just part of life on the road. From Friday all being well I will be steadily heading east to the Turkish border with a fortnight of the Brexit balance in hand : I'm so glad my schedule allowed for this possibility although there might have been some leeway in a case of genuine need.

Extra Pics Here