Day 57. Sunday, September 24. Forest bush camp to Safranbolu. 128km or riding, with 1,560m of climbing.

Perhaps the first hint of autumn added an extra touch to the glorious morning as we began our ride today. We trundled along at an easy pace, the hills never long or steep and the road very quiet given it’s a Sunday.

Even the fair size town of Kastamonu was still waking up as we pedalled through around 8.30am. Its main boulevard was lovely, green tree-lined with a river down the middle. The photo below I plucked from the web as I write this was clearly taken later one autumn.

I’m very reluctant to write this next sentence. Nothing much happened today. We rode. We stopped for drinks, lunch and more drinks. We got to our destination, the charming small, ancient town of Safranbolu.

No, we’re not bored and jaded on this the 57th day of our adventure. It was just one of those days where the kilometres clicked on by as we absorbed the views. All I can report on a personal note was two more punctures.

That said, we enjoyed the day…and as ever our drink stops. They always offer not only hydration and sustenance (often of an unhealthy kind such as soft drinks and crisps; I count the ice creams as healthy). But also rest, companionship and lively conversations on all manner of subjects from frivolous to serious. While we talk some of the time on our bikes (if terrain and traffic allow), we always have a great yarn at the stops.

The stops are often a chance to exchange a few words with locals. Tho at this Sunday afternoon’s, our main company was a friendly, blond Anatolian sheepdog the size of a small polar bear and an intrepid tiny kitten.

We were all looking forward to today’s destination, Safranbolu. I’ll tell you more about it in my rest-day blog tomorrow. All I’ll say now, is that it’s beautiful, as is our hotel – all three buildings in the photo below.

My bedroom is the door on the right. When I first entered it late yesterday afternoon, I took one look at the bed, lay down and snoozed for half an hour. That was my first ever post-ride nap on this tour. Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.