Saturday 20 June: ZADAR to home

An early alarm gives us time to carry the bike boxes out of the old town and to grab a takeout coffee and croissant from our favourite bakery. The taxi driver is punctual at 7.30 and we have an easy drive to Split Airport. Chaos awaits us - we must remember to try and avoid Saturday transfers. We are escorted through the crowds with our enormous boxes and the check in is relatively easy. Then follows a long snaking queue to get through security. Sadly it seems these airports have taken on more than they can deal with and we wonder how they will cope in July and August. We take off on schedule and have an uncomfortable attempt at a nap on the way. Bikes and bags all arrive safely too and we are home in Topsham by 2pm. To cherish many happy memories of an excellent holiday.

Friday 19 June: PAG to ZADAR

A humble breakfast up in the Gods and we hit the road at 9.00am. No Bura wind today and the sea is tranquil. A lovely flat road takes us along the southern part of Pag to the bridge over to the mainland. We pass several kiosks selling homemade Paski Sir cheese and we buy some for our lunch from an old lady who doesn't speak a word of English. Barren rocks and scrubland surround us and there are reflections today. We make good progress and even have time to stop for a coffee and coke at a cafe where they are spit roasting a whole lamb. We never seem to come across one at meal times though. We arrive "home" in Zadar after 35 miles at 1pm and are greeted by Ana, the girl who looked after the apartment when we stayed here last September. We have our picnic in our "room with a view" before cycling off to the local town beach for a read and a swim. Clouds start to gather so we wander around the streets of Zadar again, once more admiring the polished marbelled streets and fine architecture. It is Ethno day and the streets are filled with people in local costume singing folk songs and parading. Time to pack the bikes away in boxes as we near the end of our trip. We have booked our final meal at our favourite fish restaurant Fôsa.

Thursday 18 June: Pag

Ferocious wind (bora) in the night and it's still blowing hard in the morning- ironically from what seems to be the North now, which would have suited us just fine yesterday on the road! Earlyish breakfast, then into town for provisions, including the "world's best cheese" according to a bill board we saw yesterday - "Paski Sir" - about £8 for a wedge for two. It's sheep's cheese, and we've actually seen the sheep grazing on the scrubby rocky landscape on our way down form the tip of Pag. The sheep eat the wild thyme and lavender and that is meant to enhance the flavour. It's coated in olive oil for good measure. We eat this on a secluded cove which we have all to ourselves, which allows for some FKK style sunbathing and swimming, just up and along a dirt track and then a precipitous descent. We are creatures of habit and have our cheapest large beer - 15 Kn each - so about £1.50 near the reconstructed old bridge in the harbour and then it's back to our very high balcony via 2 lifts for nibbles....

Wednesday 17 June: RAB to PAG

Today we battle with the Bura - the very strong wind that blows in this area resulting in the arid and barren areas of rock on Pag. The wind means that we cannot breakfast in the garden of the hotel and we are anxious that the small ferry won't go today. However at 12 we load the bikes on and head off, just the two of us like a private taxi service. Unfortunately it is very rough with massive waves and I am worried that I will be sea sick but I keep my eyes shut and hope! We arrive unscathed and the weather seems to be brighter albeit breezy. Then follows the best cycle of the trip so far - about 10 miles along the northern tip of Pag, along a quiet road with beautiful scenery on either side. Limestone walls fencing in the sheep (Pag is famous for its sheep cheese) although they look a scrawny bunch. Olive trees, sweet broom, jasmine, mallow and some sort of thistle / field eringo (?) line the road. We arrive in Novalja, the party town and find a quiet spot on the beach for a late lunch and a quick dip. The road now becomes busier and the wind is even stronger. We are constantly battling against a head wind and often buffeted by cross winds and we get blown into the sides on several occasions. I am producing a lot of adrenaline today and am pretty terrified. The views remain spectacular with amazing scenery of lunar like rock formations, scrubland, vegetatation and turquoise seas. We eventually descent into Pag town, the wind so strong now that we have to crawl along at snails pace for fear of being blown over. Our hotel is perched on a cliff and we are on the top floor! Good views if we could stand the wind! We hope it will be more peaceful tomorrow.

Tuesday 16 June: RAB to LOPAR and back

Earlyish start as it's such a beautiful day, breakfast on the terrace before anyone else. We ask the waiter, who comes form Korcula, about the ferry to Lun on the tip of Rab which is shown on the maps but there's no schedule for anywhere that we can see. He isn't sure either. On our way to LOPAR beach, about 10 miles away, we ask at numerous tourist offices and get a broadly favourable view that this might be possible, though with bikes?...LOPAR beach is a wide sandy expanse and very family orientated so we head off to the lunar/martian landscape beyond and spread out on the weathered sandstone and swim in beautifully clear water with the cloud-capped mainland rising up steeply in the distance. The island of Goli Otok nearby looking barren and shining white in the sun light. Eventually we make our way back to Rab up and down the hills on smooth new tarmac and reward ourselves with a large Karlovascko in the harbour. The mystery of the boat to Lun is then solved when we see it arrive and the owner confirms it leaves tomorrow at 12 and he'll take our bikes. 

Monday 15 June: RAB

Happy Birthday Izzie! We breakfast in the rather swish dining room of our hotel and I'm pleased to find muesli, yoghurt and some fresh fruit. The weather is rather cloudy so we take the opportunity to explore further the old town of Rab. As we pass the bell tower of the Cathedral we notice a sign saying "sightseeing at your own risk". Intrigued, we pay 15 kunar each for the pleasure of an extremely vertiginous ascent up the tower which involves several precipitous ladders. We even have to crawl through a small opening to get to the top. By this time I am pretty sweaty but the views are spectacular and the weather seems to be clearing. After some more exploring and photo opportunities (and shopping - Simon buys some swimming trunks) we decide to cycle to the peninsula recommended by our waiter last night. Sadly the clouds are gathering again and we are soon sheltering under a tree in a downpour. We wait for it to clear but it looks pretty set in so we decide to head for home. We enjoy a pleasant picnic on the balcony of our hotel room and the weather improves again. We walk over to the town beach and find a sheltered spot for some reading and swimming.

Sunday 14 June: Krk to Rab

After breakfast amongst the Roman ruins of Volsonis nightclub opposite where we are staying the nice lady from our hotel appears and shows us round the remains of what was once Volsonis's house ( he was a Roman soldier). There are great lumps of Roman walls just lying around and all now incorporated into the night club - even a sacrificial altar. After the mini tour we head off ever upwards for 4 miles eventually getting to Vrh, hot and very sweaty for the lovely long swoop down to Valbriska ferry port. An uneventful crossing to Rab Island. It's incredibly hot and humid and feels like there will be a storm later (well hopefully later and not whilst we're on our bikes). We are staying in a very posh hotel - the Arbiana, and they receptionists are most amused that we have arrived on bikes! We walk around Rab old town, with its beutiful churches before a storm arrives, which we observe from the shelter of one (!) of our balconies. Another cheap meal out in the evening for £26 for both of us including wine!