Chris's space

The ride from Sibenik to Pula along the D8 was a nightmare as far as Rijeka with strong, gusting winds (Bora) trying to blow me off the cliffs and into the sea, completely the opposite of when I was coming the other way hahaha. After Rijeka I turned south-west and the winds died down, built up with holiday towns and then just the road winding along the side of the mountains.

The main attraction in Pula is the Roman amphitheater built between 27 BC – 14 AD, it is big. There is also a castle on top of the hill, not so easy a walk for old people hahaha. The old town is nice and definitely not crowded with tourists like the Dalmatian coast.

I went on a boat tour of the Brijuni Islands, did not get off the boat.

I also went on another tour of Tito’s personal island where he lived for half the year, entertained visiting international politicians and had his own zoo and golf course.

I rode from Makarska to Sibenik on the D8 again, retracing my route on the way down. Blue skies, blue seas and the road winding along the mountainside, a perfect day.

Sibenik – the main reason I stopped here was to visit the Krka National Park and its waterfalls. There is an old town and 3 forts above it, I climbed the stairs to the one in the centre of town. Rather than ride to the National Park I took an all boat day trip (400 Kuna including lunch and drinks) which takes you right into the park, you then get 3 hours to explore and back home again, very nice indeed.

Krka National Park

Having reached the southern end of Croatia I am now heading back along the same coast road (D8) to the north with the same beautiful scenery. I took a small detour and stopped at the town of Ston to take some pictures of its famous wall. Once again I had to pass through Bosnia and back into Croatia. I actually got a stamp by Croatian immigration (the only one so far) when exiting Croatia into Bosnia got waved through the next 3 checkpoints without any stamps, so according to my passport I departed Croatia but never arrived anywhere else hahaha.

Makarska – a holiday town, very nice beach with many hotels, restaurants and cafe’s, it gets crowded on the weekend.

The ride from Split to Dubrovnik on the D8 was as good as ever but busier with many small towns all of which offer accommodation for tourists. I had to pass through a sliver of Bosnia to get to Dubrovnik, short queue of cars, I had my passport and bike insurance ready, took my helmet and glasses off and the guy did not even open my passport just gave it back to me and waved me on hahaha, same for the Bosnia guy. Then a short ride through Bosnia and the town of Neum and the next border crossing back into Croatia, this time I got waved through both sides. They were checking the documents of people in cars not sure what the criteria is, maybe Bike riders are considered harmless.

Dubrovnik, the most popular tourist destination in Croatia and a UNESCO heritage site, millions of tourists and its not even peak season as yet. Generally speaking Croatia is one of the cheapest places to visit in Europe but Dubrovnik is the exception with prices being 3 t0 4 times more expensive than other parts of the country.

I stayed at a guesthouse above the old town and it was on a street that turned out to be a flight of stairs hahaha. All the horizontal streets are actual roads but the vertical streets in this area are all stairs and each house has a street number. Building the houses must have meant they carried all the materials down or up the stairs. There is a very good bus network with modern busses, cost 15 kuna a ride if you buy your ticket on the bus or 12 kuna if you buy it in advance at any small shop/kiosk. The main bus station for the old town is called Pile (Peelay).

Day trip to Cavtat by boat, picturesque little seaside town between two peninsulas shaped like a claw. The boat leaves from the Dubrovnik old town Harbour, 80 kuna return and takes about an hour each way with a couple of stops on the way. There is a pathway that goes right around the bigger arm of the claw with small beaches and cafes.

I took the cable car to the top of the mountain where there is a fort and inside the fort is the war museum, cost 150 kuna for the ride and 30 kuna for the musuem. Good views of Dubrovnik from the top, the museum is about the 1991 war when Serbia and Montenegro tried to capture Dubrovnik and damaged the city with cannon fire and bombs.

And finally I walked around the town on top of the Wall that surrounds it which is an unbroken pathway. As the wall follows the contours it goes up and down with many steps, knee punishment and I paid 150 kuna for this torture, you have been warned hahaha.

Zadar to Split on the D8, many small village and towns along the coast, slow going with the occasional stretch of clear road, interesting ride with great views.

Split, a major port and second largest city in Croatia and famous for the Palace of Diocletian. You can also get ferries to various islands from here, lots of tourists coming and going.

Day trip to Hvar town on Hvar Island from Split, this is a big island and a popular destination. The ferry ticket on Kapetan Luka is 90 Kuna each way and you buy it from a kiosk at the start of the pier. There are a number of departures every day and there is accommodation on the island.

Day trip to Trogir from Split by ferry, there are a number of departures everyday, cost 30 kuna one way, buy your ticket on the boat. This is also an island but only just, its connected to the mainland by a very short bridge. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. Narrow streets packed with restaurants and tourists. If you want a meal and a drink at half price just cross the bridge to the mainland, there is a big market and many restaurants.

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I followed the freeway from Zagreb to the coast and then turned off onto the D8 which has to be one of the great biking roads of the world. It follows the coast almost all the way with mountains on one side and the sea on the other, many small villages and hundreds of bikes on the road enjoying the ride and the sunshine.

Zadar, an ancient city, the oldest in Croatia, the old town has narrow winding streets and many tourists.