From South of Bartin to a bit North of Istanbul Airport.
Our campsite was in a hollow, so when we woke it was quite misty and damp. The tent was soaking. We carried it up onto a flat plateau in the sun and waited about 30 minutes for it to dry. Still on the road early, though, at just after 08.30.
Compared to yesterday, it was easy driving. Dual carriageway, so we made good progress, but it hasn’t been a very interesting drive today.
The D100
We wanted to cross Turkiye without using any toll roads. I had checked that this was possible by following the D100 which would take us through Istanbul and all the way to Edirne and the Bulgarian border. The D100 tracks the toll road for most of the way.
Running parallel with the toll road
The Sea of Marmara
We made very good progress and found ourselves on Türkiye’s opposite coast adjoining the Sea of Marmara. This was packed with shipping.
Approaching Istanbul
Traffic was considerably busier now and we were becoming surrounded by towering buildings.
All had been going swimmingly. We had been following the D100 with no problems. Suddenly we lost it and found ourselves entering a ferry terminal. The sat-nav was telling us we needed to take a ferry. It had obviously not been updated as the tunnel under the Bosphorus was completed in 2016!! I went into the terminal, but the man in charge spoke no English. We didn’t get far using Google Translate either. Despite telling him we were driving, he told me we could possibly get a bus to Edirne on the other side. I gave up, went back to Poki.
Turning on my roaming ( I have been avoiding doing this unless it’s absolutely necessary as it gets expensive), Google advised it was not necessary to get a ferry that the D100 would take us through the city. Using Google Maps we set off again and quickly found ourselves entering a tunnel. It had the HSG toll signs, but also said it was the D100. It took us under the waterway, but we soon lost the D100 again. After some frustration and u-turns, the sat-nav began to play ball again.
We made it through the city but on a more northerly non-toll road, the 020. By this time it was after 6pm and we had covered 502 kms. Slowly the traffic was subsiding and we were leaving the built up area. We needed to look for somewhere to stop. Shortly after passing Istanbul Airport, we found a large area of rough ground and drove as far from the road as possible. There is a large hedge next to us, but on the other side are some peacocks. They can be quite noisy, so hopefully they won’t be. Also we hope aircraft aren’t taking off in this direction. We need an another good night’s sleep.
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