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John Bickerstaff
John Bickerstaff

John Bickerstaff

traveled in 54 countries Read more
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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Dodgy roads

    August 5, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Be great to be able to tell the time - chopping & changing between Arizona & Utah was the problem I maintain. The hotel is situated in Arizona but uses Utah time - 1 hour difference. All sounds simple but phones often use geographic & service details for time. Sometimes it changes all by itself. Unfortunately this meant when I thought I was getting up at 6.20 it was in fact 5.20. No wonder no-one was about. Should have twigged. Worse case when I looked out the window & saw pitch black something should've registered. At 5.30 it dawned on me, unlike the sun I was expecting to see. Went to bed for an hour. After all this it was cloudy. Went off for a run in a huff. Probably the most dramatic route for a while. Got back, packed & had prime time seats for brekkiee. Before heading off I wanted to take the valley road - admittedly it was a dirt road but the receptionist said the first section was do-able in a regular car. What she classed as the first section is anybody's guess - first 100m, first hairpin... The first couple of photo opps were achieved relatively easily but getting to John Ford's spec was tricky to put it mildly - deep ridges, big rocks & the remains of flash floods from yesterday. Managed to hit a couple of rocks - fingers crossed no more damage. The final view was pretty special - some opportunist was charging $5 for the John Wayne Experience - sit on a horse - no mention of milk though. Tentatively headed back - crawling along to a few people's irritation. Made it back to safety & had a final look in the visitor centre. Came out to torrential rain - is this Manchester in disguise?Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Big Buttes

    August 4, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    For the majority of the journey, in the distance we could see, if awake, dark looming clouds. These eventually formed the almost predictable thunderstorms. Fortunately they always seemed to be just ahead - cars coming the other way had lights on & we were often driving on wet surfaces. In some ways it added interest to the drive - the roads were dead straight with limited interest - a silo of some sort that looked like a giant slide was the most exciting talking point. By the time we got to Kayenta - about 30 miles from Monument Valley, the storm had hit, was getting pretty vicious & the rain was torrential. There'd been a few signs refering to flooding along the way. Went over a couple of raging torrents that almost certainly were dried river beds yesterday. Our first glimpse of the buttes were shrouded in cloud, rain and with shards of lightning threatening them periodically. The rain let up a little as we approached & checked in but the usual sunshine drenched views of the valley weren't going to happen. Torrential rain in the desert - couldn't make it up. Checked in & we had one of only 6 out of the 96 not to have a view. Wonder why? Eventually things cleared a little - had an explore. Saw John Wayne's favourite view - supposedly. Had some traditional Navajo stew - what on earth is hominy?Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Photo Dictator.

    August 4, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Before heading off to Monument Valley we had the small matter of a trip down Antelope Canyon - a slot canyon that when flash floods occur can be lethal. Good job we're in a desert - nice and dry ... Oh wait. The company that had the dubious honour of my business was supposedly quieter - fewer numbers, which was also the selling point of the lower canyon tours as opposed to the higher end. The car park appeared and it seemed such a claim was a little suspect. 1 hour later and still queuing to get down into the canyon & the rival companies clients flying down & all was not hp. Eventually we made it down and it was truly an alien looking landscape. You could well imagine how lethal flooding could be down here. The guide clearly fancied herself as something of David Bailey - wittering on about white balances and ordering us into various poses along the way. Despite all the hoardes, it was a magical place - not sure it was ideal for the wedding photos that were being taken down there. Free bottle of water, no mention of tips, the sun was out - all was well. Off to Monument Valley - what could go wrong.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Colorado - a closer inspection.

    August 3, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    Today was really a stopover on the way to Monument Valley. No sense though in ignoring interesting things along the way, most of which revolved around the Colorado river. Laid back start - usual run & walk combo finishing with breakfast at the campsite shop. A sharp shower while eating was a foretaste of what was to come. Took a last look at the view and headed off to replenish our cookie supply. Heading out of the park we were faced with yet another thunderstorm. Some superb lightning. Cleared as we headed down of the Kaibab Plateau & as we descended the temp rose 14° to 30° in the space of 10 mins. The next 50 miles of driving was your archetypal mid-west desert road - long, straight and surrounded by scrub bush & ochre sand. Impressive & boring at the same time. Made it to Lee's ferry without falling asleep at the wheel. This was the historic crossing of the Colorado river. Expected this to be the closest we'd get to it. Probably was but you wouldn't know it - massive cliffs & the dinghies below were tiny. Frighteningly some visitors have to have a sign to warn you not to jump off. Just a couple of miles from Page was Horseshoe Bend - a view of the Colorado looping around an outcrop. Seemed a good stop off before checking in. Shouldn't be too busy - an offbeat sight. 5 coaches in the car park suggested otherwise. Numerous warnings about hiking in the desert made this seem far more risky than expected. The heat didn't help - though what can you expect in the desert? Thunder clouds unsurpringly were looming. Took our time & drank lots of water. Considering some of the bloaters coming back it seemed unthinkable that we'd struggle. What was a struggle was the masses of people & the stupid things they insisted on doing. Pictures taken, view admired - exit stage left. Found the hotel, checked in, found the pool & cooled off. That only lasted until the phone call to the hire company. 30 mins of language based confusion typified by him thinking the wind screen had been damaged by a horse & cart - how can the phrase 'a lorry / wagon' be mis-understood. Brief excursion into Page consisted of a quick visit to the Glen Canyon Dam & a steak meal served by possibly the squeakiest waitress on earth.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Was that thunder or a fart?

    August 2, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After a messy lunch we adjourned to our room - hanging fire with going out to tie up with sunset at the Angel's Window - supposedly the best bet on the Northern Rim. Go too early & we'd be hanging round. We set off with the best of intentions & was happily heading North when a lorry passed in the opposite direction kicking up a stone. It hit the windscreen & made a small chip - hopefully the hire agency wouldn't notice. Pulled into have a look & all of a sudden the chip extended to a 20cm crack. Think they'll notice that. Decided to head to the local garage to see what he thought. He seemed very relaxed - no way was it a problem - the car hire people will sort it. Glad he was so confident - sure they'll sort but it'll cost. Decided to press on and fortunately there were a number of stops and short walks along the way to keep us occupied. Roosevelt point & Wahalla Point showed increasingly impressive views of the canyon. Also some archeological remains proved an interesting aside. The best, however, was saved to last - Angel's Window and Cape Royal. Standing on top of the Angel's Window felt like you were surrounded by the Canyon and for once you could actually see the Colorado river - 1 mile down. Tried to hang around for sunset along with a couple of characters - a farting Japanese guy and 2 singing Mexicans. Looming clouds & the rumbles of thunder in the distance persuaded us to call it a day.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Hail storms in Arizona

    August 2, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The plan was to go and get brekkie from the saloon & eat on the veranda overlooking the canyon. At 8am they had sold out. So change of plan. But not before Liz had her cup of tea. There was only one option - head to the general store - they can't sell out. Added bonus - it's the sole source of wifi so postings can be updated. Headed down the bridleway I'd just run on a couple of hours earlier. So for breakfast we spent $10 instead of $34 at the lodge. Lucky break. Then to the main event - a short hike down below the rim on the mule track. The first thing that struck us was the smell - it was a bit ripe - certainly had to watch your step. As we headed down black clouds were certainly looming but this is Arizona & though not as typically arid as you'd imagine surely unlikely to see rain. About 5 mins down the first drops of rain were felt. A quick look didn't bode well so we headed back for shelter - just in case. Just as well - an epic thunderstorm followed - torrential rain & hailstones. A few lucky souls made it to the shelter & then followed a steady stream of soaked hikers. Chatted to a father & son from 'Philly' who had hiked down from the south rim and upto the North rim. It was 50°down at the river crossing so when the rain came they were quite happy ... initially. By the time it stopped they weren't keen. Dropped them off at their bus stop and headed for lunch. A pulled pork sarnie that needed to be eaten quickly or it fell apart. Liz went off to sort her cup of tea - no prizes for guessing who ended up messiest.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Well it's not Maghull Square

    August 1, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The journey to the rim was not without its issues. Something of a queue at the park entrance was largely caused by a laid back ranger - taking his time with the maps. Not sure how maintained the roads are - caught a pretty hefty one - didn't sound good & on later inspection the hub cap agreed. Whether the car hire people will notice is anybody's guess - at least we are insured. Minds were suitably focussed elsewhere when the road approached the canyon rim - glimpses of the spectacle to come between the trees. Parked up & couldn't resist walking down the Bright Angel trail. It was amazing - too big really to comprehend & words don't do it justice. Headed back to check in and discovered that we'd have to wait till 4 - not too bad under 2 hours. Except we'd forgotten that Arizona was in a different time zone - around 3 hours felt a bit different. Took in the visitor centre & decided to drive out to one of the further viewpoints - Imperial Point. If anything the views were more varied & we pretty much had them to ourselves. At no point have we been able to see the Colorado river - shows how deep it is. Headed back & checked in. Nice relax & then to the stressful experience of ... choosing what to eat. The main dining room with spectacular canyon views was fully booked & ludicrously expensive. The deli had pizzas & sarnies, then there was the Chuckwagon buffet 'eat as much as you can' - dangerous. That was the option. Very nice. Needed an epic walk afterwards. Decided to go to the general store at the camp ground - about a mile away. About the same as the walk to the square back home - slightly better views though - that's here not Maghull - just in case there's confusion.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Cookie Monster

    August 1, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Savoured the cool morning temperatures - almost a hint of chill. Before the big trip we headed to Panguitch - the local town - 'famous' for its wild west architecture. Or at least the picture we saw in a leaflet suggested so. This it did have, but not much else - well a tenuous link to Butch Cassidy & petrol. Now to the small matter of heading to the Grand Canyon & due to routing / attraction choices made we'd be doubling back on ourselves for a good chunk. The lush high altitude meadows made a pleasant change last time & still were an improvement on arid scrub. And if nothing else 100 miles in we had a cookie stop at Jacob's Lake to look forward to. In between plenty of grand views & villages with spectacular backdrops. A sign claiming a 'scenic view point' appeared. Something of a big claim in the current surroundings - a lot to live upto. We were offered a clear overview of the Grand Staircase National Monument - a series of plateau erroded by the forces that created the Grand Canyon. Impressive. Onto the cookies.
    Supposedly 'world famous' & other than a visitor centre & garage there's little else at Jacob's Lake. But they were certainly worth the visit. There'll certainly be a stop on the return trip to Page.    Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    A big Wow.

    July 31, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Sailed through the Park gate - loving the annual pass. The visitor centre was a little more challenging - parking was looking to be a problem, but we got lucky. Stocked up on water & genned up on hikes & views. Opted to try the shuttle again - worked pretty well at Zion. Except we missed the bus & since it wasn't compulsory the car got the nod. Headed to furthest main viewing area - Bryce lookout. On arrival the car park was packed - should've got the bus. Eventually we got another break & parked up. Headed to the gorge rim & jaws promptly dropped. Words don't do justice to the sight - just epic in size & grandeur. Nice walk along the rim to get away from the crowds. Onwards to Inspiration Point & hopefully a more extended rim walk. On arrival rumbles of thunder suggested otherwise. Ignored the ominous signs but drops of rain forced a rethink & a dash back to the car. Things didn't improve. Decided to drive to the furthest point & hope things might ease off. They didn't. Hail & fork lightning. Decided to retire to the hotel & head back if things improved - they didn't...Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Hike cheating

    July 31, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    One of the most iconic views of Zion is from Angel's Landing - a strenuous 6 hour hike. With 30° or higher that was never an option. However, on the way out to Bryce the road climbed up the valley wall & at the top was a hike claiming canyon views & only to be moderately challenging. The only catch was the lack of parking. An early start should do the trick. Run & brekkie done. Just the small matter of fuel - is the hire car petrol or diesel? Nowhere in the documentation was there an indication. Had to rely on the sound of the engine... Thankfully at the car park, there was 1 space but had to turn round to get it - facing the wrong direction - could be a problem. Start of the path was a hefty flight of steps - Liz looked none too pleased. A fair bit of shade & fairly flat for the remainder helped. The view at the end sealed the deal. Very impressive. Bad selfies aside - you couldn't fail to take a bad photo of this. The limited parking ensured limited numbers - the family messing around with the echoes didn't ensure quietness - and they never stopped singing on the way down. Got back to the car & as Liz predicted there was a queue to get through the tunnel to Zion & no-one wanted to let me in so I could turn around. Ho hum - eventually a slow bus meant a gap - quick 3 point & off to Bryce.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Canyon climbing.

    July 30, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Woke up to find outside was cool(ish) so strike while the iron is hot. Out for a quick run, brekkie & upto the park. No need for photo id unsurprisingly, rather more surprising was the limited queue for the shuttle bus into Zion. Got on the 2nd bus. The plan was to do the moderately challenging stuff before the heat took over & by then we'd be coming downhill. So upto the Emerald pools via the Kayenta Trail. Lots of dramatic outlooks over the valley & a fair few stumbles & trips. Got to look where I'm going. The middle pool was relatively easy to get to. The decision was whether to push onto the upper pool. The clue is in the name - quite a bit of uphill & not do much shade. Liz wasn't happy but we made it. Unfortunately you couldn't swim there but lots of shade when we finally made it. Lots of down to the lower pool which had waterfalls spraying the unwary - nice. At the bus stop the warning that made the impression was of the possibility of hours of queuing for return buses (not the tales of flooding, wildlife etc) so the decision was made to head back as the heat got to its worst & hopefully as people were still active. Plan worked - no queue. As for the visitor centre - the queue going into the park - epic... madness.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff
    1

    What's the time?

    July 29, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Lodge located - handily a short walk from the park gate. A quick sort out & then out to get the National Park Pass & have a quick look since we arrived relatively early. Car entrance into the park is banned meaning everyone has to use the shuttle bus within the park - they looked busy & it was a relief not to need them today - just a short walk up the valley floor along the Virgin river. Still really hot but at least the breeze had some noticable cooling effect - the fact that that was probably caused by an imminent storm was immaterial - flood warnings had been issued. Thankfully the warden didn't insist on photo id & off we went, hideously unprepared - not even a bottle of water. Rectified that at the shop. Nice walk - rather sweaty. Can safely say the hilly challenging routes are unlikely to make the grade - August in the S. States. Headed back & located the local Thai restaurant. Happy days. Nice bit of cooling down before heading out for tea - phones however seemed to think we'd been out for ages - all of a sudden it was 7.30. Clearly we had crossed a time zone - that's why the clock in reception was highlighting it was Mountain time zone. And that was why people were flooding out of the park...Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    3 different varieties of arid & bleak.

    July 29, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Small matter of getting to the airport to pick up the hire car. Since we had 24hr bus passes it seemed to make sense to get the airport bus & then take the car rental shuttle. The buses were very frequent after all or so I thought. Helps if you read the timetable. Got to the bus stop to find we had a 30 min wait - oops. The rental car place was easy enough to get to - a world away from the operation at Exeter, in fact the car rental place was probably bigger than Exeter airport in it's entirety. Got into a heated discussion over unpaid fees for the car. It was paid up front in advance, which was accepted but sometimes the 2 companies get the taxes a bit wrong. Why should I have to pick up the tab. Manager called & sorted. All for ... 24 cents. Checked car - all ok. Stopped off at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign - people were queuing for a photo opp & some chancer was charging to take photos even though a sign said it wasn't allowed. Pushed on, picked up stuff & headed out of Vegas or at least we tried. Many wrong turns. Eventually headed out to the bleak Nevada hinterland. Flat, arid & inhospitable. Crossed the border into Arizona & things got more rugged & grand but still bleak. Every now & then signs pointed to unseen places - their existance seemingly implausible. Stopped off for food in Mesquite & finding shops proved a challenge - fast food easy, casino / resort not a problem. Into Utah & things got impressive - just beyond Hurricane there was a historic viewpoint - expected some sort of border skirmish with the Mexicans. In fact it was the site of a rocket test track.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff
    1

    Mac, me & 500 others.

    July 28, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 35 °C

    Tea proved to be something of a movable feast. Initial plans of eating at the hotel were binned off when the headline steak price of $7.99 was found to be a gambling related offer & shockingly 5 cent punts on the slots didn't count. Opted to take in the Belagio fountain show - one of the few things in this city that hasn't been totally monetised - before deciding. It was at this point it became clear how unsuited to human existance Vegas naturally is - 42° at 7pm. Any breeze felt like a sub-standard hair dryer. Once the fountains had done their thing we tried in the Paris casino but it was too loud & busy. Decided to head towards the concert, for we had a show planned, & find somewhere near there. Took the route through the Flamingo casino & found a relatively quiet food court - should be cheap, easy & relatively acceptable, admittedly not the greatest of endorsements for a food establishment. Chinese chow & then off to see Echo & the Bunnymen - Liverpool's 2nd finest. Unfortunately show times proved to be later than anticipated & the Bunnymen proved not be quite as show worthy as Liz hoped ie she was tired & not fussed. I loved it along with 500 others & the wasted guy in front of us probably liked it enough for about 10 of us - surprised he didn't explode with excitement. Midnight curfew & it was still ludicrously hot outside.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Slots of fun

    July 28, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    Apparently all the madness that is the 'strip' is a new phenomenon. For a sanitised version of the old fashioned madness that was Las Vegas in the past you need to head to Freemont Street, Downtown. Rather bizarrely the strip is not the city centre. Handily this is also the site of one of U2's best known videos & hence my idea of what Vegas is like. Where better to have a little flutter. Being 5 miles or so from the hotel meant walking was not an option so we hit the bus. The downtown express was anything but, but it had air con so we were happy. Were dropped off with the instructions of where to pick up the return - @ the heart attack cafe. Wandered along the pedestrianised & cannopied road with dodgy Elvis impersonators & kids dancing to Michael Jackson. Stopped for a slot machine session - 5 cents a pop - high stakes stuff. Avoided the temptation to zip wire off Slotzilla - a five storey slot machine. Back to the strip for lunch. By now it was hitting 40° - a bit much. Retreated to the air con of the MGM casino. All well & good but couldn't find our way back out - we did find Sheldon though. Guess they don't want you leaving. When we did get out we headed for the Earl of Sandwich for possibly the best sarnies.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Geek fest

    July 28, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    Time to try to comprehend the insanity that is Las Vegas. Stepped out post breakfast & the first thing to get our still weary heads round was the temperature - 30°+ at 8.30. Any little bit of shade was grasped & clung to. Every now & then misters were used to cool things down, which helped allbeit very briefly. Scouted out the venue for the Bunnymen concert & then headed for a casino - first one - any one - one with air con.
    The scale of it was immense - seemingly endless means of losing money. The craps tables summed it up perfectly. Wandered round Caeser's Palace just as some nerd fest was kicking off - epic queues of geeks waiting for a computing conference. Half expected to see Sheldon.    Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Vegas!

    July 27, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 34 °C

    Very disappointing arrival into New York. Skycrapers barely visible on the horizon. Not what was ordered... Settled down to the expected endless queues & grilling that is homeland security. Since Liz had a passport that hadn't been put through the washing machine since our last visit she could prove she had an expired travel authority - we could jump some of the queuing by using the baffling machines. They spat out receipts. No surprise whose had a cross on it. Crosses go one way - pre-approved the other. Going to be a grilling. Except it wasn't. Perfunctory questions & spat out. Unfortunately not for Liz. Epic queue. Got moved - not allowed to wait, even parents were being separated. Picked up the bags. Eventually met up, did security & settled down for some serious waiting. Had window seats when eventually boarded but a combination of Mancunian style cloud & bad location over the wing meant no views at all. Not the most comfortable flight but made it to Vegas & the first sight off the plane - slot machines. Train to baggage reclaim. Opted for taxi - needs to be easy & in his defence it was. He did however take the longest route possible & expected a tip. The tip was the extra $10 you took us round the sticks.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Close encounters of the high kind.

    July 27, 2017, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Not sure if it's the orange one's influence but check in was bizarre. Queued up to have a weird security quiz. Liz was asked about her job or lack of. Just to mix it up I was grilled about my free time - clearly I don't look the working sort. Ended up quizzing me about the cost & location of the seasie. Security was negotiated with comparative ease. Boarded to find a plane out of the dark ages - no seat back entertainment - cheap skate yanks. Still, not the longest of long haul flights & the BBQ chicken was pretty good. Saw a couple of planes - crossed over a vapour trail - does that class as a near miss?Read more

  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    The final act.

    June 8, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    A mere 3 miles cycling & a 1pm flight. On the face of it that leaves plenty of time. In reality 30 mins getting there; dismantling bike & check in 2 hours prior to departure equalled leaving at around 10:30 & since room check out was 10 that left a few hours to mooch & get some breakie. It was a pretty windy morning & the thought of sorting out wet stuff put me off a final swim. Cavtat is a much more relaxed place than Dubrovnik - apparently they were once of a similar size & importance. Found a bakery & picked up an apple strudel & was left with 10 Kuna. Opted to go to the fruit guy & buy 10K worth of cherries. Sat on the harbour wall watching the world go by. Not bad way to end the holiday. However the small matter of the flight loomed. Headed back, packed & dropped of the keys. Uphill all the way to the airport & then pulling the bike apart. By now both panniers were falling apart so it was a case of get as much as possible in the bike bag. Wash & check in. Oversized baggage was bizarre - the usual big scanner but no-one there. Told to leave it - it'll be fine. Hope so.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Back where I started

    June 7, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    So the small matter of getting out to Cavtat with only front brakes working. First things first - back to the hostel, change, repack & locate (unlikely) brake blocks taken out. Thankfully the hostel yard was in the shade so not too onerous. Brake blocks weren't located - clearly left somewhere, so just front brake. Have to go careful. Only 12 miles so shouldn't be too bad. Still it was 30°. Emailed the owner before setting off giving an idea of arrival time - doubt he got it. Uphills were fairly gentle & the downhills taken gingerly so never going to be an electric pace. Arrived - no-one about (clearly email still in the post) The shop downstairs was open this time so poked my head in & they called him. Same room as last time but made sure there was an aircon remote. Wandered down for tea - had some amber jack (I suspect a type of tuna) very nice. Admired another sunset & polished off a dollop of ice cream. Nice.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    A final ferry

    June 7, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Post pie, things had cooled down somewhat but the thought of cycling the hilly route to Cavtat didn't really appeal. Down to the harbour & hop the ferry to Lokrum Island. Any number of other cruise type options were being thrown in my direction - do they not recognise a tight wad when they see one? Got some nice views of the old town from the sea & once on Lokrum the main objective was to get in said sea. Grabbed a map & eventually made it down to the beach & when I say beach really it was a series of rocky outcrops with swimming pool steps attached. That said it was easier getting in than shingle / stone. Very refreshing. Having cooled down it was inevitable that something would have to be done that would do the opposite. Heading upto the highest point on the island should do it. The final path up the hill was called paradise path - didn't feel much like paradise. Back to the sea for another swim & then the ferry back Dubrovnik.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    From the sublime to the ridiculous

    June 7, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Just as the wall walk was coming to end it, was clear how busy things were becoming - queues of people stretching along the wall. The plan was to now take the cable car up Mt Srd, admire the views of Dubrovnik and then walk down. On arrival bought my ticket & was ushered straight on the next cable car. Has to be said the view of the city was stunning. Also up here was a museum / gallery devoted to the homeland war. Very sad tale of atrocities & this was just what happened in Croatia - no mention of Bosnia or Kosovo. From the sublime goodness that so many showed me yesterday to the ridiculous idiocy of war today. From there to the path down - gorgeously peaceful & one of the stations of the cross at each hairpin or at least I assume that was what it was - it is a catholic country after all. Picked up a couple of pasty type things on entering town, found a shady spot & chilled for a while.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Quiet(ish) Dubrovnik

    June 7, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Led astray by Ivan the bike guy, I awoke a little groggy. Having repaired my bike, I couldn't face feeling rude again so round the corner for some beers and some interesting conversation. It would seem there are still tensions within the region. He recounted his love of building wheels, diving & Australia. Aside from my inability to do anything with my wheel we had plenty to talk about & in my defence, other than cutting out the spokes there was nothing he could do with the wheel either. That made me feel better - obviously the beer did not. Tried to keep to the plan - hit the wall as early as possible & play it by ear thereafter.
    Amazingly arriving at 9, I was expecting a queue. Maybe the tour hoardes hadn't got in yet. Spent a relaxing hour walking along the ramparts admiring the views & taking way too many photos    Read more

  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    No-one in Dubrovnik does bike repairs!

    June 6, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    On arrival at the hostel, the priority was to try & get my bike in some sort of working order in order to get me to the airport. That meant finding a bike shop - surely there must be one in a city of 50000 people. Asked at reception and handily enough there was one just down the road. Result. Dumped my stuff & off I went. That was as good as got. I was assured that there was no-one in Dubrovnik that could help. Headed back & onto the internet & it would seem cheerful Charlie was right. OK try the contact - who spoke English. He didn't reject me out of hand - which was progress. He said he'd think on it & to call back in 5 mins. Not 2 mins later there was a text message ping through with a name and contact saying he would be able to fix it. Called & he came out to have a look - mainly because he gave up trying to give me directions. He offered to take it away & do his best to true it. Fingers crossed. All in all complete strangers helped throughout the day without thought & consistently refusing money. Restores your faith in humanity.
    All that sorted - went into Dubrovnik for a little explore - busy but not rammed - no cruises in. Very attractive & hot. At this point it dawned on me I hadn't eaten since breakfast & proceded to have the best kebab ever.    Read more

  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Mechanical issues only much worse.

    June 6, 2017 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    And the day all started so well - a lie in of sorts, a relaxed & hearty breakfast on the lawn and some gentle climbing until the bike route started proper. Ambled through the next village of sorts - a restaurant & some tourist type caves. Planned to stop if open but no - only workmen. Pushed on through increasing farm establishments to eventually be 'greeted' by a very irate / territorial dog agressively barking as they do & then jumping up and lunging at me. Got the handlebars causing something of a crash. Eventually the owner gained some semblance of control. Tried to establish damage - seemed to be just a toe clip issue but as a made I hasty exit it became clear the wheel had been badly buckled. Not good. Spoke key out & try as I might it wouldn't be trued. In fact I might have made it worse. Eventually it dawned that, with 29 miles to go cycling wasn't an option at the moment. Help was needed. The question though was who - I was in the middle of no-where. Decided to head back to the workmen & see if any of them spoke English & had any ideas. This did mean getting past the devil dog again. Made sure bike was between me & it. Unfortunately the workmen spoke no English. They got a lady from the cave ticket office who spoke a little, who got her colleague who spoke a bit more. He phoned the restaurant owner who spoke good English & was glad to help (if he could.) He offered to call his cousin who was good with things like this. Failing that either he would take me to Dubrovnik tomorrow or he would phone around & find someone going today. He assured me things would be fine. When I saw his cousin's methods I was less sure - jumping on the wheel to remove the buckle. Didn't work. Lift to Dubrovnik. Theo was all for introducing me to his parents & having me as guest of honour - which would've been an experience but a lift had been found for me & the sooner I was in Dubrovnik the better. Felt very ignorant. As it happened the lift was just back to Ravno, where my actual lift was going from. Here 2 other guys proceded to hammer ten tonnes of shit out of my wheel. I knew this wouldn't have an impact until the spokes were adjusted but god knows what that is in Croatian. My lift appeared, knew where the hostel was & assured me he had a number for a guy who could sort my wheel. Compared to all this the border crossing was a breeze.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Puncture frenzy (well 2)

    June 5, 2017 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Then began the slog to Ravno. The theory was that since there was little or nothing to do in Ravno, the journey was more important. That's all well & good but if you're tired, bed is the thing. Even so the cycle route that was being followed eventually was located & went over a couple of fun bridges. Then the decision point - follow the fun route with tunnels & bridges but is gravel or the paved but not quite so exciting route. No choice... To say it was gravel was exceedingly generous - it was the hardcore unsurprisingly used on rail lines. Not great for road bikes as had been warned at the sign. Pace was slow - not a problem. A puncture - that was a problem. Thankfully it happened at the last point of escape. Headed back to the road & mended it & had lunch. The downside of the paved route was the rail line took a gradual path up the hillside. The road did not. On a brief downhill a pot hole was hit - another puncture. For all the battles the route did offer great views of the countryside. As did the room when I evetually got in. Tea was the mother of all mixed grills. The bar man suggested meat, chips & salad. Little did I think I would end up with a huge selection. Came back to the room to discover the air con had been leaking - moved room & cue lots of puzzled faces & banging.Read more

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