Leaving the campsite at Nea Kavali I headed east towards Turkey, which wasn’t far, about 50km. I crossed the border about 1030, and the whole procedure took around 30 minutes. The border staff were all professional and friendly. At the main building, just before the border barriers, go inside the building and turn right and just along the corridor is a vehicle insurance office. If you dont have insurance for Turkey this is where you buy your insurance, and it cost me 70eu for one month. There’s no one or two weeks, just one month.
Heading out of the border, about 5kms I turned left for a small town to get some money out of an ATM. Then headed south along the E84 then the E87. There seems to be petrol stations every few miles, so fuel wasn’t a problem. I was heading for Kilitbahir on the Dardanelles, and I found my campsite in the afternoon after a journey of around 340 Kms.
The campsite is the only one in the area and it took me a while to find. I rode past it a few times and it was only when I was stopped and looking at my phone that the owner passed by in his car and confirmed that the campsite was on top of the hill. There is a huge steep gradient to get to the top, with a sharp left turn then a sharp right turn and then another steep gradient on loose dirt. I managed to get to the top, despite the kamikaze chickens, but fully loaded, it was a brown-underpants moment…
It’s a small informal campsite high on a hill overlooking the straits of the Dardanelles. The site is very basic but it’s a base for the next few days while I explore. It’s got a shower (a canvas screen at the back of the house) and very basic toilet, but its a wonderful view. And for £8 a night I can’t complain. The owner is very nice and even gave me a tray of food after I had got my tent sorted out. He also gave me what I thought was a glass of cold milk, but which was infact a sour yoghurt which is very popular in many parts of Europe. Its an acquired taste, but the more you drink the more you get to like it.
Just below are the Dardanelles with ships passing so close you feel as you can reach out to touch them. You can also hear them, and the deep rumble from their engines and the sound of their ventilation systems. Amazing.
There are two WW1 museums I want to visit here plus the areas where the Gallipoli landings took place. After the Dardanelles, I’m planning to go into mainland Turkey and hopefully down to Troy – and then more Roman Rubble…
