Absolutely pooped today

Tuesday 20th June.   The last 4 days I’ve been traveling inland towards Brasov. Had thought about getting there today and currently only about 32 miles away but at about 11.50 this morning found a nice restaurant and there was a campsite just a few hundred meters along the road and decided to call it quits for today.

I’m in a wee town called Cheia, in the Ciucas Mountains and it’s beautiful. Tomorrow I’ve got about 10 miles and 2000 feet of climbing to do and then hopefully a nice swoopy downhill 20 miles to Brasov.

Three afternoons ago after a very hot day I asked at the wee shop I’d stopped at if there was any accommodation near by as I couldn’t find anything online. At the end of the village there was rooms – the man there phoned somebody who phoned somebody to confirm there was a spare room – room was basic – no lock on the door, 2 single beds one of which looked as if it had been slept in – communication had been difficult so I didn’t say anything and opted to use the other bed – plenty of hot water in the over the bath shower but no shower curtain and as is often the case nowhere to hang the shower head so you end up having a one handed shower which isn’t easy – the bath rocked with the slightest move I made and it was a very quick shower in case something broke altogether and bath and me went the floor.

Following day was a big day – just short of a 100 miles with a wee rest on the ferry close to the Romanian / Bulgarian border. Nearly all flat and nice easy cycling apart from a few miles of road improvement works – where it was just gravel – wasn’t sure if the gravel was the improvement on what had been there before or if there was more work to be done. In the morning passed miles of vine yards and was very tempted to buy some to try from an old man who was selling it at a stall at the roadside but I had nowhere to put a 2 litre plastic bottle of wine. In the afternoon saw my first sunflowers of this trip. Didn’t pass through many villages and very little traffic which was good, but this was the most isolated I’d felt on the whole of my journey and was glad nothing went wrong with the bike. Not long after being back on tarmac a beastie shot into my left eye – should have had my sunglasses on – it wasn’t just uncomfortable, it stung like anything and I couldn’t see anything for a good few minutes – really needed an eye bath but the only liquid I had was 1/2 grapefruit juice / 1/2 water and that wasn’t going to help – can’t be sure but wondered if it was an ant and it had squirted some acid. Eye settled down, although still very uncomfortable, and wheels turning again and onto a motel for the night – there wasn’t much choice and this was part of the reason for the big day – bed was comfortable and shower was good but it was a toasty hot day and there was underfloor heating in the room and it was roasting – opening the window didn’t help with the heat much and I could smell the bins which were below my window – my least favourite place to stay of the whole trip.

Overcast the next morning with a bit of a breeze and I was glad it was cooler. This was meant to be a much shorter day – flatish for most of it and into the hills later in the day. I had some phonecalls to make so had a few stops and also had an extended lunch – just generally chilled because I thought I had plenty of time! Again not a lot of choice of accomodation but found a campsite on booking com – it was going to be basic but that was fine – water but no electric, peaceful and good views – sounded perfect so started into the hills for “OffCamping” at a wee village called Bobicesti. One of my earlier phonecalls was to Karen back home – rather than cycling all the way home I’ve decided to fly from Bucharest to England and although I could book my flight on my phone I could not get the sports baggage options to come up so I’d phoned Karen so that she could do this for me – but the Wizzair website crashed at the time so we gave up until later. Only 6 miles from the campsite (or so I thought) I found myself pushing Bertie up a very steep hill  – which coincided with a huge roll of thunder and the heavens opening – which coincided with Karen phoning – now trying to hold up Bertie Bike up as there was nothing to lean the bike against and hold the phone to my ear I tell Karen I’ll phone her back – but Karen had my flight all sorted and just needed my bank details and I didn’t want to miss the chance of booking it – I’m now shouting out my bank details over the noise of the rain – my phone then pings with a message from the bank requesting my fingerprint so that it can confirm payment but by now as well as trying to hold bike up and hold phone to my ear I am absolutely soaked and because I’m wet and phone is wet it won’t recognise my finger print and much cursing and swearing ensues. Phonecall aborted I get to the top of this steep section and prop Bertie up against a cemetery wall – rain has stopped as quickly as it’s come on and the sun is blazing – dig my towel out and dry off phone and luckily there has not been too much of a time delay and I’m able to complete the booking for my flight and big thank you to Karen for doing all the work in the background – just don’t time it to coincide with a thunderstorm next time – lol. Onwards and upwards – the views were amazing but it was brutal – the most pushing I’ve done the hole trip – I finally get to top of a hill – wave hello to a man with a few cows and drop down the other side a short distance when the tarmac stops and its onto steep downhill dirt track – this was serious 4-wheel drive terrain – not heavily loaded 2-wheel Bertie bike terrain and I retreat. Back down to the man with the cows – not sure I’m pronouncing the village name right and show him the name on my phone and he points me back down the hill I’ve just struggled up. Back in the next wee village on my 3rd attempt a friendly couple call their daughter from the back garden – she does what I should have done in the first place and uses the link to the location on the booking.com website – coping the address into Google maps took you a short distance away as the crow flies but a long way round when it involves going down the hill you have just pushed up and then up another long hill but just not quite so steep – I don’t think I could have sweated mote if I’d tried and didn’t have the tent up until 8pm – not sure I want to cycle this stretch again but the scenery was beautiful.

Generally weary today. Something in my left arm “pinged” about a week ago when I took my rucksack off – it’s not been overly troublesome but was a but achy today – don’t think pushing Bertie uphill helped. My right leg wasn’t too happy either – maybe because of the bad cramp I got in it the previous night. Back downhill to join the main road and then mostly gentle up but into the wind made it hard going. The scenery in Romania has been amazing but this is the best so far. Glad I stopped early and enjoyed a wander through the town, taking in the views and watching the cows who were wandering through the town too.