Western Turkey

With daytime temperatures continuously in the mid to high 30's and overnight 'lows' around 20°C the priority of shade and or breeze continued as I headed generally west. Dropping out of the cooler mountains further underlined the need for these basic requirements and a large park near Balikesir provided shade but only a gentle breeze. Families were out with barbecues and picnics and I managed to tuck under a huge tree just down from a line of rather scruffy caravans, mostly unoccupied.

A paid recreation area surrounding a lake provided another shaded night although in the early evening a guy came round on a moped with some sort of concern but I couldn't understand him and he went away saying it didn't matter. As I walked round the lake later I realised that there was a specific area for camping but as I was only staying one night decided not to bother moving. A lovely old guy picnicking with friends came over with some tea for me and once the day visitors had gone it was all very quiet. However the following morning another warden turned up and explained that if I was staying on I would have to move but as I was intending to move on soonish he seemed OK with that

The following day half an hour before Canakkale I turned off the new road and found a loop of the old one just above a reservoir with again a handy huge tree but yet again disappointing amounts of garbage. There is no shortage of bins but people just do not seem to be bothered about just leaving their detritus behind them. Later a shepherd and four large dogs moved through with some very healthy looking sheep but otherwise it was a quiet spot, he had sat for a while just in front of me as his flock nosed amongst the litter and the dogs flopped down in the shade.

In Canakkale I stayed on the same canal side spot I had used last Spring but it was very exposed to the sun and there was little wind. The lower tier of parking was taped off for the regular flea market but there was still plenty of room. In the town I walked along the seafront passing the replica Trojan horse and finding a decent restaurant overlooking the marina and ferry ramps for some fresh fish and a long overdue cold beer. Back at my park up the evening market had begun but it was really just a jumble of bric a brac and piles of cheap clothing and old footwear lying on the ground. It was humbling to see what people were trying to sell but I guess reduced what in our society would go to the tip and I found the whole experience fascinating.

A nearby disco blared loudly until midnight and in the heat I had a rather restless night so was aware of the market vendors arriving around 6am to unwrap their humble offerings.

I was away after breakfast for the ferry across to Eceabat which as it runs hourly you just turn up for and was soon onboard squeezed between two huge tipper trucks.

The half hour crossing of the busy shipping route which links the Med to the Black Sea is fascinating as the ferry has to negotiate the steady stream of merchant ships heading along the Dardanelles. It has to pass behind them so often negotiates a serpentine route to also avoid it's sister vessel heading the other way. Just on the edge of Eceabat P4N listed a park up that may or may not have been a proper caravan park. The dusty patch of land between the sea and road did offer superb views across the water and there were a couple of other vans and caravans parked up so I stopped right on the edge with no shade but a strong breeze. Some of the caravans were unoccupied whilst others seemed more or less permanently lived in and there was a tap and bodged together sink so I set to to do my laundry including the bedding and throws before leaving it all to dry as I walked in to town. It was a lively little place as the ferry brings groups over for tours of the Peninsula that saw bloody conflicts between the Ottoman and Allied Forces that left 60,000 dead on both sides and 300,000 injured. I had toured the famous beaches and memorials last year  so was content to walk through the town, enjoy an icecream and return to the van where everything was bone dry. A couple of other vans pulled in and I enjoyed a few hours with my Marine Traffic App and a pair of binoculars as the steady line of ships slid by. After bedtime at around 11pm there was a gentle knock on the side of the van which I ignored as it seemed a bit late for anyone to be coming around for payment. Friday morning came with the usual blue skies but there was a perfect wind coming in off the sea to keep things comfortable. I walked in to town again and picked up a new gas bottle and dropped that back at the van where two rather showy Polish 4x4s with rooftents had turned up. They had gone to town on accessories and bling but with the strong wind the tents were moving around a fair bit. They were a friendly bunch though and were on a month long tour of Turkey.

In town I found a good place for lunch and then decided to cross back to Canakkale as at 60p for a passenger it was a great experience passing close to the enormous tankers. Later back at the site two young Turkish lads had put up a tent next to me - they were riding Chinese Harley Davidson replicas and were on a tour from Istanbul to Anatalia hoping to generate funds by selling Polaroid photos. They were lovely lads and wanted pictures of me and the van which they thought was very cool! Later that night there was another knock on the door and I noticed red and blue strobe lighting which again I ignored - the two lads explained the following morning that it was the local police telling people that it wasn't an official place to stay but nobody seemed to take any notice so I too stayed put.

A rare bright idea dawned on Sunday morning as ten miles down the coast is the huge fortress of Kilitbahir, also served by a ferry from Canakkale, so I caught one across from Eceabat and then returned to the much smaller village where the huge fort stood guarding the narrowest part of the Strait. Under a scorching sun it was a relief to enter the vast underground artillery store where amongst numerous exhibits I spotted relics from the Allied Forces in the form of a Sainsbury's potted meat jar and a Preserved Cream jar from a dairy in Stranraer - hugely thought provoking.

The main castle had been in situ well before these confrontations and comprised a clover leaf design surrounding a multi storeyed keep with a newer Yellow Tower built outside the main structure. It was possible to climb the walls for far reaching views and within the keep was a fascinating history of this strategic location.

A small cafe provided deep fried sardines with chips, salad and bread before the ferry back to Canakkale and a final one across to Eceabat. On the way back I stopped to watch a lively group trying to haul a fishing boat out of the water on a heavy iron 'dry dock' frame. The JCB was hooked up to a tractor and after a few false starts and much shouting and yelling the vessel was eventually dragged on to the wharf. I walked back to the 'site' where quite a few other families had arrived to put up some very basic tents on the dusty ground. It all looked very uncomfortable and as always I was hugely grateful for the comforts and convenience of the van. I had found a black waste set up near the entrance gate so had dealt with that the night before and had the genny on so I still had residual hot water and as luck would have it my gas bottle ran out as well so I am all primed up for a final week in Turkey. The families were mostly away fairly early so I drove in to town for some shopping before returning to fill up with water and as I was doing so a young couple in a van asked if they could use the genny to give their dead leisure battery a boost which of course I was happy to do. After filling up and getting them sorted I walked off for half an hour and returned to find them much happier and offering money for the fuel - no chance but bless them. I stopped near the Canakkale suspension bridge with its world beating 2km central span only to notice I had forgotten to replace the lockable water filler cap which would now have fallen off the bike rack somewhere along the way. Fortunately I have a spare but was cross with myself for being distracted and not checking.

A side road at Bolayir took me on to the north side of the peninsula passing a large bay crowded with vans and tents that held little appeal. However 2km further on by the small unmanned lighthouse I could park above a stunning bay with limestone ledges under the water and a couple of beaches accessed by crumbling stairs. There was a good cooling breeze and I was soon off for some snorkelling in the very comfortable and crystal clear waters. There were a few people on the beaches and the odd pleasure boat passed round the headland but I thoroughly enjoyed two separate sessions and saw a surprising number and variety of fish who seemed untroubled by my presence.

By dusk the few other visitors had left giving me a memorable night with a steady and cooling breeze, a couple of people had dropped by to say hello and as ever I was very touched by the friendliness of the Turkish people and by how intrigued they were by my travels. Across the bay a large ship is moored up permanently - it receives highly refrigerated LNG from other vessels and then acts as the regassing plant before pushing it in to the main Turkish pipelines to Istanbul and beyond.

I've only moved on thirty miles today to park at the place that was my first stop in Turkey last year, Kocacesme, which back then was a bit cold and bleak but now meets my needs with a strong cooling breeze and warm shallow waters under a blue sky. I will cross in to Greece on Friday and hope to exchange my unused dollars in to Euros as the Stans trip used less than half my budgeted amount and will then move on to Thessaloniki over the weekend.

Extras HERE