Balkans and more 2023

[austin]

Ok I’ll try to remember to take some pics to put on this thread. My phone camera roll is a bit sparse at the mo.

The plan…. Eurotunnel…south down the east side of France…. Into Italy and east and south to Ancona or Bari or Brindisi….ferry to Durres in Albania….mooch about Albania for a few days…. Greece and a visit to an old friend who lives on the isle of Skiathos….northern Greece and into Bulgaria….Serbia…Kosovo…Macedonia….more Albania….Bosnia….Croatia….Slovenia…. And then home somehow. 7weeks 3 days is the longest we can be.

First bit done, now in Italy not too far from Turin. It’s been bloody cold since we left home on Tuesday. We definitely aren’t geared for this weather. More later…

 

[austin]

Intro part two….

As well as the general route we planned a mix of camping and hotels. My V85 isn’t quite the load lugger that the old GSA was so loading it up with hefty camping gear isn’t an option. We’ve both been diets and lost about 30kg between us which added some headroom for packing, nevertheless I paid a fortune for a bikepacking tent that weighs SFA and packs away tiny which together with minimal stove etc meant we could easily pack it all on the bike and it doesn’t weigh desperately heavy. With about 5mm of preload added and rebound damping backed off a touch it rides and handles just fine, even on these super twisty alpine/Provence roads. I am though, I think the slowest vehicle on the road in Italy. So far only one night camping as it’s been so frigging cold and we are both cold softies in our 60s now (I blame the low carb diet really - no fuel for warmth).

It’s been years since I did a big trip in France: feck me the place is ruined: speed limits and speed cameras everywhere and it’s busy. The roads are ruined and we needed to get on a peage motorway every now and then otherwise progress would have been painfully slow. As it was it’s still taken four nights in France to reach Italy (nights in Reims, Dole, Gap and Sospel -almost Italy). Mileage wise I dunno - a tank of fuel a day so 250 to 300 miles a day. Mpg on a fully loaded v85 is crap on the motorway at 70 mph about 45mg on the mountain twisties it goes up nicely to about 55-60mpg. Oh and it loves 98 octane fuel. Much better than the E95 generally available in France.

I think we are aiming for some spag bog in Bologna tomorrow but we’ll see. It might be Parma ham in Parma instead. Whatever Italy is good for food and roads but it’s bloody busy everywhere and the roads have more cameras than France.

Pics later. Night night.

 

[soho]

Big bro's camera's doesn't sound good all over the place.But at least your living the life.I'm most impressed with the weight loss too, try as I might (and I really am) I can't get the cholesterol levels down.I'd love to be where you are now rather than riding around in a total 20mph zone. Happy travels !

 

[Hamster]

Sounds like a superb trip austin. Have a safe trip and get warm soon.

 

[Steve T]

Well done the both of you re the weight loss . . . and for getting away yet again.

Been quite a while since you entertained us with your travelogs.

Keep smiling - it can only get warmer the further south you go.

Steve T



PS - no more pictures of you in yer pants - I was enjoying my porridge until that photo

 

[austin]

Hoorah it’s warm. Plus we splashed out a bit last night. Instead of the cheapest place on booking.com and we got a small apartment and ate at its restaurant. The apartment was in converted farm buildings, very rural, very shabby chic located up a very steep rough track. Not too far from Acqui Terme. The restaurant was FAB, and equally shabby chic and homely. The owners dog spent half the evening sat on my feet, there was a cat sleeping on top of a cupboard and a couple of others kept wandering in, one of the other guests brought their dog in, music was from an Amazon speaker the host had huge difficulty controlling as he couldn’t pronounce Alexa. The jazz selection was cool though. You get the idea, rustic and homely it would be closed down in the UK. Great fun. Nevertheless the hostess spoke fluent English and took about 10minutes to explain the provenance of each item on the menu. The wine list was a book an inch thick but she said the house wine was made locally by farmers for farmers while nodding vigorously. It came in a huge carafe and was top stuff even though I generally don’t bother about wine much. Along with freebie tasters of local cheeses and salamis and warm freshly baked bread were two of the best pasta courses I’ve ever had followed by equally good panna cotta as well as a generous top up of the carafe from a wine bottle that must have held a gallon and was being shared across all the guests (a massive seven of us). Great night despite the red wine hangover and the cost. Fuck it you only live once. I’ll remember the meal and the occasion for a lot longer than I can recall the cost.

Headed east today on some busy shitty roads. I’m probably trying to do the equivalent of Liverpool to Hull without going on the motorway. Slow but interesting. We’ve decided to aim for Ancona for boat to Albania on Thursday. I might even change a travelling habit and book it.

 

[austin]

Here’s a couple from a day or two ago

Cool de Turini in France (Monte Carlo stage) and lunch stop over a wood bridge.

 

[Dee Dub]

Looks great!

I hate riding the main routes through France. Much prefer to go via Belgium (free but boring), Luxemburg (great roads, cheap fuel, expensive hotels), Germany (free and fast), Austria (free and pretty) into Italy. Switzerland an alternative to Austria, but you have to buy a 1-year vignette to use Autobahns and tunnels.

 

[nick949]

Very cool, very enviable. Best to you both.

Nick

 

[Lowflyer]

Excellent stuff you two.
Looking forward to reading more of " Austin's Adventures"

 

[austin]

Wow just wow. Amazing day. In Pisa now camping about a mile from the tower. Today though was all about the roads, the scenery and the rain though. The tower is pretty amazing too.

The Ligurian Apennine mountains are between Bologna/Modena and the coast of Italy. I thought they were just slightly lumpy bits of moorland but they are full on 6,000foot mountains with snowy peaks and roads like only the Italians could build. We’ve only done about 125 miles today but it took us all day (oh ok then a long lunch was involved too). Most of that 125 was mile upon mile upon mile of hairpins, long sweepers, and almost comical left right left right left corners. I giggled. Plus climbs to 3500 feet, endless panoramic vistas across valleys to big mountains. Oh and loons on Ducati Multistradas going unfeasibly quick and Fiat 500s I couldn’t keep up with.

 

[austin]

Albania!!! We crossed overnight last night from Ancona having travelled across Tuscany and Umbria. Both beautiful areas with great roads although the last bit to Ancona was on a motorway. Midway we stopped at Eden Campsite - a cool place run by a biker and right on the shore of a big lake. I’d recommend it to anyone passing this way but beware there were millions of mosquitoes and I mean millions. Fortunately not too bothersome and only one bite between us despite the tent outer being literally covered in them first thing.

The Mozzies disappeared with the sunshine and off we went to Ancona to Pick up the ferry tickets up that we had booked that day on direct ferry.co.uk from the ticket office. A late lunch and some essential supplies for the boat -G&T, beer wine, cheese and we were on the boat by 4pm. It departed at 7pm as we sipped our can of G&T.

Docked at 11am next day, one of the first off we were through border and customs in a few minutes and bought bike insurance - 15€ for 15days and were off into chaos of Durres city. It’s crazy busy with precious few road markings or signs and a casual attitude to lanes, parking and priorities. But it worked great, everyone seemed chilled letting people in, pedestrians to cross, making allowances and seemingly letting me do whatever I wanted including lots of U turns and wrong way down one-way streets as I tried to find the guest house we’ve booked for a couple of nights. The bike is now tucked up in the guesthouse courtyard behind big gates and we’ve a huge room with a big balcony. It’s really nice and quite cheap really at 40€ a night.

So far It’s generally quite cheap here: two Cappuccinos about 2.50, meal tonight starters, med style fish and chips and two beers about £17. It’s also a world of cash only here. Nowhere takes cards as far as I can tell. I got £160 worth of Lek out but if it’s cash for hotel, petrol and everything it’s not going to last long.

 

[soho]

Mozzies ? Aargh ! I hate that word.

And 17 quid ,full meal and drinks for two ? You could have bought a brown loaf from my baker for only a pound less !
Google it- Fabrique,Fitzrovia (they also do a plan white for only ten quid mind).
I've just booked a return flight to Denmark next week for less than two loaves of bread.

Make the most of those prices, I'd eat twice a night if I was out where you are.

 

[Alba]

How's the bike, handling two up easily?

 

[austin]

How's the bike, handling two up easily?

I’ve already upgraded the rear shock to a Wilbers unit specc’d to our weight plus added a few turns of preload. It handles really well over bumps/uneven surfaces and corners well enough although you can feel the weight of the luggage at the back so it’s not flickable at all. But you soon get used to these things and we’ve done hundreds of ultra tight hairpin bends so far without any drama so it’s all good.

 

[Hudders]

Looking good You two

 

[austin]

We are now in the South of Greece near the Corinth Canal.

We had a total of 6 nights in Albania and then two VERY wet days across central Greece in order to catch a ferry to Skiathos where an old friend now lives with his hens, goats, dogs and a mostly simple lifestyle. It was very relaxing and we are tanned and chilled.

Albania is a great place. It’s cheap, friendly, most people speak English well enough; if not you get by. The roads vary from good to not much better than a forestry track and the mountains are big and picturesque. Beer was good too: Korce is the main brew. We only left as we had run out Lek and didn’t want to withdraw more. Plus my mate was sort of expecting us. Oh and you ride on any track or path off road. So for those of you into that malarkey it’s probably close to paradise. Lots of Italian registered bikes looking like they’d been up and down a few mountain tracks.

 

[austin]

Some more pics
Albania…

 

[austin]

Greece and Skiathos

 

[austin]

Ok, so I think we’ve gone as far South as we ever wanted to go on this trip. The journey home begins on Saturday. We hope to have at least a night in each of North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, France and home. Roughly in that order but we may miss out some of it if we get fed up or it’s getting too expensive. Max of 4 weeks whatever but we’ve hit that travel mode where time and distance has become irrelevant, Starts are later and mileage and time in the saddle is getting less and Les. it’s all about the moment now. It’s very very nice. I’m sure we will be back eventually.

Blue spot is where we are now. Stars are where we’ve been. Join the dots in a wiggly way.