Okay, the Black Sea is huge, like really big.  Türkiye’s coastline (yes, I’m using the new correct spelling of the country) of the Black Sea runs approximately 1,350 kilometres and since we’re averaging only 150 kilometres per day and if you take in our usual stops and detours and U turns that means it’s going to take us quite a while to cover the whole distance.  But that’s okay, we’ve got the time, we’ve got the D010 road that borders the sea and we’re loving the whole thing.

Our next stop on our westward journey along the D010 was the sprawling city of Trabzon with around 800,000 people.  Normally we would give a wide berth to a town this size but Trabzon had some hidden gems and we spent a couple hours wandering along it’s pedestrian streets, covered bazaars and narrow alleys lined with shops selling everything imaginable.  We had lunch at a kebab shop, of course, and later had chai at a chai shop, of course.  We liked Trabzon.

Scenes from the Trabzon markets and walking streets…

Our afternoon target was the famous Sumela Monastery, a Greek Orthodox complex built high on a cliff up a narrow valley inland from Trabzon.  Unfortunately the manic summer holiday crowds overwhelmed us and instead we parked for the night in a garden of a nearby restaurant, happy to attack the monastery in the morning when we could beat the crowds.

Well, that was the plan.  But we continue to underestimate the enthusiasm and overwhelming numbers of Türkish tourists enjoying their summer holidays.  We paid, parked, caught the shuttle bus, walked and explored the Sumela Monastery, probably the most popular attraction in this region, with a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, all before 10am.  The monastery, built miraculously on a rock cliff face, dates back to Greek days although it has been modified, destroyed, repaired and modified again many times over two millennia.  We marvelled at the extraordinary location and the beautiful frescos from who-knows-when but we were also happy to have put that experience behind us.

We followed the coast ever westward, still on the D010, stopping a few times to take in the summer scenes as the locals swam in the Black Sea – which when the sun is shining looks delightfully blue – and admired the steep mountain walls that reached up to our left.  And always there are towns or cities nestled in between the mountains and the sea, locals living in their forest of apartment complexes scattered up the steep hillside, escaping to the substantial recreation areas, playgrounds, picnic areas and pebbly beaches along the coast.

And that’s how we camped that night, amongst the locals right on the sandy beach, kids playing all around us, loving the holiday scene.  And in keeping with the theme we repeated it all the next day. 

But first we went into Ordu, the self-proclaimed hazelnut capital of the world (with ample evidence!), a town with a particularly impressive promenade along the waterfront full of playgrounds, picnic areas and entertainment stuff.  We opted for a ride on their cable car, such rides becoming a serious theme on this trip, to the top of the hill overlooking this historic town. Amongst many activities paragliders launched themselves off into the wild blue yonder. 

More beautiful coastal drives on the D010, more enjoyment watching the locals frolic in the water and sprawl out under their umbrellas, even if the sand – when it exists – is living up to the name of the Sea.  One downside was the large communities of refugees living in makeshift tents on the side of the road.  With the help of Dr. Google we learned they were homeless victims of the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria six months ago and these people were probably Syrian refugees that Türkiye took in.  No photos but very grim.

We chose another long beach to camp for the night, this time west of the major city of Samsun, pulling Tramp up on the sand, jumping into our cossies and jumping into the Black Sea for a swim.  After all, it had been a mega-hot day and we deserved it. We had a fabulous night wild camping on the beach with all the locals, the families swimming and cooking big meals, almost a competition of fires to sit around, a great cultural experience.  As we said of the night, this is why we travel.

The Black Sea coast would rarely be described as stunningly beautiful and the name of the sea – the Black Sea – seems to foretell it’s (lack of) sex appeal.  And don’t compare it on equal terms with some of the best coastlines of Australia, California or even the Mediterranean.  But, sneakily, almost without knowing it, this coastline draws you in, whether it’s the steep mountains which form it’s border, it’s long sections of beaches dotted with locals frolicking in the modest surf, it’s super-charged sunshine or perhaps the beautiful promenades and waterfronts of every town that borders it.  Whatever the case, you’re there and you want more.

At least we did.  After a fabulous night on the beach near Samsun mixing it with the locals we headed northward up the coast towards the Kizilirmak River delta, Türkiye’s largest river.  And after a few dirt roads and deep sandy bits we found a long almost uninhabited beach which suited us perfectly.  We set up the awning, had a swim and settled in for a fabulous day of beach, sand, surf and relax.  It had been a big travel day, only 28 kilometres.  Tramp barely raised a sweat.

Some days are special and should be celebrated, like a birthday or perhaps an anniversary.  But as Julie and I woke up the next morning on this long nameless beach we had a special day to celebrate – our 40^th wedding anniversary.  Yes, we met 43 years ago on a camping trip and we’re still doing it after all these years.  It’s been a fantastic journey for both of us and we feel very fortunate to have made this major milestone.

We crossed the Kizilirmak River delta and then traced the coastline to the unique historic city of Sinop.  Sinop sits out on a long peninsula into the sea, sort of shaped like a crooked finger, with a huge ancient fort dominating the narrowest part of the finger.  Sinop oozed style, history and beauty with it’s walking streets, flash marina, waterside restaurants and imposing fort walls.  It wasn’t over-the-top like Bodrum and seemed to have the right amount of class for us. 

We explored the fort and the prison, which was in use until 1997, ambled down the long, walking street, had an anniversary lunch at a restaurant near the water’s edge, and took in the relaxed, slightly touristy middle class feel of the place.  We decided if we were moving to Türkiye we could choose Sinop.

After driving around the tip of the peninsula to get a bigger – and higher – view of this unique place we settled into a campsite not far away with large grassy fields fronting right onto the deep sandy beach.  So of course we had an anniversary swim, dinner and game of Scrabble as the ubiquitous mournful call to prayer could be heard in the background.  

The next day we gave Tramp the day off and lazed around camp, doing washing, chores, some admin, relaxing, swimming in the beaut waters of our private beach and generally enjoying this beautiful setting.  That night we walked down the beach to a nearby restaurant and had an anniversary dinner of traditional Türkish food, great fun.  Thanks to the D010 we had become quite fond of the Black Sea coast.