Day 9 - Sibinj

Saturday 1st July 2017

Set fair in the morning

Dawn and the sky is mostly blue. The storm has moved on and the temperature is rising. We have no breakfast in stock so after a brew we pack up the gear and prepare to head south. The friendly owner soon appears. He lives in the back of this ornate mini-mansion and he wants to make sure he gets his fee before we leave.

We have no Croatian Kuna yet but he is happy to take Euros. The cost is €63, not bad for a last minute booking in desperate circumstances. I get the feeling that it would have been cheaper if we hadn't involved the booking.com system but all in all pretty cheap in the circumstances.

Coast road south of Rijeka
At first it is a slow trickle through the big town of Rijeka but once we are past the bridge over to the big island of Krk we soon leave the traffic behind as we head off down the glorious coast road.

Occasional sweep up into the coastal hills
I've read a number of glowing reports about this Adriatic coast road as it sweeps down the west side of Croatia. Very few of the coastal villages are bypassed so there are lots of holdups but all the superlatives are true out on the open road.

After an hour or so we come to the small town of Novi Vinodolski and ride down to a small harbour where there is a quayside cafe and a cash machine.

Novi Vinodolski
 We get some local currency and enjoy a coffee sitting on the quay, gazing out at the azure blue of the Adriatic. It is hot and life feels very good.

 Next we ride on down the coast towards the town of Senj where we will leave the coast and turn up into the mountains on the road to the Bosnian border.
Looking out from the quayside cafe
There are lots of camping sites down here and I am looking out for a likely place to stop for the next couple of nights. The sun is beating down and the sea looks very inviting.

At Sibinj, five miles north of Senj, we find just the place. A small site, no fuss, find your own spot in the trees on the terraces that lead down to the sea wall. Perfect.

We get the tents up in a shady corner less than 20 metres from the beach.

Swim, eat, sleep and repeat.
 


Hard to see but that is a big snake
I'm just making myself a sandwich using the wall behind our tents for a table when there is a strangled cry from Mick. He's pointing down at my feet. I glance down and jump backwards. Slithering past me along the base of the wall is a bloody great snake. It's 5 foot long and looks seriously scary. May or may not be dangerous but I'm taking no chances. I'm halfway to the sea before I stop running. Mick manages to get a photo just before it slid into a nearby ditch. 
Well we are getting into semi-tropical climes. I make bloody sure my inner tent liner is securely zipped up when I settle down in the tent to sleep.
 
The beach at Camping Sibinj

Nightswimming

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