Day 65

21/10/2011 – Day 65

Cernavodǎ to Hârşova – 72km

The day started shrouded in mist, you could hardly see across the road. The official route take us back through the town centre and up a steep hill on the main road, but looking at the map there is an alternative route taking us round the outside of the town along the river bank. Admittedly it is not the prettiest part of town but it is staying faithful to following the river, plus it misses that hill!

When we left the Germans bikes had gone so they must be ahead of us on the road. The mist was still thick and although it was not that cold at the moment we were getting wet as we cycled.  By the time we came out of the mist we were soaked.

This time the short cut worked and we came out on the main road exactly where we thought we would. We were planning to get to Hârşova again so any energy saved was a bonus.

Our first stop was Dunǎrea where we stop for the usual coffee. After that it was a long ride with sandy hills to our right and the river to our left. The land has signs of past farming but there is very little work happening now, everything looks deserted.

The river flows through a valley with hills on both sides; the road climbs and descends these hills in an attempt to stay away from the flood zones. This results in a series of climbs that are difficult going up to killer.

These hills take their toll on us and we are ready to stop, according to the guide once again and Google maps, there is a motel/restaurant just past the village of Tichilesti on the junction with the main road from Constanţa to Bucharest. We decide to go for it and at least have lunch there. When we arrive the sign declares it to be a ‘non-stop’ rest area. Well, it stopped quite some time ago, the place looked deserted and derelict. So with a heavy heart and tired legs we head back to Tichilesti.

Coming into the village from the other direction we spot a bar we had missed earlier. These places do not look much and the shop next door has very limited selection but they are run by the same types of people who are willing to help you every time. The guy running the place is only too happy to sell us food in the shop and then let us eat it in his bar. He even complained when we tried to clean up after, telling us to leave it and have a good trip!

We leave and head off towards Hârşova but at a steady pace to conserve energy and make sure we get there before dark. The last section is on the main road we had just been to and we had seen the level of traffic we were going to meet.

When we finally came to the point of no return the traffic was very heavy, the worst we have seen so far on the trip. The road had a very narrow strip outside the white line and a bit of gravelled verge, but not enough to keep you away from the trucks as they pass making no effort to give you and space at all. It is only 5km but it is the hairiest part of the whole trip so far.

Arriving in the town we stop at the first restaurant for a late lunch. It is the first traditional restaurant we have seen for days. While we are eating 5 or 6 guys in their 20’s come in and settle down for an evening of domino’s. Just what you expect young guys to do on a Friday night.

We had looked at the accommodation in Hârşova last night and there were supposed to be two guest houses here, we found the address of the first in the town centre and there was nothing there. Asking a postwoman for directions she sent us to the edge of the town where we found the second one we were looking for plus another one we didn’t know about, they were both full! Who on earth wants to stay here at the weekend?

The only option we are given is to ride a further ‘3km’ to another motel just outside town. This actually turns out to be 5km down the main road with the heavy traffic again.

When we find the hotel it is an old service station that has had the pumps removed. We had arrived just as the sun set and this was our last chance for a bed tonight. The place usually caters to truck drivers so it was very basic with shared showers and toilets, but it was also cheap and they had a room for us. In this situation we had no choice, but at least it was warm and dry.