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[rehnro]

Five days in Colombia flew past like a rocket. I met Laura’s family for the first time. Most of them live in and around Santa Marta, just the grandparents in Bogota. Thank you all for your great hospitality and the free spanish lessons 😉 I take away many memorable moments with me as well as my first tatoo 👧🏻 🇨🇴. Hasta la próxima!

Back in Santa Marta

Laura picked me up from the airport and we headed to the airbnb i booked. Presumably close to her house, but not really as it turned out. We spent the time organising a few last things such as doctor visits, injections etc, visited the Tayrona gold museum, Palomino beach, spent time with laura’s mum Deisy, sister Lorena and Mario – their quasi adopted son – and had also a little time for party in La Puerta for ourselves. Good to have Santa Marta nightlife back, be it just briefly. It is really good and authentic.

Tattoo time…

I had been thinking about getting a tattoo done for a while, but i guess never had someone holding my hand to see it through. When laura mentioned she will get a new tattoo done (a joint one with her sister), i figured it was the opportune moment. The studio is run by a venezuelan tattoo artist and was very clean. Tick. The design we did on the spot although i knew roughly beforehand what i wanted. The procedure lasted for about an hour and was a little painful, as the tatoo sits right on my ribs. One of those more sensitive spots. I like it a lot. Let’s see what mum thinks 🙄

Palomino beach

Palomino is one of the many possible destinations around Santa Marta. It’s a long stretch of sandy beaches and at times pretty aggressive waves. You can get there from Santa Marta by bus (1,5h) followed by a quick motorbike ride to the beach unless you feel like walking. Most of the beaches belong to hostels and make money of the associated bars / restaurants and accommodation. We spent half a day there playing with the waves.

One night in Bogotá

While Laura’s dad Mauricio usually lives in Taganga, a hippy beach spot near santa marta, we met him in bogota. He currently spends a lot of time there to take care of his dad and thus help out his mum – both 87. We opted to go by public transport, which means transmillenio bus in bogota. It’s a huge bus network with separate lanes and rather long buses. A bit crowded for my taste, but it works. Laura .

In the evening we relocated to an airbnb in chapinero – one of the best districts in bogota. Sushi dinner at Osaki’s and beers at Bogota Beer Company. Lore joined us and after a glass of wine quickly forgot her flu 😉. Great night… But then the Guiana’s were waiting 🛫

Santa Marta & Bogota: Family introduction 👧🏻 🇨🇴 Five days in Colombia flew past like a rocket. I met Laura's family for the first time.

[rehnro]

Five days in Colombia flew past like a rocket. I met Laura’s family for the first time. Most of them live in and around Santa Marta, just the grandparents in Bogota. Thank you all for your great hospitality and the free spanish lessons 😉 I take away many memorable moments with me as well as my first tatoo 👧🏻 🇨🇴. Hasta la próxima!

Back in Santa Marta

Laura picked me up from the airport and we headed to the airbnb i booked. Presumably close to her house, but not really as it turned out. We spent the time organising a few last things such as doctor visits, injections etc, visited the Tayrona gold museum, Palomino beach, spent time with laura’s mum Deisy, sister Lorena and Mario – their quasi adopted son – and had also a little time for party in La Puerta for ourselves. Good to have Santa Marta nightlife back, be it just briefly. It is really good and authentic.

Tattoo time…

I had been thinking about getting a tattoo done for a while, but i guess never had someone holding my hand to see it through. When laura mentioned she will get a new tattoo done (a joint one with her sister), i figured it was the opportune moment. The studio is run by a venezuelan tattoo artist and was very clean. Tick. The design we did on the spot although i knew roughly beforehand what i wanted. The procedure lasted for about an hour and was a little painful, as the tatoo sits right on my ribs. One of those more sensitive spots. I like it a lot. Let’s see what mum thinks 🙄

Palomino beach

Palomino is one of the many possible destinations around Santa Marta. It’s a long stretch of sandy beaches and at times pretty aggressive waves. You can get there from Santa Marta by bus (1,5h) followed by a quick motorbike ride to the beach unless you feel like walking. Most of the beaches belong to hostels and make money of the associated bars / restaurants and accommodation. We spent half a day there playing with the waves.

One night in Bogotá

While Laura’s dad Mauricio usually lives in Taganga, a hippy beach spot near santa marta, we met him in bogota. He currently spends a lot of time there to take care of his dad and thus help out his mum – both 87. We opted to go by public transport, which means transmillenio bus in bogota. It’s a huge bus network with separate lanes and rather long buses. A bit crowded for my taste, but it works. Laura .

In the evening we relocated to an airbnb in chapinero – one of the best districts in bogota. Sushi dinner at Osaki’s and beers at Bogota Beer Company. Lore joined us and after a glass of wine quickly forgot her flu 😉. Great night… But then the Guiana’s were waiting 🛫

Santa Marta & Bogota: Family introduction 👧🏻 🇨🇴 Five days in Colombia flew past like a rocket. I met Laura's family for the first time.

[rehnro]

Five days in Colombia flew past like a rocket. I met Laura’s family for the first time. Most of them live in and around Santa Marta, just the grandparents in Bogota. Thank you all for your great hospitality and the free spanish lessons 😉 I take away many memorable moments with me as well as my first tatoo 👧🏻 🇨🇴. Hasta la próxima!

Back in Santa Marta

Laura picked me up from the airport and we headed to the airbnb i booked. Presumably close to her house, but not really as it turned out. We spent the time organising a few last things such as doctor visits, injections etc, visited the Tayrona gold museum, Palomino beach, spent time with laura’s mum Deisy, sister Lorena and Mario – their quasi adopted son – and had also a little time for party in La Puerta for ourselves. Good to have Santa Marta nightlife back, be it just briefly. It is really good and authentic.

Tattoo time…

I had been thinking about getting a tattoo done for a while, but i guess never had someone holding my hand to see it through. When laura mentioned she will get a new tattoo done (a joint one with her sister), i figured it was the opportune moment. The studio is run by a venezuelan tattoo artist and was very clean. Tick. The design we did on the spot although i knew roughly beforehand what i wanted. The procedure lasted for about an hour and was a little painful, as the tatoo sits right on my ribs. One of those more sensitive spots. I like it a lot. Let’s see what mum thinks 🙄

Palomino beach

Palomino is one of the many possible destinations around Santa Marta. It’s a long stretch of sandy beaches and at times pretty aggressive waves. You can get there from Santa Marta by bus (1,5h) followed by a quick motorbike ride to the beach unless you feel like walking. Most of the beaches belong to hostels and make money of the associated bars / restaurants and accommodation. We spent half a day there playing with the waves.

One night in Bogotá

While Laura’s dad Mauricio usually lives in Taganga, a hippy beach spot near santa marta, we met him in bogota. He currently spends a lot of time there to take care of his dad and thus help out his mum – both 87. We opted to go by public transport, which means transmillenio bus in bogota. It’s a huge bus network with separate lanes and rather long buses. A bit crowded for my taste, but it works. Laura .

In the evening we relocated to an airbnb in chapinero – one of the best districts in bogota. Sushi dinner at Osaki’s and beers at Bogota Beer Company. Lore joined us and after a glass of wine quickly forgot her flu 😉. Great night… But then the Guiana’s were waiting 🛫

Santa Marta & Bogota: Family introduction 👧🏻 🇨🇴 Five days in Colombia flew past like a rocket. I met Laura's family for the first time.

[rehnro]

Back to Colombia - then the Guyana's

Back to Colombia – then the Guyana’s

Two days in London proved loaded with catch ups – cedric, hubert, yash, per, dan, bernd and a few locals. The rest of the time i spent sorting gear & clothing to get ready for the the next trip.

It was almost exactly one year ago that i visited Colombia for the first time.By now my Spanish is not bad and i have a colombian girlfriend. What difference a year can make! I am really looking forward…

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[rehnro]

Straight after I returned from Istanbul it was time for Alex’ half term holiday. So bike out, kid in and back to the airport next morning. First stop was Germany for grandma’s 80th before we headed to Palermo to have our annual road trip – this time around Sicily. It was overall enjoyable, in particular the warm weather, Mount Etna and the Sicilian landscapes. However, i dislike the constant chaos in cities, the generally poor state of infrastructure and many dirty spots with garbage on streets, in nature and no one seemingly giving a damn. It’s sad to see.

Happy birthday Oma Renate!

80 years is quite a number and so the family came together to celebrate the occasion at Margaetenhof in Gohrisch. It turned out rather nice and i had plenty of time to catch up with many family members. We even had a little after party back home. Sweet!

Off to Sicily…

We arrived in Palermo late afternoon from Berlin, picked up our little rental car and headed for the town of Castellammare del Golfo. I hadn’t booked any accommodation for this year’s trip, but brought the tent along for a bit of camping with alex. He likes it very much.

The first night, after our first of many pizza’s, we spent on a seaside camp ground that Alex had spotted. Due to luggage constraints (going camping with hand luggage only) i had only brought a sleeping mat for alex. So I resorted to some of the felt fittings and door mats of the car to insulate the cold. Very practical. The waves made quite some noise (i like it, but alex claims to not sleep well when they are too loud) and heavy rain made for a wet and stormy night. Inside the tent all was fine though and we woke up to a brilliant morning next day.

Sicily economy: The island remains one of italy’s five autonomous regions and has a very rich past. Over the centuries, Sicily was ruled by most of the large european powers at their time (even germans) leaving a diverse mix of culture and architecture behind. Economically and despite healthy tourism it is a tough spot and at c15% has the highest level of expatriates of any Italian region. The ongoing involvement of the mafia doesn’t help albeit less now.

Zingaro nature reserve, Erice & Marsala salt flats

On our first full day we spent the morning hiking in Zingaro nature reserve. We took the coastal path, checked out some houses converted to museums and a big cave. Swimming was not an option due to strong winds that day. Overall almost 7km – enough for the little man today.

For lunch we headed for the medieval hill-top village of Erice. Views were a bit hazy, but the architecture makes a visit worthwhile nonetheless. From up there we spotted our next stop – the nearby salt flats of Marsala.

Here, for centuries, salt is extracted using a system of ponds and windmills and the resulting salt decorates the landscape by way of white hills all over the place. The salt museum provides a good overview with tours in English available.

Stuck in mud

We had again big plans for the next day and kicked off with a visit to Torre Salsa nature reserve. I followed google maps that led me to an increasingly worse road. off-road pretty much. Previous days rain had softened the ground and we ended up getting proper stuck with our tiny city car in the middle of nowhere.

Not being able to move and with no one around we headed for the park entrance some 20min away on foot. I was hoping some ranger would be there (usually these reserves have an official gate and often charge for entrance and/or parking). The last stretch of the road was now more akin to a river and no ranger in sight. Well, we at least little swim on a pristine beach with unsurprisingly noone else around.

On the way back an english couple helped us out later on joined by two frenchmen and of course Alex. Eventually we got the car going after trying all tricks we could come up with. Thanks guys! We would still be there without your help.

We skipped the rest of this day’s agenda, which was chiefly the valley of temples (though we glanced at it driving past near the city of Agrigento), and rather had the car cleaned (the guy af the car wash couldn’t nt believe his eyes!). By nightfall we were in our room, showered, clothes washed (well, i tried my best), had takeaway pizza amidst 5 envious cats observing our every move and all the dirt was a mere memory. What an adventure!

Vendicari reserve & Syracuse

After some driving and lunch in one of the many eco resorts we headed for Vendicari nature reserve amidst great weather. The reserve is home to many animals including several bird species. Recent rain had also left its marks here with several pathes closed off due to flooding. We found a nice spot near the beach for the afternoon and Alex got busy with wave jumping and playing in the sand.

The night with spent in Syracuse, more specifically the island of Ortygia. It has a port and a lovely, largely traffic free old town be it quite noisy at times. More pizza please!

In the morning we managed to observe a fisherman sorting his early catch of fish, squid etc from his net.

Up the volcano and more time at the beach

Mount Etna is the tallest volcano in Europe at 3,300m and sadly a mass tourist attraction. The volcano is very prominent even in the rather hilly sicilian countryside and was calmly letting some smoke out.

The very top was not accessible due to a collapse the night before. So we headed up to 2,750m by cable car from where a offroad bus took us close to 3,000m.it was windy and cold and some leftovers of last seasons snow remained visible.

The visibility was amazing and the guide helpful in explaining where different eruptions occured over the years. Alex was most amazed by the warm earth that you reach by digging a mere 5 or 10cm into the ground. It is an active volcano after all.

After Etna we headed for the town of Taormina. No appetite for sightseeing though. Alex wanted to get back to the beach. No objections from dad!

It was a last night camping for us, but not before scoring some very tasty ice cream. Alex went for strawberry, i had chocolate. However, as soon as he tried mine i could read in his face that he wanted to swap. Well, fair enough son 😊

Active volcanos around the globe

Last evening in Palermo

We followed the coastal highway to Cefalu – a picture postcard place in Sicily. The weather was kind again and so… beach of course. Alex loves being in the water, which for me was a touch cold (i am a bit of a girl, no disrespect, when it comes to that).

Once the time was up we headed another 50min to Palermo with its cathedral and vibrant old town. I really enjoyed meandering through the busy streets. It appeared some sort of town festival was on (it wae Saturday night too).

Alex finally got his lasagne and i had pasta as well. Be even tried bruschetta for the his time on the promise of the waiter for a present if Alex ate it. Well, he ate three and got nothing. Not cool i think, but heh.

Nice evening to finish off a great trip. Time to get back to london next day and leave the sun behind (well, i shall have it back in a few days).

Boys week: Sicily road trip Straight after I returned from Istanbul it was time for Alex' half term holiday. So bike out, kid in and back to the airport next morning.

[rehnro]

Distance: 252km| Total: 2,004km

After 20 days in the saddle my 2000km journey from the Stephan’s dome in Vienna, via Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade, Sofia and even a bit of Greece all the way to Istanbul is over and many fantastic memories are made.

It was not easy even though the daily distances between 60-120km are not huge as such. It is the constant moving and getting on the saddle despite sore legs (bum!) or bad weather that is the real challenge. It is a mental test, less so a physical one i think. In the end the route proved shorter than planned, as i stayed away from some of the off-road GPS track to save time and because some parts were just hard with my touring bike and ended up in pushing it.

In any case, it was amazing to travel through this part of europe, catch up with friends, meet many new people and see both nice and not so nice parts of the six countries i crossed. Cycle on!

Heading south from Edirne

I left it late to leave Edirne (pronounced with a long E). Sleep, breakfast and not feeling in a rush. It was a cold morning. Grey. Looked like rain is on the cards sometime today. There are some 250km left to Istanbul and i figures i give myself three days to cover them.

Today i followed the highway D100 most of the way. Not to appealing judging by traffic passing by, but a good road leading straight to Istanbul. The other plus is the hard shoulder. 2m wide and thus making for a perfect cycle lane. Nice actually with many fields passing by.

First stop was Havsa late morning. I stopped at a local tea place and found myself soon in the company of two older turkish guys (not that they bothered to ask if they could join ✌️). One was the owner. We talked about my trip and one told me of his son living in Germany. He was there too as Gastarbeiter and thus german was the chosen language. People clearly not happy with what the lira has done though seemingly in the believe the USD had gone up rather than the lira down!?! Maybe just lost in translation.

After 4 free teas i had to move on to the town of Babeski with a little rain drizzling down. I was hungry and tried the fast food version of Döner. Dont! While cheap (€1 including coke) it was not very tasty at all. Well, fast food. I also managed to fix myself up with a local SIM card even though i understood nothing. People just speak turkish. Not even a hint of english. Much more problematic than in the other countries i have to say. Well, i got my data now. 😁

I moved on to my final destination today – Lüleburgaz some 80km into my day. First up, a place to stay. Since turkey has banned booking.com (well, it still works from abroad or with foreign SIM cards or if you use a browser with hidden VPN like puffin), i now use alternative websites and checked into a nice hotel for less than €20/night. Best to get the details online and then go there. Saved me 30%. Time for a little washing today. My bike gears smells horrible and the roof terrace is an ideal place to hang it all up. 😉

Culture check: i have been to turkey many times though mainly in Istanbul (a different planet). So far, it feels a bit weird. Not sure why, but it seems like a different world. One thing is the language barrier that i am not used to generally anymore. The turkish language is just very different. The other thing i noticed is the tendency to do things local. Like turksih pizza, electronics, ice cream, kit at, cars at times and not to mention all the imitated clothing etc. Gives it all a bit of a copy taste to me. For me, italian pizza as well as ice cream is just better.

I actually listened to the press conference of the german national team ahead of playing france tomorrow. I think we will get killed and am not on the side of our coach. Mentally the team still needs a complete restart. Well, lets see tomorrow. I hope i am dead wrong.

I spent the evening texting with laura and frances and had some beers while watching turkish soap operas. Strange, but enjoyable. Bedtime…

Cycling to the seaside

The journey to Silivri was uneventful and mainly along the D100 again for the best part of 95km. Up and downhill went hand in hand. The wind picked up though and as you would expect not in the right direction 😐. I was getting closer to the sea.

Late afternoon i had made it and was welcomed with a nice and warm evening. I booked myself into a local hotel (€16 a night for a big room with sea view and breakfast… Cant argue with that).

I spent the evening having food and a few drinks in the seaside restaurants and reminded myself of previous times in Istanbul… By listening to turkish rapper Ceza. Fast this guy!

Istanbul – here i come

It must have been my latest start on the tour other than that rainy morning in Serbia. Only 11:30 or so i was rolling towards Istanbul. A good 70km left to my final destination. Traffic now picked up markedly and the signposts with the remaining km to Istanbul acted as a sort of count down. 60km, 40km, 20km… And suddenly i was in the big city.

Traffic was crazy as i maneuvered towards the blue mosque. About 10km were left when a cycle path (a blue cycle path) made life substantially easier. I stopped at the embankment to take in the scenery – fishermen, large vessels anchored, people taking a stroll.

And then i was done. I made it to sulthanahmet and had my memory picture taken at the blue mosque. I was pretty tired and happy to have arrived. Now time to hang out two days in this fabulous city. My sultans trail was over.

So off to the hostel and dinner with a bunch of other travellers from all over the world.

Istanbul: Conversations

I had no intention to do much sightseeing having been here before. My legs also begged for a rest. But i wanted to catch up with two people i hadn’t seen in a long while.

First up was Lale, who i worked with back at kbw on the eastern European coverage. She had since worked for a london wealth management boutique, done her MBA in paris, worked for credit suisse in wealth management and now runs the office for a turkish AI start-up. We both had our stories to tell about our lives and people we both know. It was fun.

Second was Hasan. He used to be our local brokerage contact here in Istanbul, but more importantly he is a great guy. I remember well when i came here with aldo to launch turkish banks research, the time in istanbul meeting rooms, clubs and rooftops as well as our trip to ankara… Most notably the road trip back by car. Good times. We headed for a restaurant in taksim and talked for a few hours. Good to see you man. All the best.

Hair transplant central

The first weird thing i saw was several guys with head bandages near the blue mosque. And i many more i counted after in the streets of Istanbul. Turns out that the city has become a prime destination for hair transplants with costs around GBP1500 vs. GBP12000 in the UK. I guess the weak lira will keep customers coming.

So now off to the airport. Got my bike box sorted albeit i was called back by the good man having paid him with a fake TL50 note apparently… Justice came quickly, as the guy at the airport burger king (yep, sorry) charged me me TL51 but gave it back to me 🤔. So we are square turkey! Time to drop off the bike af home quickly and get ready for the next trip.

Sultan’s trail (part 5): Istanbul & A trip on memory lane Distance: 252km| Total: 2,004km After 20 days in the saddle my 2000km journey from the Stephan's dome in Vienna, via Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade, Sofia and even a bit of Greece all the way to Istanbul is over and many fantastic memories are made.

[rehnro]

Distance: 380km |Total: 1,652km

My morning in Kocherinovo started bright and early in order to catch a bus to the monastery. My host told me there is one bus from the village at 7am. Well, it left ten to seven without me. Great i thought, as i was sipping away my coffee at the empty bus stop. But then things came quickly together. A bus to Rila bus station (7.20am) and from there with a smaller bus to the monastery. So here I come…

A visit to Rila Monastery

The monastery is the largest in Bulgaria and probably the most important cultural repository of the country. It was named after its founder, the hermit Ivan od Rila, who lived in a nearby cave in the 10th century. The complex measures 8800qm and reminds me a bit of Montserrat near Barcelona (though transport links for the latter are way superior).

The architecture is pretty impressive and the complex is in a good shape. The museum offers thematic overviews of its own history and overall Bulgarian culture. No fotos allowed.

  When i got there i went straight to the church where people were praying and singing. I lit two candles as well to pray for two people close to my heart even though, as a protestant, i am technically in the wrong place (details, details…).

Back to my bike now…

Uphill (UP-UP-UP HILL!) to Bansko

Man i am tired. Twice my route today had me cross mountains. Must have been close to 2000m altitude gain in total. God knows. Feels like 5000 to me anyway.

First up the hills behind Blagoevgrad. All offroad that meant a lot of pushing uphill and incouded a small fall on the downhill bit (not hurt though). My bike is just not made for this kind of stuff. No grip uphill and skidding easy downhill. Leaving that aside, the views were stunning. Loads of goat herders about as well and up top these little things even caused a traffic jam. Well, three madly barking dogs convinced me to stay back anyway.

  By 3pm i made it past these hills and had still 26km to go (35ish done). First up lunch that came with a surprise… The guy asked me if i speak spanish. Si señor, a veces 😉 👧🏻. He must have worked in spain for a while and told me about his views on immigration. Must be pretty bad now in germany he said and that he is not a fan of open borders anyway. I guess he joina my old serbian friend with his views. His food was brilliant though. Chicken soup and ‘bob‘ – a white bean & pork dish (the latter is his addition). His wife was probably not with him in Spain for we spoke Russian. Less of a conversation, but helped to make my order easy. I left with a full stomach and compliments for my language skills. Gracias & спасибо to that!

  The second hill was better to the extent it was a road. Well, the traffic towards bansko was crazy. Maybe because it was friday and people went for a weekend into the outdoor hub. I don’t care… The way people drive here reminds me of kids games. I have the bigger car and need to go faster. Few slowed down and many blasted right past me.

My bigger worry though was the 10km uphill stretch from the the lunch place. It literally never stopped going up. Maybe 100m flat bit once every 2km. I must have used up my swear word allowance for a month. I mean seriously… Does this hill ever end. Everytime you think it has… It goes right up again. I ended up pushing again. Who cares. My legs were tight and tired from the morning already.

Naturally i missed the train i planned to take to get me back on route, as my visit to Bansko was an extra that has taken me further south than planned. Always wanted to see that bulgarian ski resort that i used to mention in my research as one of the problem spots in the real estate crash in eastern europe in 2008ff. So bansko it was for a night though i opted to get some rest instead of exploring the village. Exhausted!

  Off to Dimitrovgrad – the bulgarian one

Today is a rest day on the train. Gets me back to plan having added some 200km by visiting Rila & Bansko that has taken me further south rather than east from samokov. The train is a narrow rail one that slowly moves from village to village with the mountains around Bansko slowly disappearing in the back. Great scenery.

  I met a Bulgarian man who used to live in Vienna and hence spoke german pretty well. He was helpful sorting tickets and finding a place for the bike on the train (different to serbia, this train doesnt have a bike compartment). He complained that ruthless excess construction has destroyed much of the charm bansko used to have. I agree. Villages nearby are even worse. Happens when governments just look for a quick buck rather than approving only sustainable development. Next step is to further enlarge the ski area… Something the mountains cant entertain very well, the man thinks.

I arrived in Dimitrovgrad (same name as the last bigger town on the serbian/bulgarian border) by nightfall, ate and followed another disastrous performance of 🇩🇪 losing 3:0 to 🇳🇱… Good night!!!

Touching Norther Greece & into Turkey

It was a cold and grey morning as i got comfortable in my saddle. However, the road was kind and seemes to have a small tilt downhill all day. 120km were flying past.

It was some 50km to the border. I stopped in the last village and had a basic chat with shopkepper Maria in russian and english. She told me about the immigrants (now held off by a fence) and how hard it is to make a living around here.

  My short time in greece (3 hours?) was an enjoyable ride with some good views, but other than a greek coca cola and greek potato chips offered nothing greek. Well, just passing through anyway.

The greek/turkish border was busy esepcially into greece with the longest car queues yet. Well, i jumped the queues on my bike and was done in a heartbeat.

Soon the minarets of edirne welcomed me to turkey. The town had instantly a different feel. There was life on the street. People. And the sound of the muezzin. A stark contrast to the often deserted villages in bulgaria, serbia and hungary. Well, a look at demographics explains wonders. Fact is, turkey in the middle of en economic melt down has still more action than many of its EU 🇪🇺 conquered neighbors.

Enough for now. Tired after a decent dinner and a long day on the 🚲. But glad i am in turkey now… Home stretch on my way to Istanbul.

  Sultan’s trail (part 4): Enough of Bulgarian mountains – off to Turkey Distance: 380km |Total: 1,652km My morning in Kocherinovo started bright and early in order to catch a bus to the monastery.

[rehnro]

After a lengthy wait at the passport control, I enjoyed a sunny sunday afternoon back in Nis, Serbia. First up i checked if my bike was still there… All good. I was dead tired from the previous festivities and ended up back in the hostel munching away another Serbian hamburger and watching some YouTube stuff on Laos – my destination for February.

One thing that was missing were my cycling pants. Probably still in london. So before setting off next day i quickly popped to the cycle store. Going without pants is just too cruel on my backside i figured. Gonna be enough pain anyway.

Off to Pirot

The Bulgarian border was a good 100km away on the roads – more if you avoid them and go off-road. The person in the hostel said the first 30km out of Nis are horrible on the road, so i followed the GPS tracks of the trail once more.

That worked well for a while until it took me uphill somewhere (generally the terrain is much more hilly now) and roads turned to dirt roads and those eventually disappeared too. I was somewhere in the forest with a GPS yet no trail. Brilliant!

Walking through these bushes would have been hard enough… But with a touring bike and panniers it was yet another challenge. I must have pushed the bike for over an hour before dirt roads reappeared. Scratches from branches all over me and half a forest somewhere stuck on my bike. Fun!

Eventually the road had me back and i abandoned my GPS markings for today. Initially it was a bit busy, but soon i was on a sort parallel road next to the new motorway and was in peace. Well, the sun didn’t give me much peace.

By 4.30pm i reached Pirot passing by its castle and called it a day after 80km. I booked myself into Ana Lux hotel, had a massage and a huge piece of meat for dinner. Time to relax a little more. Tomorrow i head for Sofia. The last capital city before Istanbul.

Sofia… Its been a while

The border to Bulgaria was some 35km away from pirot and the crossing again very straightforward – much better than at airports 😁

The countryside got hillier though all towns and little villages up to Sofia were little inspiring to be honest.

Even Sofia, some 60km from the border, left me unimpressed. Definitely not a great place for cyclists even with some random cycle lanes. Well, i has reached the fifth and final capital city on this trip before Istanbul.

After a little sightseeing and a decent sushi dinner on the main shopping street, realising that i remembered almost nothing from a business trip to see the banks years ago, i headed back to the hostel for a lengthy chat with the manager – a Bulgarian lady in her 50’s – before hitting the bed super tired.

She was very friendly yet loves gossiping about other guests behind their back’s… I wonder what she thinks about me 🤣😂 well, not really. Thanks for everything.

Pushing the bike

This days target was Samokov, a town nestled on the foot of the Rila mountains. I chose to go offroad again after leaving Sofia in what seemed an endless straight road out of town.

After a decent climb on normal roads heading for the hills i had to capitulate… Dirt roads are not made for my touring bike. A jeep would struggle on these! My back wheel just kept spinning… So pushing was on the menu all the way up. Sofia’s concrete towers slowly disappearing in the background.

Well, nice views compensated for all the sweat and thankfully i had plenty of water with me. The way down was better though i had to carefully maneuver rocks, gravel, sand, bushes…

On the other side, not far from a large lake, i enjoyed a great lunch. Proper chicken soup (TWO in fact) and pork shashlik’s. Delicious 😋.

From here it was more or less flat (it never really seems to be in Bulgaria) and by late afternoon i reached Samokov some 70km later. Tired. Even a horse carriage overtook me 😉

The hotel Aleks was a great place to stay. The owner is a biker as well and speaks german. Good chat about travelling. He also recommended a local restaurant just around the corner. Very traditional and, as i found out, with huge portions. Tasty though.

I slept early after spending a little time watching world stock markets crash (correct?)… Gladly no office for me tomorrow. 🗽💹📉

Too tired…

Aleks prepared filled pancakes this morning and told me about this plans to cycle to the Danube delta in Romania next year. All the best for you man!

It was pretty fresh outside, but i got going just after 9am. The scenery of the Rila mountains remained impressive though i opted to keep to the roads after yesterdays offroad experience.

Not an hour into my ride some screws decided to go over board… Again the panniers holders. Clearly due to the rather shaky downhill ride yesterday. Well, it was quickly fixed with a spare screw and cable ties. I also added a little more air to the tires and reached the town of Dupnica by lunchtime after a good 40km. Brisk (helped by a long downhill stretch 😁).

To get to the Rila monastery was only 40km more. But i was not at all in cycling mood and tired. So i abandoned my target for today and checked into the town of Kocherinovo to hang out for the afternoon.

Dont know why i am so tired, but my legs just feel heavy. Well, afternoon in a Bulgarian village then that has not a lot more than through traffic to the monastery. Maybe just what i need 🤔🤣😂 Tomorrow off to see the monastery allowing for a good amount of time… After all Aleks told me they keep all the Bulgarian history there. I am curious.

Sultan’s trail (part 3): Through Sofia into the Rila Mountains (Bulgaria) After a lengthy wait at the passport control, I enjoyed a sunny sunday afternoon back in Nis, Serbia.

[rehnro]

My 9 day break from cycling proved fruitful for catching up with former classmates (20y reunion!), family at my cousin’s wedding along with a new godson, team Nepal over a raclette evening and Alex who represented his school at a cross-country event. I feel like I should get a special discount for any travel from/to Berlin Schönefeld with three flights in a week by now. Back to Serbia to continue my cycle trip…

20y school reunion

20 years ago I finished off my A-levels before heading to the army for my basic military service. Thankfully we have a group of people who keep the anniversaries in mind and organise a get together every 5 years. We had a school tour with a rather hilarious former teacher and i learned that we had prison cells somewhere in the basement… Different ones for different problems (such as STDs!?!). Many things have changed now that the school has been renamed, extended and hosts a Czech focused class and teachers. But there was still plenty of memories berried those old walls of the former Rainer-Fetscher gym.

The dinner and party in Pirna’s city center was nothing short of amazing. Really good to catch up with old friends until the early hours. Gossip central!

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Denise / Mitko wedding & Anton’s baptism

My cousin finally got married to her Mitko after living together what seems forever to me. Crisp church service including the christening of my new godson Anton and then it was party time in the village of Weissig with wonderful views of the surrounding Saxon Switzerland countryside.

The party was good and many made an effort to surprise the newly weds. Good moments to chat with people who i don’t get to see often. Thanks. I had a good time.

Team Nepal in da house

Jon, one of the Everest climbers, just commenced his time off from service on his ship and stopped over in london before heading to africa to climb Kilimanjaro. Good time to catch up and retell Nepal stories. Rory and Zena came along too for what turned out a fantastic evening over a raclette – my preferred choice to socialize over dinner. Looking forward to the next catch up. And good luck to Rory for his Nepal cycle trip.

Not quite Usain Bolt, but good effort nonetheless

Alex already told me over the phone that there will be a cross-country event with 120 kids from different schools. He was excited to have been picked amongst a handful others in his class to represent St saviours.

He was busy thinking how fast he could be. I was busy managing expectations. His run turned into a series of sprints with some walking in between. Pacing is something he will need to improve. In the end it was just place 94 this time. Room to improve for the next run.

A wedding, a christening and two reunions My 9 day break from cycling proved fruitful for catching up with former classmates (20y reunion!), family at my cousin's wedding along with a new godson, team Nepal over a raclette evening and Alex who represented his school at a cross-country event.

[rehnro]

Distance covered: 480km | Total: 977km

My last morning in Hungary was a sunny one after small showers overnight. Still it took me a while to leave Baja, as i was busy writing up part one of the journey to Istanbul to make use of the still free roaming (in Serbia my mobile provider charges 5GBP/mb!?!).

Into Serbia

I forgot to havea breakfast and was dead hungry having fallen alseep uber tired and without dinner the previous night. It took me to the next village, the last one before the border, to locate a bistro. That one didn’t have food though other than potato chips. Well, better than nothing. I also had an early beer to fit into the landscape – the place was full with drunk old men. But they were nice and my food/drink was on the house! Off to Serbia…

My first border crossing was smooth (other than locating my so far not required passport in my panniers). Just a curious question from the Serbian border guard as to where i am headed and that was it. I was in Serbia and miles were flying past me. I stuck to the road all the way into the small town Sombor where i finally enjoyed a decent meal.

From there it was a mix of small roads and dirt tracks along corn fields that were being harvested. Quite amazing scenery be it dusty as hell at times.

J just continued to Sivac that day (80km in total) and arrived by nightfall. There were no camping or booking.com options so it was wild camping that night. I did some shopping and picked a spot using google maps satellite.

Situated near a canal a bit off the main road, it turned out more busy than expected. It was dark so i dont know for sure, but i think a harvester broke down and the repair work was pretty noisy. I was tired enough though to fall asleep anyway after munching away my sausage and cheese sandwiches.

Cycling in the rain

I woke up to rain drumming on my tent. I wasn’t in a rush and decided to wait for a dry window and did some planning for my Jan/Feb trip in South East Asia. At least some warm thoughts. By mid day the rain stopped long enough to pack up. Once packed, it rained again. So i rode in full wet gear. It was fine. Not wet. Not cold. Loved the waterproof gloves and trousers Laura and I bought after a pretty wet day up in Aberfeldy, Scotland.

My target for today was Novi Sad. Some 80km to go. I made good progress on the wet roads. That was until i stopped for a coffee and met Miro. He is 70 years old and used to be a Gastarbeiter for 10y in Bonn. We chatted for two hours about his life and mine until we had to say goodbye. Owe him a postcard and thanks for the beer Miro!

Off to Novi Sad

The clouds had vanished by the time i continued and the sun peeked through. Nice. A wet morning makes you appreciate warmer weather even more. Riding was smooth on little roads all the way into Novi Sad, which i reached 75km into my short day. The landscape of endless fields was magnificent and the drivers actually quite respectful towards me cyclist.

In Novi Sad it took me a while to locate my hostel. Either battery dead or no wifi around. Eventually i arrived and got myself sorted. I ended up going for a few drinks with Alexander from Gdansk. He (a lawyer) and his girlfriend (a sound engineer) were on their way back home from a hitchhiking trip through the Balkan’s.

After a beer in the more upmarket Petrus bar we went to another local place for the famous last beer. Well, that was until we met a Bosnian guy with his Serbian friend and another Serbian couple. After some lively concersation in the said bar they dragged us into another Serbian restaurant with traditional local music. It was monday night yet it felt like prime time saturday. It was mainly young people there. Very enjoyable.

Alexander checked out after another beer while i stayed out. We ended up in the appartment of the serbian fellow, a fitness instructor, and continued chatting away. The serbs take hospitality very serious and wanted to make sure i took away some good memories – well, job well done! Thanks guys.

Uphill with sleep deficit

The first people left the hostel already around 8am. Not so my polish friends who also decided to sleep in against their objective of an early start to catch a ride towards poland.

I was slow and still pretty tired when i hit the road after 10am. Worst of all, right after Novi Sad a seemingly endless climb into a smaller mountain range made me sweat. The last thing i needed that morning! Well, at least it was sunny.

After the first 25km and a well deserved downhill stretch i found a nice restaurant in the middle of nowhere. The souo with veal was excellent, but i was dead tired. I cycled a little further and decided to take a nap in one of the fields. Now that felt great.

I must have slept two hours until traktor noise woke me up. I sat up and looked. The farmer was wondering over. Trouble ahead? Quite the opposite. He asked me if i was hungarian or german. I said the latter. He also enquired as to my route in bloody good german and asked me if i eat apples. I said yes and had to follow him to hia trailer full with boxes of fresh apples. I took five and thanked him.

With fresh vitamins in my stomach and sleep caught up the journey to Belgrade continued. Another 50km and it was already after 3pm. Thankfully no more hills, some breaks to rest and overall good speed so that i got to belgrade center before 7pm.

When my 2,500km feel suddenly so little

Once in the center, the routine kicks in. Wifi, hostel, shower… Just this time someone asked if i needed help while looking at my phone. Her name was anne (well, short version) and she is from Belgrade. She was also on her touring bike though not fully equipped. Turns out that she has been riding around europe and asia since 2011 and writes travel novels to make money.

As you can imagine, we had a great conversation. She even invited me for a serbian hamburger (Pljeskavica) before we said goodbye. You can find her travel stories http://www.snezanaradojicic.com. Very impressive. Good luck for your panamerican journey. Am sure we’ll meet again.

A day in the white city – hello Belgrade

The first time i got excited about Belgrade was in a British airline magazine. Their is always a travel colomn which argued that Belgrade is a great destination with fantastic nightlife. Sounds just right! Years later i was finally here. Technically my schedule only had one night here, but intrinsically i had already decided to stay a biy longer and catch up one day by train. No stress.

The first night was quiet after i checked into Yolohostel – central but certainly not one of the nicer ones i been to. Well, a bed is a bed. I enjoyed breakfast on a sunny morning next day and went for a city tour as I usually do. The politics of the region, present and past, are dazzling and the city raised to the ground many a time (one other tourist mentioned 40 times). Definitely a lot of work to do to restore buildings and streets. Maybe joining europe will one day help, but there is the question of kosovo to be solved.

My last morning came quick and I headed for the train station after another breakfast to catch up with my schedule and make it to Niš.

Over to Niš

Serbian trains run very slow and so the two hundred odd kilometres were scheduled to take more than 5 hours. I got round to reading 100 years of solitude meanwhile. Close to Niš, the train crashed into a car that was a bit late on the rail wail crossing. By the time all was sorted with police we had lost two hours more. Should have gone by bike!

The day ‘n night hostel I checked into the evening was very pleasant and well thought out. I met a Turkish guy and we ended up grabbing some food, drinks and chatted away until midnight in the hostel. Great evening and an invitation to Ismir.

Next morning I managed a little sightseeing (yet another fortress) after agreeing to leave my bike in the hostel garage. Probably the safest option in town. I will find out in a week. First back home via Bratislava for a school reunion, time in London and a wedding.

Sultan’s trail (part 2): Crossing Serbia Distance covered: 480km | Total: 977km My last morning in Hungary was a sunny one after small showers overnight.

[rehnro]

Distance covered: 497km (to go: c2000km)

Having recovered from the long hike in Scotland for a week in London, i took myself and my bike 🚲 over to Vienna to ride the Sultan’s trail. The route takes me some 2,500km from Vienna to Istanbul. In total 7 countries lie on my way (Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey). Fingers crossed the bike and rider can keep it all together. After all the only long distance cycling experience i have was one day in Russia last year…

The sultans trail… On Ottoman footsteps 👳 ⚔

The ottoman empire under suleiman the magnificent tried to take austria twice in the 15th century. Both attempts failed. The route now follows the path the sultan took to reach vienna with the Stephansdom, whose bells are made from melted turkish cannons, as one starting point (the other being istanbul of course).

For planning and orientation purposes i mainly used the detailed routes from a dutch couple taking care of developing and promoting the trail (link). Dank je wel! I will follow parts of this route that takes you away from busy roads and passes by many landmarks, but partly will revert to faster/shorter options to keep on track.

Getting to Vienna

After a weekend with last-minute fixes to the bike, I loaded my panniers with a full set of kit including repair stuff, camping/cooking equipment, rain gear and lots of other stuff. Turned out pretty heavy at close to 50km including the bike. Good training i guess! First i needed to get all stuff this to vienna though. A quick 6km morning cycle from home to London victoria, where i put the bike in a carton transport box for bus and plane transport purposes (it’s actually quite hard to travel with a non-folding bike in london!).

On the other end i reassembled it all and cycled 20km into vienna (almost ending up on the motorway initially). For the first night i had booked a hostel near the center booked and enjoyed a fun evening out with other travellers from italy, canada and spain. We were in bed early though. I needed some sleep after a short night with laura who left for colombia early doors ✈👸🏻 🇨🇴.

Day 1: Vienna to Bratislava

I got up first in my hostel room and had breakfast just after 7am. The cathedral was only 10mins ride away through a slowly waking Vienna and soon i had reached the ‘trail head’. From here a bit of city traffic and past the belvedere palace with its stunning architecture and views over the city.

From there i quickly hit the countryside. The route was generally quite different from i thought. Rather than simply following the (paved) Danube cycle path along the river, i was mainly on dirt roads. In fact, the first time i spotted the river was an hour before bratislava. The weather was kind and at times blatantly hot. Quite a change from Scottish summer.

On the way the route passed through many villages including Haydn’s birthplace, a former coliseum /roman training camp and loads of fields and forests.

Early afternoon the first glitch – lost a screw for one of the pannier holders. I have spares and it was quickly fixed.

By the time i got to the hostel it wa night and i had covered 105km. Time for a shower and the nice vegan curry that was offered as a communal meal.

Even though i knew i shouldn’t, i signed up for the pub crawl. After the first pub disaster stuck, as i received a message that some idiot had burgled my flat in london. In the end it turned out not too bad. Just some tech stuff and my wooden figure from papua-new Guinea gone. All replaceable i guess and no-one hurt. I guess a few more drinks were in order now…

Day 2: Bratislava to Zlatna na Ostrove

My day started with a slight hangover and all a bit late. Sleeping in was also not an option as one of the girls (sharing her bed with her girlfriend) was snoring. So i left Bratislava after 10am. The road conditions were kinder now as the GPS tracks took me along the official cycle path for quite some time under the blazing sun. Early afternoon the switched to the left (northern) embankment again and was back on dirt road mainly along a danube dam.

After 90 km arrived at the small village of xxx again by nightfall and was lucky to catch last orders in the hotel. Delicious and cheap. Great combination. Outside a group of slovakians were drinking wine and singing traditional songs including one my uncle Jon used to play at family parties. Memories…

Day 3: Zlatna na Ostrove to Budapest

I left well rested and reasonably early. Following the road for a while speeded things up in order to make my dinner appointment with my good old friend Raul in Budapest. Sun was brutal yet again and i felt a sunburn is not far away now. The route was pretty flat throughout… Until i hit the final stretch where initially i followed uphill roads and eventually steep forest trails. The reward was a very long stretch downhill into budapest… Everyone out of my way! … Cycling like a 🚀! After 115km i had reached the capital of Hungary.

I met raul in his chic apartment. We had loads to catch up not having met for 5-6 years. Italian dinner was also welcome. Thanks for the great hospitality Mr Costa.

Day 4: Budapest to Dunaföldvar

The GPS tracks suggested 160km for the next leg initially on the west of the river and than back to the east side. Not for me today. I just followed the river straight south headed for the serbian border in 2 days time. No time to waste.

Once out of Budapest i was initially again on the road. Not too nice. Soon i found a nice cycle path along the river, be it dirt roads at times. Very pleasant cycling through villages and the great southern plain. 97km after leaving Budapest i called it a day.

I camped first time in Dunaföldvar in some seemingly deserted place. But they had hot water and given no one was at reception either at night or in the morning, it was free. In the village they had some sort party on with load rock music blasting from the stage. I was only interested in food (sausage, goulash), sampled a hungarian Pinot noir and went to bed. Exhausted.

Local youth sadly use the campground as meeting place… So 2 hours more loud music unwillingly before i finally managed to rest.

Day 5: Dunaföldvar to Baja

The sky was covered in clouds this morning. So jacket on for the first time. The path was again south towards Baja – the last bigger town before the serbian border. I began on offroad tracks and on a dam along the river, then roads. It was saturday and not very busy on route 51.

My breakfast was a tasty goulash followed by pizza volcano for lunch. One is so hungry on the bike. All the time!

While heading for the town of Kalocsa i bumped into another cyclist. A german as it turns out who decided to offload his weird life story and views on me. Glad he had to stop in town as it was not enjoyable to be honest.

Once in baja i headed for the camping again. I had covered 90km and that was it for me. I was tired. So i guess it was not surprising in hindsight that after a shower i fell asleep at 6pm. No sightseeing for me in baja beyond the ride through town before putting up camp.

Tomorrow the first border crossing awaits. Off to serbia. The first and only country on my tour i have never been to.

Sultan’s trail (part 1): Austria – Slovakia – Hungary Distance covered: 497km (to go: c2000km) Having recovered from the long hike in Scotland for a week in London, i took myself and my bike 🚲 over to Vienna to ride the Sultan's trail.

[rehnro]

It was nice to be back in London after a month up North in Scotland. Sleeping in your own bed is just different than in your own tent. But it was busy. As usual when i am back home there is a host of things to take care of. First up cleaning all the gear!

Alex was staying over as usual and brought loads of homework with him on top of his busy club schedule – piano, scouts, russian school, football, sunday church… You name it. There was also a new person to be met for all of us… My lodgers girlfriend. We did it in style over a good raclette dinner.

For laura it was the second time in london, but the first one with a bit of time at hand to explore london. Arguably far from everything. But we managed Greenwich & canary wharf, cycled through the west of town, camden lock market, the regents canal by boat, buckingham palace, natural history mueseum and explored tower bridge and its surroundings. I also manged to show some of my favourite hangouts – in particular the world’s best pizza at the Oak in Notting Hill.

Time went past in a heartbeat before laura returned to colombia and i made my way to vienna to start cycling the sultan’s trail (more of that in my next post).

London: Home sweet home, school & sightseeing It was nice to be back in London after a month up North in Scotland. Sleeping in your own bed is just different than in your own tent.

[rehnro]

Today: 35km | Total: 755km

Over the finish line! We made ot from Edinburgh to Cape Wrath covering 755km in 21 days. Arguably with some public transport or hitchhiking at times to stay on schedule, but still walking every day 25-30km. Conditions turned out ok though the trail is not for beginners especially once you hit the later sections (cape wrath trail, rob roy way etc). Looking back, the month up in Scotland was nothing short of amazing and i can only recommend others to come and visit. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ♥ I look forward to a week in London now with Alex, a shave and to recharge before the next adventure begins… 🚲 🇦🇹 🇸🇰 🇭🇺 🇷🇸 🇭🇷 🇧🇬 🇷🇴 🇬🇷 🇹🇷

Laura’s comment: Finalmente lo logramos!!! Estoy muy feliz por este nuevo logro de Ronny y por supuesto mío también. Puedo decir que no fue fácil, caminar durante tanto tiempo, con terrenos difíciles, aveces el clima no era el mejor 😓 … Pero valió la pena, cada momento, cada sonrisa, cada lágrima, todo. Escocia realmente conquistó mi corazón. ♥ Ahora una pausa en mi país, con mi familia y tiempo de preparación para nuestra próxima aventura! 😎

A night in the camper

We ended up spending a fair amount of time at the Rhiconich hotel bar. Chatting with locals was fun and covered issues like the ownership of estates (like the Danish guy buying up all property he can up here and then getting rid of all deer) to 9-11. On the latter the local fire brigadier believes the story while the local policeman doesn’t and is like me in the conspiracy camp 🌁🗽✈️👳🏽‍♂️.

Talking of the police guy… He is the only one up here and in charge of the largest area in 🇬🇧. Nice guy. At the end of the evening he offered us to sleep in his camper (the station was literally opposite the pub)… We gladly accepted of course. It was still raining outside and it saved us putting up the old NEMO tent.

While at the hotel we treated ourselves to pheasant 🦃 casserole for dinner. It was decent though i remembered it much better from a trip to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 years ago. Well, better than pasta again.

Heading to the beach

Next morning started with ☔. Glad to be in the camper 😁 (two Belgian guys had camped out and now prepared their day in the public toilets to escape weather and midges). By 9am we were on our way to Sandwood Bay, the last stop before Cape Wrath. The path was almost entirely alone single track roads (as they are so typical up here). We stopped for a second breakfast (bacon & black pudding roll 🤤) and again for a Spar supermarket in Kinlochbervie for a few last supplies.

By 3pm we got to the bay. It was cloudy and windy. The waves came rolling ashore. We, however, hid with our tent behind the dunes where there was no wind and a sweet water lake. Off for a 🛀 and then hot soup. Delicious.

No chance we move further today. Tomorrow the final 12km to Cape Wrath and the ordinary society shall have us back. Instead we had time to read (half way through my book ‘the subtle art of not giving a fuck’) and play monopoly deal).

Are we gonna get shot 🔫 💣?

From Sandwood Bay it is only 13km to Cape Wrath. But the trail requires a last good effort across pretty wet ground, several river crossings, some steep ups and downs… Challenging. We were lucky with the weather though, as the ☀ was out. Beautiful.

One final challenge was crossing a live firing range of the military. You can get info in advance and when shooting is going on they put up red flags along the outer perimeter. We relied on info we got from team belgium that we would be fine this weekend.

However, the flags were up 🚩 🚩 🚩. Damn it! 6km from our destination and we can’t get further? Tough on your mind when you had mentally almost arrived already at the cape. We consulted with a dutch hiker (and her dog) and a group of Scottish hikers. Conclusion – they probably just left the flags up.

So we climbed the barbed wire fence and marched for Cape Wrath together with the Dutch lady and her dog. The path was wet, loads of deer about (to the very excitement of the dog) and by 3pm we finally made to the Cape.

Arriving at Cape Wrath

755km and 21 days after we set out in Edinburgh we had arrived. It felt great to see the lighthouse appearing against the blue sky. Memories of the 3w tour are plentiful and will take some time to sink in. What an amazing journey we had.

At the cape a couple runs a small cafe. There we met team Belgium 🇧🇪 again – Chris and his son Sam and a more senior hiker (also Chris) tackling the trail at a tender age of 69y. We all enjoyed the odd beverage and a whole evening of conversations. Chris gave me some super handy tips for my upcoming bike trip as well. Safe travels to all. Was a pleasure!

Cape Wrath is the most northwesterly point of the UK mainland. Wrath literally means turning point. It is fitted with a by now automated light house and, weather permitting, has sunsets to die for.

Back to civilization

From cape wrath you can either walk back to catch a ferry towards Durness or get a seat on the only bus service that is permitted to service the cape. We opted for the latter and by early afternoon pitched our tent one last time before hitting the pub.

Scottish National Trail: Arriving at Cape Wrath (day 20/21) Today: 35km | Total: 755km Over the finish line! We made ot from Edinburgh to Cape Wrath covering 755km in 21 days.

[rehnro]

Today: 102km | Total: 698km

Four more days lie behind us and we are now in touching distance of Cape Wrath having completed almost 700km by now. The last few days were kind weather wise with lots of sun and only occasional showers while walking. By now we are hanging out in the largest hunting estate on the island owned by the Duke of Westminster (the largest overall estate is owned by a Dane though) and deers have become a normal sight for us.

Laura’s comment: Since our departure from Ullapool the trip turned out to be a little bit difficult, to carry food for 6 days was not easy, so we could only walk a few kilometres. On the second day we found a beautiful bothy to spend the night, my first time at this place, and it was a very pleasant experience, the place is very warm and feel like a small home. Each time the path becomes a little more difficult, but the views are amazing and as we move north to our final destination, I know that it will be even better. 😉

Leaving Ullapool with a heavy load

Having learned the art of hitchhiking on my way into Ullapool, we used that skills to get us the 7m to our trailhead. From there on foot. In our bags we had food for the remaining 6 days given no further resupply options on our route. Man were they heavy! First stop after 1km (seriously). Red wine had to go first 😂.

After a healthy lunch the path continued up before eventually a new valley came into sight and we decided to sleep near the river. Walking by now was completely off trail, hard, wet and slow. Anyway, great camping location, but loads of midges! Thousands and thousands! At first no firewood in sight (no forests about), but then we found some. Life saver!

Cutting through the hills

The next day started with… Midges. No fire this time. RUN!!! We were looking to reach one of the two bothys on the path for lunch and did so after a tough bit of hiking. No path, up and down, wet… Lunch was great and had the bothy had firewood we might have stayed. Eventually we opted to move on to the next bothy – the schoolhouse.

The path by now was more like an off road track and good for hiking. The sun was out too. By the time we reached the bothy it was not too late in the afternoon. A group of mountain bikers were in the house and we briefly chatted before they continued to our lunch bothy.

We in turn had time to sort gear and ourselves with a refreshing river wash before retreating to the bothy for a little time in a lot of space after all the nights in our tent. We even had a movie handy. Great.

Hitching on…

The third day started with good weather though late as we enjoyed the comfort of the bothy. We had some 7km to walk to the next village where a pint of lager was waiting. From there we hitched further north.

First with an older english couple. Then, after a brief time in proper rain, with a young english/scottish couple. They dropped us off at the only bar/restaurant in Kylesku. Nice views from there while we sat out the rain.

But we had to move on and find a camping spot. We did, eventually, somewhere on the estate of the duke of Westminster – the richest english man. Thanks dude. Really great views from our campsite on the hill to which we rescued ourselves amidst ☔.

Exploring the rich man’s lands’

We managed our latest start yet.. At midday! Rain was constant all night. Tent held up. Same in the morning… So we just waited with breakfast and a movie in our campsite with a view. Nice.

As we hiked up the hill we met two fellas part of a hunting group. They told us a few things about the duke & his family. You can at times hunt here yourself. £500 a stag. You pay on success only. Not a bad deal i think. Loads of deer about.

From there we went off track down the hill, through the forest, across rivers… Amazing time. Thankfully with lighter bags now.

Back on the road we hitched to Rhiconich. First with two older anglers (well-connected guys to get permission for that here) and then with two dutch ladies from Eindhoven. A little practice for my Dutch. Dank je wel for the lift!

Now off to the pub! 🍻 🍲

Scottish National Trail: Hanging out in the hills (days 16, 17, 18, 19) Today: 102km | Total: 698km Four more days lie behind us and we are now in touching distance of Cape Wrath having completed almost 700km by now.

[rehnro]

Today: 110km |Total: 596km

Tired. Satisfied. Blistered. Wet. Happy. Some of the words that just came to mind after two truely demanding days covering 57km over from Morvich finished off with a train ride and two hitchhikes to Ullapool. But another 110km closer to Cape Wrath and now close to the 600km mark and ‘only’ some 160km to go to Cape Wrath.

I left my campsite around 9am yesterday and hiked 6km to resume the trail. Unfortunately my phone was dead and solar charging not an option on this grey morning. So i stopped at a hotel half way to get a charge. As usual, very helpful the scottish people.

The first half of the trail leads you up the hills with great views of the valley (fog permitting). Down on the other side you’ll find the falls of glomach. Quite cool. Conditions were wet throughout though.

Just before the fall i met Celia, a french solo hiker. She had already completed the west highland way and was now, at least for a bit, on the cape wrath trail. We continued the hike together.

As usual when you walk with others, time goes past quicker. No difference today and so we made good ground amidst talking about theatre (her chosen field of studies), hiking experiences (iceland etc) and other travel stories such as her time in india and china. It was nice to talk to someone about the latter, as i haven’t met many travellers that have been there.

By 6pm we reached the Maol-Bhuidhe bothy. Sadly no firewood to dry clothes (boots were completely wet… again), but still nice to have a roof over the head instead of a small tent. Dinner, few more stories and it was bedtime early.

The next morning looked surprisingly good and the sun was out. We hit the trail already 8am after a slightlty restless night for me (as so often up here). Views and colours to die for!

Three hours into the hike our trails separated, as I headed alone to Craig. Quick selfie, all the best and goodbye! Alone from here.

I was admittedly pretty tired and my wet feet hurt. I changed socks twice (having one pair drying on the go) and was glad to reach craig by 3.30pm.

From here i had to find a way to Ullapool to meet laura. Hiking would take me two more days and we wouldn’t make it to Cape Wrath. Thankfully i met two walkers and their dog that gave me a lift to a station in Achnasheen and hence made it to Garve by train.

No more public transport from here on Sunday! So hitchhiking. First two cars that stopped went to other destinations and so i walked a bit. Soon though a man from Ullapool had a heart for hikers and gave me a lift to Ullapool. Quite cool conversation. Most interesting was the story about the East German Klondykers. Have a look here.

Once in the hostel to usual routine kicked in… shower, washing, some care for feet, dinner, sleep…

Off to Cape wrath!

Scottish National Trail: Tough terrain, great views (day 14/15) Today: 110km |Total: 596km Tired. Satisfied. Blistered. Wet. Happy. Some of the words that just came to mind after two truely demanding days covering 57km over from Morvich finished off with a train ride and two hitchhikes to Ullapool.

[rehnro]

Today: 62km | Total: 486km

As I begin to write this, I am sitting in the Cluani Inn in tiny village that consists of just a pub & hotel (and only during summer). And I am pretty exhausted after 11h on a tough trail. A pint of lager, garlic baguette and steak & ale pie hopefully work wonders.

It was a bloody cold night down to +1 degrees and by the time i started walking at 8am still only +6. My alarm wasn’t necessary to wake up today. Forest trucks driving past my camping spot took over that job – some with and some without horn 📯. The sun came out pretty quickly though and made for a nice start to the day overall.

The route today was a step up from the ones before. First test was a boggy field akin to a swap. I reckon i spent half my day in water in some form or shape. Wet boots and socks included. The other challenge were two crossovers from valley to valley with 1000m total ascent. You just dont go very fast in either circumstance.

Meanwhile in Inverness… Laura on sightseeing tour as well as some shopping for the last big section up North.

I guess thats the Scottish national trail for you. Every step you take further north makes it harder terrain wise and you have to carry more supplies too.

On the other hand all the hard work paid off with some spectacular views. I had several WOW moments. So all the effort ia worth it.

The rest of my route to Invershiel was sorted with a sudden hitchhike from outside the pub. Thanks James. Really needed that today. Saves me a lot of time tomorrow.

So nite, nite… The hot 🚿 was excellent!

Scottish National Trail: Walking on Water (day 13) Today: 62km | Total: 486km As I begin to write this, I am sitting in the Cluani Inn in tiny village that consists of just a pub & hotel (and only during summer).

[rehnro]

Today: 88km | Total: 424km

My first solo day while Laura enjoys a few well deserved rest days. We will meet in Ullapool soon. Di kindly gave me a lift that provided me with a good headstart and hence let me catch up on the schedule. But still 39km on foot. Pain levels very high towards the end of the day.

Having skipped the relatively short Kingussie to Laggan leg, my hike today took me across the Corrieyairack pass to Fort Augustin. It is a pretty little town strongly frequented by tourists as a gateway to Loch Ness. I guess i don’t need to say much more. 🐲 🐍

Meanwhile in Grantown-on-Spey … The ladies are enjoying themselves on bike & relaxing at home. 🚲🍷🏡😁😊🚿👧🏻

I got shopping for the coming three days done (including half a kg of haggis…will use all my gas to cook… 🙄😣🙄) and caught the bus to Mandally. This stretch seemed not overly interesting running in most parts parallel to my route into Fort Augustus today.

From there i managed another 6km or so before tired legs and nightfall demanded a rest. Probably my worst camping spot yet… Directly next to a forest road (busy in the morning as i know by now). Anyway, got my haggis cooked (35min) and will half a kg in my belly went off to dreamland 😴 😴 😴

Scottish National Trail: Over to Loch Ness (day 12) Today: 88km | Total: 424km My first solo day while Laura enjoys a few well deserved rest days.