41. Kastoria to Meteora - Mad Bike Rides

6 June 2022

We both had had a bad night. Sweating like piglets…draped in wet towels….to try and cool down just a little.

And we left later than planned…so we were both a little anxious that we would not be able to complete our silly-distance plan for the day (especially given the heat!!). Then…”I have a big problem” says Iain…me thinking that he had forgotten to charge his battery!! “Worse than that”…he said…momentary panic…but he had simply forgotten that I had his passport in my bag!!

But we do now have a new battery (couriered up from Athens!)…and thankfully the clouds hung around…so for the first few hours it was not as hot as it might have been!!

Pleasant riding…on the ideal road agin (ie one running parallel with a motorway)…so it was completely empty!!

Lots of up and downs….interestingly diverse scenery…

but with a stinger of a climb at the 90km mark!! Funny…here we are worrying about dogs!! (I have been chased three times…and up to today Iain only once…but he had a close shave – at speed – with a monster today…!). No bear sightings though!!

We both felt drained at the top!! But met a lovely Dutchman in his campervan…who kindly provided ice cold water!! Never tasted so good!!

So interesting to compare the climbing on the last two days (well, interesting to us!!. This was yesterday…

…and this was today.

And despite the greater distance and more metres climbed…today felt easier!!

Thankfully from the top it really was downhill almost the whole way…with clouds building once again…lots of lightening and thunder…but we arrived at Meteora with only a few spots of rain!! (..thoughts of Cloudy Bay).