Railroad Cycle Path Adventure

Does that even exist? An adventurous railroad cycle path? Bosnia’s Ciro railroad cycle path with a bit of Croatia is a ‘must’ for those who are on vacation near Dubrovnik and may have a bike with them: Dubrovnik – Mostar, or the other way round, 145 kilometers through the middle of nowhere.

Before that, we first head towards Mostar from Jablinica. Here the traffic passes through the Neretva gorge. It is part of the corridor that runs from Sarajevo to Mostar through the Dinaric Alps. We are four times lucky: there are hardly any trucks on Saturday, the sun is shining, the road is slightly downhill and we have tailwind. Uphill with full truck traffic, the route is only for the weary. Nevertheless, there is a lot of traffic and we are tense as hell the whole time.

Fifteen kilometers after Mostar, we spend the night in Buna on the riverside. The next morning we cycle off in the direction of Čapljina without a tourist escort. From here, the cycle path leads a hundred kilometers to the Croatian border. We does it like Hana and Peter and cycle on a Sunday. The stores are all closed. We buy something to drink, potato chips and cookies at the petrol station. Together with our supplies, this is our security in case we cannot find accommodation with food. We meet a handful of cyclists on the beautiful route. The route is not car-free, but we do not pass more than two handfuls of cars. There are great views of the Balkan mountains and the plain. In the days when the train still ran, people probably did not have an eye for this beautiful nature.

Since we crossed the weather divide from the continental climate to the Mediterranean yesterday, the scent of herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage and figs has been in the air. We see pomegranates everywhere, in the gardens and in the wild. Sometimes also kiwis, a lemon. Mandarins are sold by the roadside. Olive trees grow here.

The 4-star hotel in Ravno is halfway along the route. We have a pint, the overnight stay is beyond our budget, we continue on. It remains the only overnight stop on the route. Otherwise just deserted villages, no food, no water, but impressive railroad architecture, tunnels, railroad stations, cairns and monasteries.

It is slowly getting dark. Only a large flock of sheep and their shepherd cross our path. I wonder where they are going. The border with Croatia is close. The war has raged here. When we are not able to see anything, we stop at the old Jasenica Lug railroad station.

A huge spotlight illuminates the former forecourt which we use as a tent pitch. We wash ourselves with water and the handy washcloth tablets (a tip from Eberhard whom we met in Albania five years ago), drink a shandy and munch on potato chips. We pick fragrant thyme in the moonlight.

It is pitch black, just the spotlight and the moon. It is so quiet. Not even a dog barking, just an insect trying to crawl up the steps to the train station and then falling noisily onto its shell. No air pollution, no light pollution and no noise pollution either.

We get up at six o’clock. We still have thirty kilometers to Dubrovnik. The ferry leaves for Bari at 11am.

The view of Dubrovnik from above is gigantic. It is just after eight. There is still hardly anyone on the road. But as soon as we arrive at sea level down in the city, the peace and quiet is over. What a cultural shock. After two weeks in eastern Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia, it is almost unbearable for us. Souvenir stalls, expensive bakeries and cafés, unfriendly salespeople, coaches, camper vans, Vespa drivers. Everyone seems to be in a hurry.
We make sure we book our tickets and get on the ferry to Bari.