Today, I was tired after two hard days back riding from my two weeks of rest and magnificent relaxation in the Greek Isles. Luckily, there was nobody around in the morning to make me hurry, and while I’d always like to get going early, my natural laziness kicks in and says – John, this is a holiday not a boot camp. It always makes sense to me.
So today, I had muesli, yoghurt and banana, washed down with an excellent cheesecloth filtered coffee. It all took time, but I was still underway by 9:45.
There were a few kilometres of olive groves back up to the road and from there it was pretty flat along the coast. It’s such a relief having a pretty easy day. I’ve got almost nothing left in the tank. I feel slightly sore, definitely fatigued, sort of hungry but not, and I don’t know what I want. So I tootled along until I came to a turnoff that said ‘beach’, checked the map, saw there were cafes and restaurants and turned off to Livanates.
There’s a beach, some tavernas, a park and enough families to add a nice atmosphere. I stopped at a grill restaurant and had some protein while looking across the gulf of Malian. As usual, it was a little hard to leave and resume cycling but it was an easy day which would finish at a great campsite.
The route took me away from the coast for a while before coming back and hugging the coastline for most of the final twenty kilometres. I passed through the large-ish town of Kamena Vourla. On the water side of the road there was at least a kilometre that was completely lined with restaurants. The kitchen and service areas were on the other side, so the wait staff had to cross the road and navigate the traffic while carrying trays of food and drinks. That’s the definition of an occupational hazard.
I turned off this road for a very quiet final nine kilometres to Camping Venezuela. By the time I got there, I was completely exhausted but super happy that I was staying here. It’s a fantastic campsite run by lovely people. The tent pitches were grassed, there was a restaurant and everything was spotlessly clean.
I immediately booked in for two nights knowing that I needed a rest, and that this was the perfect place for it.
Pitching the tent took ages, as did cleaning up, then I had a nap before trying out the restaurant. The food was fantastic.
Unfortunately, I camped beside a light pole and it felt like daylight for most of the night. I was too tired to care and slept well.
