“GRAND THRACE TOUR” Day 4... I was up and off before 8am, cycling under the beautiful morning mist turning everything smoky. The sight distance was remarkably low at first, then the fog started to disappear. The first people I saw were two young brown bottle flu revellers (probably post-Thracian rave generation) sat in the middle of the cycle path waiting for the soup restaurant to open... Anyway, after last night’s fishy about the gills myself, I was feeling great and I thought to myself: “This is the best morning of the journey so far.”
So a great first Teacherage ‘camping’ experience. No issues. I was headed for the hills to the Mehmetçik Forest on the D-555 (Tekirdağ ~ Edirne Highway) and to find the true source of the Ana Deresi (Mother Brook) for the Bıyıkali Pond. I cycled through wheat, sunflower and canola fields and some interesting fruit orchards and vineyards, little rural villages, and climbed several steep tracks broken up with regular breaks. I had to push the bike a short distance when the ‘path’ was heavily gravelled and looked to be a 20% incline. But I were still buzzing off the last 24 hours, so I was enjoying myself.
The encounter with loose, mad dogs everywhere happened to be a distinct adrenaline-boosting adventure as well. Some was really cute, others were nasty. But luckily I saved my skin from each incident.
I pushed on up into Hayrabolu, not so much a touristy village other than its famed Hacılar Bridge and Hayrabolu dessert within the Tekirdağ borders most known for its wheat and sunflower fields, the most plenteous in the Thrace because of the large reservoirs of the Ergene River. It was my aim to spend the night here and make a historic tour in this little town, however, the Teacherage declined me as it was full due to some kind of agricultural organisation, so I turned my back and went for a beer instead.
A beer each in separate locations later, I was feeling cocky and ready to climb peaks and troughs and head the flat lands for the final kilometres (31½ KM to be precise) to Babaeski Monument – my destination point. This sits in the junction of the two border cities Kırklareli and Edirne, right beside my new lodging nest. It was here that I planned to accommodate for a few weeks and carry out the following series of my North Thracian tours.
Belly filled, I went to sleep as expectedly tomorrow would be just another exploratory day.
Good night, my dear friends. J
TOUR DETAILS
Tour Date: 11.11.2017; Saturday
COURSE: Tekirdağ >> Hayrabolu Way >> HAYRABOLU >> Alpullu >> Pancarköy >> BABAESKİ
Itinerary Trail: Tekirdağ Teacher’s Lodge (Digs) >> İskele St. >> Hükümet St. >> Tekirdağ Metropolitan Municipality >> Hayrabolu St. >> Tekirdağ ~ Edirne Highway (D555) >> Mehmetçik Forest >> Turnout: Bıyıkali Village >> Turnout: Osmanlı Village >> Turnout: Karabezirgan Village >> Ortaca Village >> Yörükler Village >> Kandamış Village >> Turnout: Çeneköy >> HAYRABOLU >> Alpullu St. >> Tekirdağ ~ Edirne Highway (D555) >> Lahna Village >> Sinanlı Village >> Alpullu >> Pancarköy >> İstanbul ~ Edirne Highway (D100) >> BABAESKİ
Nature of the Tour: “Grand Thrace Tour” ~ From Southern Thrace to the North West
Total Travel Distance: 85 km
Total Cycling Distance: 85 km
Total Vehicle Distance: 0 km
Vehicles Used for the Trip: None
Total Trip Time: 9½ hrs. (09:30~18:00)
Total Cycling Time: 9½ hrs. (09:30~18:00) Stopovers: 1 hr.
Air Temperature: 12°C (Cloudy
Average Speed: 13.00 km
Maximum Speed: 51.00 km
Details of Tour Costs
Transport: 0,00 TL
Accommodation: 0,00 TL
Food & Bevereges: 13,00 TL
Other: 2,00 TL
Total Costs: 15,00 TL
Yours in Bike Adventure,
Two Wheels Too Many Journeys
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