21/05/14 – 28/05/14: Istanbul, Turkey to Samsun, Turkey

Leaving the Bosphorus Bridge behind and heading into Asia.
Our first evening by the Black Sea coast. A sunset swim beats a sponge bath…
Winding through the endless hills of Northern Turkey.
Camping on the beach just outside Kocaali, Turkey.
Beach campsite at Kocaali.
On the way up a monster ascent from Bartin to Safranbolu we stopped off to dry our tents (again), get out of the sun and do a bit of washing.
Still climbing the monster hill from Bartin to Safranbolu. It was getting dark by the time we reached the summit.
Ridiculously speedy descent into Safranbolu after a long and exhausting day in the saddle. We did find an awesome old manor house for a hotel which made up for it.
Water water water.
We found a really friendly shop owner who ended up making us a Turkish salad and some sandwiches. Life saver.
Found a perch on a mountainside outside Kastamonu for a campsite. Woke up very wet, bikes caked in mud but with an epic view.
The bikes were so glued up with mud from the field the night before that we had to borrow one of the petrol station pressure washers. Will was really enjoying it as you can see. The petrol attendant then sat us down for tea.
This proud restaurant owner brought us in from the sun just west of Boyabat and served up some awesome hearty Turkish stew and plenty of tea.
Descending from the last of the truly testing climbs across the mountains down to the Turkish Black Sea Coast near Gerze
Waking up to a beautiful sunrise at our luxury camping spot (under a motorway), east of Gerze. It was the only place we could find to sleep but ended up being perfect. Dry, no tents needed and right by the sea.
Looking down on our camping spot under the motorway on the Black Sea coast heading from Gerze to Bafra.