Opting to skip Slovenia, I headed straight for Croatia. This led me to cycle 14 km through a deserted forest road, stopping only once for water. I decided to save Slovenia for another trip; fellow travelers who’ve cycled through there extol its beauty. However, I wanted to continue along the coast and didn’t fancy the Slovenian mountains!
The border crossing from Slovenia to Croatia was deserted. Where once there was clearly a barbed wire fence and multiple checkpoints, now just empty buildings since Croatia joined the Schengen Zone in 2023.
Croatia is a very popular country for cycle tourists, evidenced within my first 10 km in the country. There, I encountered Burak, a Turkish cyclist pedaling from Germany to Istanbul. His electric bike towed a self-designed “caravan” , a sight to behold. He was an intriguing character who might have convinced me to continue past Istanbul and further into Turkey. In just two weeks, he’d garnered 20,000 Instagram followers through documenting his trip. As we parted ways, he let me sign his caravan and promised to give me a shout out on Instagram.
Wild camping is prohibited in Croatia, and I’ve been told the police patrol the costal areas to search for people. Therefore, I camped away from the coast in the mountainous regions each night, where vast forests blanketed most of the land.
The geography of Croatia makes it a challenge to cycle through, with little flat land by the coast. This means that wherever you want to go, you either have to take the busy main road with aggressive drivers who give you no space and attempt risky overtakes, or head up into the mountains.
On my second day in the country, I decided to head over the mountains and inland to cover some distance. It was amazing how quiet the country became once I left the very touristy areas. I found a beautiful spot by a lake to have dinner that evening before heading into some woods to camp for the night.
On day 3, I cycled on some beautiful roads with brilliant descents in the direction of Zadar. I spent a long time that day trying to find fuel for my stove searching many hardwear shops, and eventually found 70% alcohol in a pharmacy to use.
The following day, as I headed to Zadar, I met up with Leila, who was cycling to Istanbul from her home in Austria. We had first met a few days ago at a supermarket, and after she had finished cycling the Croatian islands, we agreed to meet up and travel together. It was really nice to share this amazing country with someone else.
That evening, we decided to camp up a hill in a forest but stopped at a beach to have dinner and a swim. As I was getting my cooker out, a man asked us, “Are you camping here tonight?” After explaining that we were just eating then going to leave, he began to question us about why we weren’t camping in this beautiful spot, telling us we’d be fine. This man was Jimmy, a 60-year-old man from Manchester who retired at 49 and spends every summer living in an RV in Croatia. That evening, he generously kept coming over to us with beers and we had a trouble free night not even bothering with our tents.
The next day was scorching hot. Leila and I cycled along the coast together, with Leila handling the navigation, which was a nice break from thinking about it myself. That afternoon, after having ice cream and beer, Leila and I parted ways. I decided to head inland towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, while she continued along the coast.
Heading for the border, I stoped at a cafe to do some admin and charge up my electronics. This is where I met Ivan, who kindly paid for my coffee because he felt sorry for me due to all the times Croatia had beaten England at football!
Croatia has felt more like a holiday than an adventure. It’s been a beautiful country and very easy to travel through, with most people speaking at least a bit of English. I’m looking forward to retuning in a few days but wanted to experience Bosnia and Herzegovina first.
Will Scam 