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John Bickerstaff
John Bickerstaff

John Bickerstaff

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Puncture frenzy (well 2)

    5. juni 2017, Bosnia og 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.Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Not bad as swim specs go.

    5. juni 2017, Bosnia og Herzegovina ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    It was always in my plans to try & visit Kravica Falls. With now following the cycle route through S. Bosnia it would have been rude not to - that said it was another 10 miles or so, not allowing for dirt track detours of which there were a couple. On one said detour I ended up racing a kid up a hill (him on foot) he found it hilarious. I was just knackered. The climb out of the valley was hard only to discover my gears were knackered. Everything off & running repairs - hopefully the last of the day. With all this the falls had to be something special. They didn't disappoint. A Scottish couple warned that the water was refreshing - a euphemism for fucking freezing if ever there was one & for a Jock to think it's cold... Wasn't too bad.Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Hawkers still in bed!

    5. juni 2017, Bosnia og Herzegovina ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Usual early start & by prior arrangement a breakie goody bag had been left for me. A massive barm cake, various toppings, fruit & a chocolate pudding. Happily sat outside scoffing & admiring the view of Mostar. Kicked off at just after 7am & headed for my first detour Blagaj Ottoman Dervish site. Basically a site of religious importance at a natural spring. Passed kids going to school - HA! Got there in no time - well just under an hour & it was deserted. The hawkers huts were boarded up, restaurants closed - I had a free reign to go where I wanted for photos. Went up the reserved area for diners only - and could see why - but not for me today...Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Don't cycle through old town Mostar.

    4. juni 2017, Bosnia og Herzegovina ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The initial impression of Bosnia revolved around the common place business activity - namely scrap car dealers. Must've been 10 in the first few miles. Following that it was mass snakeacide - 4 run over snakes within a mile. Clearly there are snakes around here but they don't have road sense. Great downhill into Mostar (45mph) then the ultimate tactical error - going through the old town with a fully laden bike wasn't smart. Narrow alleyways full of tourists & market stalls. As for getting over the old bridge - lethal - the cobbles were glass like. Massive uphill to the hotel - nice! What was nice was the pool. Happy days. Cooled off & then headed into town to take a closer look at the bridge - a world heritage monument. Very impressive especially from the river bank.Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    For the last time, I'm not German

    4. juni 2017, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Definite case of chalk and cheese. Yesterday the resident soundtrack was buses hairing past; today was the endless twittering of songbirds. Much improved. Unfortunately the last 4 miles yesterday had been downhill & I had to double back & then finish off across the Dupci Pass. Thankfully an early start meant most of it in the shade. Once over it was clear that the Dalmatian hinterland wasn't flat. Pleasant to look at...
    Took in the opposite end of the gorge I saw at Omis. Popped into a local store for water prior to a fearsome climb to be met with the greeting 'sprechen Duesch' - not the first time I've been mistaken for a German. Fear of a lack of Bosnian currency led to stock up before the border crossing - many cherries. Then into Bosnia...    Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Detour frenzy.

    3. juni 2017, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    With all the tooing & froing the main portion of the days cycle had yet to begin - a gentle 45 miler. Popped by a cycle shop which was closing as I pulled up. That lack of luck in mind I decided against extra trip upto a famous castle (Game of Thrones) - it'd be full of German tourists anyway. Did detour to see what Split's beaches were like. Short answer - full. Road out of Split was a busy dual carriageway so that was fun. Grinned & bore the buses & wagons - annoyingly all the beaches were substantially downhill - not an option. Those that weren't by there nature were by a main road & all possessed little or no shade. Did eventually find a spec that ticked all the boxes. Then the small matter of a 5 mile climb to get to the hotel. Got in early enough to some washing & make a fool of myself for not knowing how to turn on the air con... And i left my passport at the reception desk. Brela has a nice promenade along some attractive beaches, one of which was voted one of top 10 prettiest in the world. Nice swim. Since the coast is so nice it would have been rude not to eat at a beach side establishment.Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Round in circles literally.

    3. juni 2017, Kroatia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Much easier cycle to the ferry - just a couple of miles, then the small measure of a couple of hours to get to Split. Managed to bag a spec by a plug so could do stuff without eating battery. How sad! Also was well away from all the German bikers & their cigarettes. Split it turns out is a big city & has traffic as bad as you would expect. Not used to cars. The plan was to see the former Roman palace & then head out to the Hadjuk Split ground. The hoardes surrounding the palace persuaded me to give it a wide berth. Got to the ground easy enough but finding the club shop. Various levels circle the ground, some not going all the way round. Invariably the wrong one was chosen - much doubling back. That said managed to get an illicit view of inside the ground. A couple of workman had left a gate open. Assumed with the near persistent sound of drills etc that they were busy & wouldn't notice. Wrists promptly slapped. Got the photo anyway.Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    No steepness @ the end just dirt tracks

    2. juni 2017, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The flat profile of the last 10 miles suggested a nice easy run in. No such luck - 2 miles from home the road ran out. Turn round & add at least 5 extra miles. Grin & bear the dirt track. Happily the satnav got me to the hostel easily - it's located in the maze of the old town. Not that there was anyone @ reception. An old guy poked his head in at some point - waved the reservation at him & he scuttled off - '1 moment'
    Eventually someone did appear - whether old guy had anything to do with it is anybodies guess. Shower & then explore & eat. Clearly Stari Grad does get tourists - lots of choice - too much.
    Opted for take away & sitting on the harbour wall watching the world go by.    Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Swim & the sun goes in.

    2. juni 2017, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    While Hvar is very unspoiled, this means there are very few places of any size & what there was either didn't have shops or the owners couldn't be arsed. Equally the road through the island was largely along the (hilly) spine avoiding the coast. For these reasons Jelsa loomed large on the radar (map) - get supplies & have a swim. As it happened with only being 6 miles from home supplies weren't deemed necessary. Very pleasant place, statue of a donkey?? and plenty of swimming options. Just as a decision was made the sun went in. Stubborn streak - sod it.Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Overtaken by butterflies.

    2. juni 2017, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Another hurried cycle to Dvernik - 18 miles in 2 hours & again massively misjudged the effort needed. Another 40 mins to kill - early lunch looking out over the beach. All this hurrying & not even half way. The plan was to get to Hvar early & enjoy a more leisurely cycle on the island. The roads were very quiet BUT you know you are in trouble when knackered tractors & butterflies are overtaking you - the pro-cycling fan boys that were on the ferry I can live with. I'm sure they gave me a head start & they just sailed past.Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Stupid steepness, beginning, middle ...

    2. juni 2017, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    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.Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Dolphins & Croatian smugglers

    1. juni 2017, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    For all the early start & pit stop in Ston it was still a case of the final 18 miles to Trstenik in 2pm heat & a 6 mile climb into the bargain. Love these cycle trips. Thankfully the last 10 proved relatively easy & the dodgy road concerns were unfounded. The concern about finding the apartment didn't. Rolled into 'town' no signs or evidence of it existing at all. Ended up asking in the shop & she pointed me towards 3 old men drinking beer. They new enough English & new of the owner, called him & all was sorted. As it happened though, the oldest guy (who looked like a farmer - according to the owner) was a notorious smuggler & loves to single out tourists to palm off overpriced wares. Not a chance. Headed to the beach for a cooling swim & was greated with the sight of a dolphin messing around not 10m away from me. Went camera shy when I got out.Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Polite Frenchies & peaceful roads.

    1. juni 2017, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Much as the coast road up from Dubrovnik took in some gorgeous scenery, it did suffer from pretty heavy traffic to the point where the bike helmet was used! Lorries were consistently trying to get as close as possible or so it seemed. Conversely the 2 French cars that went past gave ludicrous amounts of space. It came as something of a relief when the turn for Ston came up. The looming mountains ahead tempered that a little. They like their walled cities in these parts - Ston boasting a pretty epic version. The big selling point is the absence of hoardes. On arrival all of this was to be discovered but the high point of the walls looking out over the town and surroundings was impossible to be ignored. Left Ston sweatier but having avoided cycling in the worst of the heat - just hiked up a wall instead.Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff
    1

    Ice cream for tea.

    31. mai 2017, Kroatia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Short cycle from the airport & accommodation was easily located. No-one around though. Eventually a little old lady wandered down & we eventually established I had a reservation. She phoned someone who I was assured would be here in a moment - I think. Good job I got a dollop of cash as when he did arrive cards weren't an option. My change would come when his wife got back... Suggested that I wander into the town centre - 10 mins walk apparently. Could pick up breakie stuff. By now the sun was just setting & all was very quiet. Had a pleasant walk along the front & an ice cream to help me back up the hill. Still haven't got my change...Les mer

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  • John BickerstaffCycling Croatia & BosniaJohn Bickerstaff

    Arrival & bike assembly

    31. mai 2017, Kroatia ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Left a strangely sunny Manchester airport (sometimes it is!) Throughout the flight across there was the feeling that the interesting views were all on the opposite side. Not so on the descent. Grandstand aerial views of the azure Adriatic coast & then to top it off Dubrovnik old town with somewhat concerning mountains behind. Equally disturbing queues for immigration & then to the small matter of my bike & whether it was all present & correct. A little messing, greasy hands wiped & all seemed ok. We shall see...Les mer

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