29/1/25
Frankie had to get up during the night, she was very grateful for the ceramic toilet. It was a little windy but very warm. The sound of the sea made it sound like there was a gale blowing.
When we opened the tent in the morning, there was a rather large hound waiting outside. She liked to throw her weight around and make it difficult to get past her. But she was very friendly. We enjoyed her company by the sea, while we ate a slap up breakfast of baked beans, fried tomatoes and fried bread. Washed down with Turkish coffee. We hadn’t had the benefit of a kitchen for a while. So this was a real treat.
It was almost 11am when we left. A bit late but it was a lovely sunny day and we felt relaxed. The wind was perfectly aligned with the direction of the road so it was like having the hand of god on our backs. All the little hills felt that bit easier.
After some little hills we turned off the main road, to climb a steeper one. As we cycled we passed ruins. Apart from the fact the garmin thought the hill ended 400m earlier than it did, it pretty accurately designated it as 4%. All the while a gentle breeze pushed us up.
At the top were the ruins of the ancient baths of Alexandria Troas. These were an enormous complex of walls and arches. It was destroyed in 1809 by an earthquake according to the notes of early travellers. We ate some fruit and then continued down the well earned descent. There was a site with free entry, but it was padlocked. On a Wednesday no less. Very annoying.
Down in the town of Dalyan were signs to the Ancient Limak, the harbour. We followed a dirt track from the marina to find a signpost towards the ‘submerged columns’, an exciting prospect. We lent our bikes up, adjusting the gear levers so if anyone tried to ride off they would find it hard, and walked across the sand dunes to find the columns semi-submerged as suggested. We hadn’t managed to see a harbour yet so this was a tick off the list.
Back on track we followed the coastline north some more. It would clearly be a beautiful sunny tourist hole in the summer. Campsites and restaurants lined the road. Often looking like they’d be suited somewhere in the tropics. Before we turned inland we stopped at a supermarket, one we hadn’t been to before, it was mediocre, but we got water and orange juice. Frankie had a craving.
When we headed inland it was uphill through olive groves, it was pretty but we weren’t feeling it. We were keen to make some progress. The road was still that jarring rocky tarmac, but at the town of Geyikli it became tarmac again. Alas, the road into town was small paving stones.
We weren’t sure what supermarkets we were going to see later, it looked like it would be minimal, so we stopped for some provisions. The town had a cluster with Sok, BIM and A101 in one place. We got more noodles, peanuts and raisins and obviously more mandarins. Up the road was a nice bakery with some squishy, tearable loaves.
The road out of Geyikli was fast. It was slightly downhill for at least 5km, slick(er) tarmac and the wind was pushing us. It felt good to be flying after cycling through so much treacle. Once we got to Kumburun we had to start winding uphill again. Then at Üvecik we turned off onto an even more secondary road. It ran past the wind turbines that were moving fast, and then back out to the coast at Yeniköy.
The road had zigzagged in and out from the coast twice, however once we got to Yeniköy it was going to stay nearer the water. As we got to the end of the village of Yeniköy, the road suddenly stopped being paved. This was a tertiary or maybe a quaternary road. It was marked on google as a perfectly good road and even the garmin didn’t know it was unpaved.
It was a rocky track, but it had been well used. It wasn’t long before we saw motorbikes, then cars and trucks, using the road. In some places it was slicked, hardened mud. Better than the rocky tarmac we complained about so much. We enjoyed riding on it, in beautiful sunshine, wind behind us. It forced us to take it slow through the rolling hills.
As it entered a new phase, of dastardly cobbles, we paused for some dried apricots. We bounced along, still heading north, and passed a Turkish cemetery for their 1915 dead, before heading south east. Now we were into the wind. It all felt bleak as we were heading into the cloudier area away from the coast. Flat, drab scenery and a strong wind.
We rode up a hill into Kumkule where we found a market. An opportunity to buy some vegetables. Cucumber, red pepper and cherry tomatoes. We were certainly a novelty here. People were staring more than usual. Frankie worried it might be her, or maybe her attire.
It was 3km further to Tevfikiye, the village where the ancient city of Troy is. After some more flatland riding into the wind, we had to ride up a very steep hill. This wasn’t the kind of place we envisioned for Troy. Or any ancient city. The scenery lacked drama. There were no large rocky outcrops. But it was on a hill.
There were two hotels here. We naturally went to the cheaper one, opposite the contemporary, box shaped, museum that looked rather out of place. It all seemed closed up. Not a soul in sight. The other hotel was 50m up the road. Doors were open. Good sign.
A woman came rushing out to open the ice cream chest, because we’d lent our bike on it. We laughed and said we were looking for the ‘otel’. They didn’t seem to have any other guests or customers in the restaurant. The room was perfectly good, but at €60 they were definitely milking it. Even still they seemed keen to have some guests and even let us put our bikes in the restaurant.
We went upstairs, where there was a huge balcony, and made ourselves more at home. We’d managed to score two mugs of hot water, and made some noodles. After showering, finally washing our clothes and feeling a little homesick in such a weirdly isolating place, we ate our fluffy but fairly cold spicy noodles. They were still delicious. We spent the rest of the evening snacking on bread and halva as well as nuts and raisins while watching The Night Agent. Completely distracted for a while.
Surly They Won't Make It 