Touring Turkey

[ruffstuffbob]

Hi all, Planning to Tour Turkey in Oct. Is there anything I shud definitely know? I hope to get a cheapy air flight from Manchester to Bodrum, then follow the coast to Anatalya ,Manavgat, go NE to Konya, Aksaray and then the Cappadocia National Park. Prob. get a flight from Kayseri to Istanbul, Ferry to Bandirma then follow the coast down to Izmir for a flight home. Not quite sure of the distance but I will have up to a month to do it and I can always catch buses/trains to keep on schedule. Any advice, comments appreciated. Thanks. Bob. J.

[Barrenfluffit]

Have you checked out the contours? It goes up and down a *bit*...

Also the train lines reflect the mountainous nature of the country.

[ersakus]

Watch out for the stray dogs in the rural areas! Otherwise people are very friendly (too friendly for British taste perhaps). You might find it difficult to find proper hotels in very small towns and villages. Although some villagers might offer you bed + food free of charge (having been nomads themselves in their previous lives they are traveller friendly)! Very little English is spoken. New generation "learns" English but hardly can speak it. Big towns are a bit different. Same people but slightly more modern and cold as is the situation anywhere in the world. Use your common sense against thieves. Lock your bike when away.

Also check topo maps as previous poster suggests. Turkey has real mountains.

[ACCYMONSTER]

Olympos and the Chimerae(eternal flame) is one of own favourite places in Turkey..(Web search this,you climb the mountain at night to see this more clearly)its on the the Turquoise Cost south of Antalya..Place is also famous for its tree houses and as a camp site(once a hippy hang out out in days gone by).

[ruffstuffbob]

Hi, Thanks all for useful information and for whetting my appetite. Dogs have always been my fear on a bike..will be taking a riding crop and checking out my vaccinations. I will be carrying a tent so finding hotels in small villages shouldn't be too much of an issue and luckily I enjoy climbing. Thanks again..I'll be off on the 6th Oct. Bob. J.

[DaveFY7]

Hi Bob. I'm Just back from a short tour in Turkey. I did Antalya to Fethiye via the coast and onto Rhodes. A few years back I did the reverse as part of a tour and took in the Mamaris to Antalya section.

Wild camping is easy enough for the coastal route and I managed to get tucked away from sight without too much problem. I did stop at a small hotel on the north end of Calis Beach for 2 nights while waiting for the ferry to Rhodes. It cost 30 lira a night including breakfast. I was pestered at the marina in Fethiye by a bloke offering a room for 50 lira a night. I had a look and fired him off. Always try to get a better price. You will succeed on most occasions. On the first trip I went with a friend and we stopped at small hotels for modest fees. A big plus point for me this time was the lack of mozzi bites. I saw a few small ones on occasions but only had a couple of bites all trip. There were a lot of ants about when camping and the slightest whiff of food and they come swarming so you'll need to keep thing tidy and you won't be bothered. The biggest problem was the temperature especially when climbing as the breeze disappeared and it became red hot. I took some High 5 Zero's for hydration. I started early in the day to get some miles cracked off and ducked out of the sun for a hour or two when it became too much. There are plenty of villages and towns on the route for water etc.

The biggest climbs on this stretch are out of Kas and Kumluca. There is also a small short climb to get over to Kalkan. Once you reach Camyuva (used to have a villa there) you can avoid the main road if you like and cycle through Camyuva, cross the river, over a small pass into Kemer, onto Goynuk and Beldibi before rejoining the coastal D400 and through a few very dodgy road tunnels and into Antalya. When the road bends away from the coast at Aqualand in Antalya you can cycle through the beach park to avoid some very busy roads.This will take you right into the city centre. It seems perfectly acceptable to cycle along the tram tracks to avoid one way systems.

There are some lovely sections which hug the coastline particularly between Kalkan and Kas and also Demre and Finiki. Olympus beach (big drop down from the D400 after Kumluca) is picturesque with some piles of stone from the past. Phaselis (between Tekirova and Camyuva) is well worth a look. It was a winter port for Alexander the great I think. It has 2 good beaches and some well preserved ruins including a small amphitheatre in between the beaches.

The locals are great. Friendly, helpful and you will get plenty of smiles, hello's, waves and beeps.

Hope you have a good trip.

[dionherbike]

A couple of friends of mine cycled through Turkey recently and they found that they could easily freecamp at petrol stations. There was often a small patch of land at the back and the owners/staff were happy for them to stay there.

Like the idea of the riding crop as a dog deterrent.

[DaveFY7]

Some petrol stations in Turkey now have swimming pools for customer use.

Maybe a nice cool off at the end of the day.

[dionherbike]

Shush! No one's meant to know about the swimming pools ...