I stayed two nights at Camping Elena. It’s a really nice place. George, the owner asked me all about my trip and after I told him that I’m not going to the Stans, he said – you’re not in a rush then, why not stay here another night. I’m so glad I did.
I met a Dutch couple who live in Turkey. They’re great. Everyone at the campground was nice. George took a few of us into Igoumenitsa to get things we needed. I needed cash.
The rest of the day was reading and swimming. It felt like summer.
Since October, I’ve carried a Helinox Chair Zero. It’s far more comfortable than the little one I had. It was so small, it felt like you could only get one buttock on it at a time. It was light though and did the job of keeping my butt off the ground but after a days riding, some back support is nice.
So, I was sitting in the Chair Zero, lent slightly left to pick up a water bottle, straightened up and Crack ! The plastic moulding in the chair frame cracked. I’ve probably only used the chair twenty times since I bought it. This isn’t supposed to happen.
I quickly sent emails to Helinox and the store where I bought it – The Brokedown Palace, in London, then realised it was Saturday and nothing will happen for a couple of days.
(Fast forward to Monday morning, and both Helinox and the store have been brilliant. The result is that another chair frame is on its way to Athens. Hopefully it all works out).
The next morning, I set out in the direction of Prevesa, not knowing how far I’d go. There were plenty of hills on the way and plenty of main road too. The traffic was light though and the first half, had a good shoulder, so it was all nice and easy.
After the first hill, Komoot took me down a really quiet road for 5 or 10kms of pleasant downhill through a rural area. I was hurtling down the hill and saw a large dog lying in the middle of the road. He saw me and came running at me, so I stopped, not knowing what he’d do. About 10 metres from me, he slowed down, lowered his head and wagged his tail furiously. The rest of his body also wagged as he was soooo happy. I hope all of my Greek dog encounters are like this. He just wanted a pat and a scratch, and then I was off again with a big (and relieved) smile on my face.
Another hill came along and it felt like it went for ages, but I knew it wouldn’t last and I knew the going was to get easier on the way into Athens (Note from future self – Dreamin’ ! I hadn’t decided on my route yet).
At the top were more breathtaking views and a quick descent to some popular beaches.
There were some camping possibilities towards the end today, but stupidly by then, I didn’t have much food or water, and it was a Sunday with very few shops around or open. So wild camping was out of the question as was any camping without some nearby food possibilities.
I was hoping the coast would continue with beaches and restaurants as before, but that seemed to thin out as I headed south. A few kms from Prevesa, I booked a room.
The town is packed. Everyone is strolling around by the docks as the sun sets. I was starving. It was easy to find a place to eat because like most southern Europeans, they eat very late here. By the time I had finished overeating though, the place was packed.
After a tiring ride, I was pleased to collapse back at the BnB and not worry about how I was to get through the Prevesa tunnel – tomorrow.