John Bickerstaff

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

Hate cycling to deadlines... in fact all deadlines. Anyway with 2 different ferries to catch, if I didn't want to be kicking my heels for hours waiting I had to make the 9am ferry from Trpanj - 13 miles and a very hefty climb away. Another 7am start gave me 2 hours which averaged out at just over 6mph not much more than walking pace. At the top of the 6 mile climb things weren't looking so good. Was banking on lots speedy downhill. Quick stop at the communist war memorial & then belt it to the port. Got there with 40mins to spare.Read more