Black Sea Coast

I can only speak of (car) driving experience, and in the midst of summer, but until Samsum the road is actually fairly flat. I don't know about the latter part to Istanbul. Compared to where you will be coming from. The D010 road follows the coastline pretty much with a few shortcts over some hills. Admittedly I expected more of the road. The towns you pass by are not that inviting as well, with a few exceptions. In towns the road is glued between the beach and town... like an impassable barrier for residents (or guests) to get to the beach. That said, it will be a relatively easy cycle.

Alternatively you could cycle Kars - Erzurum - Erzincan - Merzifon and so on. Most of that route will follow a valley / gorge, and at times pretty attractive - to me it was a less of a drag compared to the coastal route. However, that means a serious passage over the Lesser Caucasus to the Anatolian highlands.

Like jelger my experience in the area is driving. Nearly all of it in September(s) and October(s) when I've driven a good portion of the Black Sea coast of Turkey.

1) Yes, you can expect quite a bit of wet weather along the coast. Hopa to Samsun weather is normally grey and misty, especially in the mornings. As the year progresses SERIOUS rain events become more and more possible.

2) The coastal route between Hopa and Samsun is mainly flat BUT there are MANY tunnels through roughly N-S offshoots of the E-W mountain range. If bicycles are not allowed in the tunnels (VERY possible) you face some serious climbs and long diversions just to make a small amount of "real" progress along your route. West of Samsun, the coast becomes more and more mountainous to become essentially impossible for the 150 miles or so between Gerze and Ereğli.

3) You can take a reasonable trip through the coastal mountain range by following the E95 from Samsun to the E80 that leads to Istanbul.

4) Turkey is NOT bicycle friendly! Utterly zero consideration for bicycles in the design of ANYTHING. Why? Because they are neither a practical nor reasonable means of transportation (or even enjoyment for kids) in the vast majority of the country!

I don't bike but the road from Hopa to Trabzon is not attractive, it would be more beautiful to head inland, although there are serious climbs.

Thank you all very much. These suggestions and advice are really helpful.

Taking Jelger's idea, heading inland and cutting south west through Sivas or possibly Malatya to Cappadocia and on to the coast and flying back from Antalya seems a more appealing alternative. This is subject to how mountainous it is and finding places to stay. We're inclined to head due south from Hopa to Erzurum unless going via Kars is easier and a lot more enjoyable. We might try some white water rafting on the Coruh River.

I'm not sure we'll be able to establish how mountainous it will be in advance. We're in our sixties and our chief concern is finding a route that minimises the risk of our not being up to it.

If there are nights and places when there is no hotel/pension presumably we'll have to ask around for someone to put us up.

Any further advice would be very welcome.

Thank you

Mouse9

I normally only read the cycle touring forum here on TT but a friend sent me this. It should be posted on the other area. It is very unfortunate that a cyclist be getting advice from car drivers.
I have cycled right along the coast from Batumi to Istanbul (the last bit being along the Mamara sea). I have also cycled quite a bit on the Anatolian plateau incl Kostamanu, Erzurum, Kars, Van. And I have crossed into Iran from Turkey on both crossings. I have also cycled through Yerevan and Tibilisi. My report on Turkish infrastructure and drivers for the sake of cyclists is they are both fine. The road shoulders are good. The tunnels are rideable because they have shoulders and are lit. Particularly along the Black Sea coast where there are so many. Turks are kind and community minded people. They pay attention when driving. Turkey is a great country for cycling.
Concerning the compactness of land on the north coast due to the proximity of the mountains and the sea, it would often be a pain if you were using a car. But on a bike we have no such problems.
The towns people are great. Perhaps if you arrived in a car, hassled by not being able to get a park you might take it out on the locals. But on a bike you will be the beneficiary of the great hospitality, being given cups of tea etc.
I should point out that on the plateau there are some very long climbs. And getting up there can involve massive climbs. A few years ago we went up 2,640M in one day without let-up. There was no town we could have broken the ride in and we didn't carry camping equipment. We knew it was so though and were ready for it. I'd say you'd be better off on the coast where the climbing is about 1,000m a day on average after you have done the first 300km. You always come down though so it is not bad. We rode the coast E to W in June and the winds averaged out. We had one rainy day. Speaking of hills though, you'll strike some in Northern Armenia. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask. Oh, and you'll see lots of cycle tourists. Much of your route is the main one for Europeans heading towards China.

It is very unfortunate that a cyclist be getting advice from car drivers.

True. I do have cycling (trekking) experience though, and I kept that in mind. :-)
I Just don't have cycling experience on this particular route.

Thank you very much noelbike 2 (and also jelger).

We had given up on the idea of the Black Sea coast but it now seems more feasible than the mountains and very attractive.

Good to hear about the friendly Turks as well.

Kind regards

Mouse 9

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.