Looks good, but remember Turkey is full of ancient ruins (more than just my house), and you won't want to come here and not see a few.
Circuit of Turkey.
- Thread starter stever1
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One thing I do remember about Istanbul, is how BIG the place is. And that’s from someone who lives in London, and has been to many of the big cities in the world. This of course was not helped when the ferry we were on, dumped us in the eastern side of the city, ie. in Asia, when I expected us to be in the west and the only map I had was of the western side. We did though have a great time and that was not our last ferry adventure either. If you are in any doubt, the Danube is a very big river, you cannot always see the other bank. Just because there is a ferry (they do not run every five minutes) do not necessarily go straight across…. They like to float along, out of sight of both banks, while the lorry drivers, spark up vile smelling cigarettes and set up tables for lunch and then play cards or snooze, next to their fuel tankers.
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Good point. Perhaps I ought to look at what we want to see rather than just doing a circuit.
Bods must never make any plans. I read it here.
But if I don’t plan how will I know where I’m going.
But if I don’t plan how will I know where I’m going.
That is a question that they can never answer.
I'm looking at Turkey for next year, and hopefully further east, depending on Putin.But if I don’t plan how will I know where I’m going.
I'm one of the ones that doesn't like to plan in detail. Obviously you need to know about visas and carnets and insurance before you go. Beyond that I'd list a few things I wanted to see, pore over maps wondering that the reality is like and head off. I'll decide which roads to use when I'm in the area and find out how I'm progressing.
Places to camp or accommodation I'd find on the way as I prefer to have the flexibility to speed up/slow down/stop as the mood takes me.
Some prefer to plan a route and expected stops, nothing wrong with it, just another approach.
I'm interested to see how you get on.
One thing, it gets hot. It starts hot, then as you go further east it gets hotter. Then as you go south it gets hotter. Avoid July and August if possible.
I’m the same, there is no way I could work to a fixed plan - spent my working life working to schedules and trying to get to appointments on time. Our trip down to Antalya via Istanbul and back along the med coast to Thessaloniki and Dubrovnik is about all the planning I’ve done.
I was wondering about the heat as our trip is getting more and more delayed due to family commitments. Hopefully we’ll be able to go in early May.
If you are near Lake Van and the town of Tatvan take a ride up around the Nemrut Crater. The road was 95% unpaved ten years ago, but they were starting to pave it back then. Spectacular views up there of the crater lake and out over Lake Van towards Mount Ararat.
Armenia is beautiful, we entered from Georgia, did an anti-clockwise lap of Lake Sevan before heading back into Georgia and on to Tbilisi.
The Georgians, seeing that the Turks haven't killed you will try even harder to do the job. Might is right and they will overtake say an oncoming truck and expect you to make the evasive move. It happened us several times.
Armenia is beautiful, we entered from Georgia, did an anti-clockwise lap of Lake Sevan before heading back into Georgia and on to Tbilisi.
The Georgians, seeing that the Turks haven't killed you will try even harder to do the job. Might is right and they will overtake say an oncoming truck and expect you to make the evasive move. It happened us several times.
I'm another heading round Turkey next year but will be stopping off in Georgia for 4 or 5 days and I will be avoiding the coast roads as much as possible, preferring to stay away from busier areas ( but I will also be visiting a friend in Istanbul for a few days ), and you also get more of a feel for the country in the interior.
I've been twice to just beyond Istanbul and then down to Isparta and back round on the Southern coast, both times travelling down from North Scotland and back in three and a half weeks !
It is possible but you are flogging it every day and will miss out on so much.
There are loads of excellent ' must see ' suggestions in previous posts here so I would be inclined to say to forget about doing a full loop but cherry pick what you would really like to see and do that instead ?
As previously mentioned, don't gesture anyone !
They will be trying to kill you so you will have to use both defensive and aggressive riding positioning..it will make sense.
Plenty camping on the coasts and also around some inland attractions ( especially lakes and rivers ).
I'm going to be there for all of July so it will be very hot but my previous trips were also July / August so I know what to expect.
As previously stated, the people are very warm and welcoming...until they get behind the wheel of their car / truck and then they turn into total psychos
This will be just over a 4 week round trip for myself and partner ( including stopping in Georgia )...but starting / finishing from / at, Motosapiens Bulgaria..where I will then stay on to help Polly for another 5 weeks or so, so if anyone happens to be visiting there in August and early September
.
I realise when I read this back that I haven't really given much in the way of constructive advice other than to not try to do a complete loop and I still stand by that
I've been twice to just beyond Istanbul and then down to Isparta and back round on the Southern coast, both times travelling down from North Scotland and back in three and a half weeks !
It is possible but you are flogging it every day and will miss out on so much.
There are loads of excellent ' must see ' suggestions in previous posts here so I would be inclined to say to forget about doing a full loop but cherry pick what you would really like to see and do that instead ?
As previously mentioned, don't gesture anyone !
They will be trying to kill you so you will have to use both defensive and aggressive riding positioning..it will make sense.
Plenty camping on the coasts and also around some inland attractions ( especially lakes and rivers ).
I'm going to be there for all of July so it will be very hot but my previous trips were also July / August so I know what to expect.
As previously stated, the people are very warm and welcoming...until they get behind the wheel of their car / truck and then they turn into total psychos
This will be just over a 4 week round trip for myself and partner ( including stopping in Georgia )...but starting / finishing from / at, Motosapiens Bulgaria..where I will then stay on to help Polly for another 5 weeks or so, so if anyone happens to be visiting there in August and early September
.I realise when I read this back that I haven't really given much in the way of constructive advice other than to not try to do a complete loop and I still stand by that
One extra thing I’d factor into my route planning is where the areas affected by last years big earthquakes are relative to where I want to go. I was over there twice at the back end of last year and the Turkish guys who work for the same company as me said not a lot has been done to repair the infrastructure of the damaged areas.
Ok, all good info.
Thinking about the heat perhaps September would be better than July.
Good point Andy about the earth quakes.
Talking to the mong who suggested this mad idea, I put it out that we ought to go east into Georgia via the Black Sea coast.
He then threw Baku into the pot. So this potential trip is growing all the time.
Return perhaps through central Turkey, ending up coming back through Greece, Italy etc.
I’m looking at how to get recovery cover in Turkey. Also need to check how far my bike insurance covers me.
Does anyone know what the roads are like out there ?
Interestingly, I mentioned having new tyres and an oil change in Turkey and that threw him into a real spin. I don’t know if he’s got enough ‘ bottle’ for a trip like this. For that matter, do I have it .
Thinking about the heat perhaps September would be better than July.
Good point Andy about the earth quakes.
Talking to the mong who suggested this mad idea, I put it out that we ought to go east into Georgia via the Black Sea coast.
He then threw Baku into the pot. So this potential trip is growing all the time.
Return perhaps through central Turkey, ending up coming back through Greece, Italy etc.
I’m looking at how to get recovery cover in Turkey. Also need to check how far my bike insurance covers me.
Does anyone know what the roads are like out there ?
Interestingly, I mentioned having new tyres and an oil change in Turkey and that threw him into a real spin. I don’t know if he’s got enough ‘ bottle’ for a trip like this. For that matter, do I have it .
If you can find this BBC2 programme:
World’s most dangerous roads
It presents some great roads up towards Georgia. Hugh Bonneville was one of the drivers.
World’s most dangerous roads
It presents some great roads up towards Georgia. Hugh Bonneville was one of the drivers.
For the most part the roads are fine, the only time I had any wobbles was in the middle of summer in fairly remote central Turkey and on small back roads...the tarmac had melted, so it was feet down and hope for the best for a few kilometres. My wife was on the back and we were fully loaded, so that was fun. Other than that it's the speed bumps in villages that'll catch you out, some are unmarked and blend in too well.
Oil changes and tyres won't be a problem, Turkey has quite a strong bike culture so there're service points in all towns and cities. There's a member on here who run/ran a tyre shop in Bandirma (His name is Bariş...pronounced "Barish".) He's a good bloke and will probably help out if asked. If needed, and you can do it yourselves, you can have tyres delivered to my place and do your own oil changes here too.
Everyone thinks that before a big trip. My view is don't over think it, don't over plan and just go. It'll work itself out.
The further away from home the harder it is to plan the detail so let it develop as it goes.
You want to read through this, it's all here
www.horizonsunlimited.com
Turkey, Travellers information
Country Information - Turkey Useful Tips For Riding In Turkey Introduction Paolo Volpara and the OMM (One More Mile Riders Group) have generously given of their time to produce an incredible amount of information for motorcyclists traveling to Turkey. The superb material they have provided here...
www.horizonsunlimited.com
ExcellentYou want to read through this, it's all here
Turkey, Travellers information
Country Information - Turkey Useful Tips For Riding In Turkey Introduction Paolo Volpara and the OMM (One More Mile Riders Group) have generously given of their time to produce an incredible amount of information for motorcyclists traveling to Turkey. The superb material they have provided here...
We wondered about this before we set off for Cape Town when we discovered that all the boats from Europe to Egypt had been cancelled due to the Gulf War. Then, about 2 days before we were due to leave, the Sudanese Embassy phoned to tell us that our visa application had been refused as they didn’t have any food or fuel and it was too hot for Europeans (50C). It all went swimmingly in the end.
We took 8 days to get to Istanbul from London en route for Beijing. 2,250 miles. Little or no motorway. Didn't feel like we were dawdling. You could easily do it in fewer days but I guess you'd need a more direct route and much faster roads. There and back in a week must have been fun - notSounds eminently more sensible
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