Day 27
Sleeping location: Spooky hillside about 30km down the SP28 from Apricena, Italy
Distance (km today/total): 174 / 3149
Estimated climb (m today/total): 1000 / 22900
Towns in 130km of riding: 3
Day in three words: Through the badlands
Despite more ants in the overnight oats, we were up and out by 7 and smashing out the distance so Matt could catch his train*. This bit was along the SS16, a major road which runs over 1000km all down the Adriatic coast, from the top of the thigh of Italy to the tip of its stiletto heel. As such it was fast going, but not always pleasant as some bits were busy and the shoulder kept disappearing (classic Italy). It was cloudless and got very hot from about 10am. At 1pm we rolled into Termoli, Matt’s jumping-off point, and celebrated with a dip in the sea that was very well received. Termoli’s old town was surprisingly lovely and we had enough time for a wander around and a pizza before Matt rolled off for good.
I set off alone and almost immediately entered what I unaffectionately call the badlands. This area was very hot, very flat and very empty. It was a sort of semi-desert that was only being used for farmland due to some extreme irrigation. Everything felt forgotten and run down and kind of odd. Down the main road several prostitutes were hanging out by the side of the road - one threw a tomato at me but her aim was no good. After turning off the main road I found my suggested route blocked by a massive pile of rocks in the road. No signs, no explanation. It was that kind of place.
By mid afternoon it was scorchingly hot, so much so that many of the fields were literally on fire. The locals didn’t seem too bothered so I think it must have been deliberate, although one fire had clearly got a bit out of hand and had burned down half of the wooden electricity/telephone poles in the field. The few towns I passed through were also really strange, again they felt forgotten and run down, like some distant corner of the desert in South America or something.
Finding a camping spot was an absolute nightmare. Everything was farmland and it was totally flat, so it was impossible to be a) unseen and b) not clearly on someone’s land. There were also loads of dogs randomly hanging out in the middle of fields, I guess to deter tomato bandits or something, but the idea of one of them spotting me was not appealing. Several of the dogs got a bit overexcited and chased the bike for a bit, which was fun. I ended up halfway up a hillside under some scrubby trees and an electricity pylon, not very well concealed but it was the best spot in about 30km. It was initially quite windy and the pylon cables made some spooky noises which just added to the sense of unease. Due to the spooks/heatstroke I didn’t eat anything in the evening, which is Very Naughty. One saving grace of all this - I spent so long cycling on the lookout for a camp spot that I made some big distance today, leaving myself an easier run into Bari tomorrow.
*Matt caught the train from Termoli because he needed to be in Bari a day sooner than me to help with wedding prep, or perhaps because he is a lazy bastard, who knows.
Distance (km today/total): 174 / 3149
Estimated climb (m today/total): 1000 / 22900
Towns in 130km of riding: 3
Day in three words: Through the badlands
Despite more ants in the overnight oats, we were up and out by 7 and smashing out the distance so Matt could catch his train*. This bit was along the SS16, a major road which runs over 1000km all down the Adriatic coast, from the top of the thigh of Italy to the tip of its stiletto heel. As such it was fast going, but not always pleasant as some bits were busy and the shoulder kept disappearing (classic Italy). It was cloudless and got very hot from about 10am. At 1pm we rolled into Termoli, Matt’s jumping-off point, and celebrated with a dip in the sea that was very well received. Termoli’s old town was surprisingly lovely and we had enough time for a wander around and a pizza before Matt rolled off for good.
I set off alone and almost immediately entered what I unaffectionately call the badlands. This area was very hot, very flat and very empty. It was a sort of semi-desert that was only being used for farmland due to some extreme irrigation. Everything felt forgotten and run down and kind of odd. Down the main road several prostitutes were hanging out by the side of the road - one threw a tomato at me but her aim was no good. After turning off the main road I found my suggested route blocked by a massive pile of rocks in the road. No signs, no explanation. It was that kind of place.
By mid afternoon it was scorchingly hot, so much so that many of the fields were literally on fire. The locals didn’t seem too bothered so I think it must have been deliberate, although one fire had clearly got a bit out of hand and had burned down half of the wooden electricity/telephone poles in the field. The few towns I passed through were also really strange, again they felt forgotten and run down, like some distant corner of the desert in South America or something.
Finding a camping spot was an absolute nightmare. Everything was farmland and it was totally flat, so it was impossible to be a) unseen and b) not clearly on someone’s land. There were also loads of dogs randomly hanging out in the middle of fields, I guess to deter tomato bandits or something, but the idea of one of them spotting me was not appealing. Several of the dogs got a bit overexcited and chased the bike for a bit, which was fun. I ended up halfway up a hillside under some scrubby trees and an electricity pylon, not very well concealed but it was the best spot in about 30km. It was initially quite windy and the pylon cables made some spooky noises which just added to the sense of unease. Due to the spooks/heatstroke I didn’t eat anything in the evening, which is Very Naughty. One saving grace of all this - I spent so long cycling on the lookout for a camp spot that I made some big distance today, leaving myself an easier run into Bari tomorrow.
*Matt caught the train from Termoli because he needed to be in Bari a day sooner than me to help with wedding prep, or perhaps because he is a lazy bastard, who knows.
if you didn't know before, you now know that there are two Italys.
ReplyDeleteThe north - very cosmopolitan and western European and
The south - largely run by bandits gangsters and the mafia and a bit like the wild west.
There are apparently more fully paid fire marshalls and fire look out guys in Sicily than the whole of Canada. around 40000. of course they don't really exist but somebody gets the wages.