The Trabocchi Coast, where Biking is Bliss

Let’s go for a spin

“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.”    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Why, I begin to wonder, as we heave our bikes onto the car roof, nipping our fingers in the process, is ‘going for a spin’ on the Adriatic Cycle Route beginning to seem like a major enterprise?  And why do I feel anxious? 

Somewhere I have read that the Ciclovia Adriatica will end up being the longest bike path in Europe, stretching from Trieste to the southernmost part of Puglia – almost 1300km in all. It’s a daunting thought.  While I’m aware that our ride will be shorter – by 1280km actually – and a family we know with four small children did some of it last Sunday, I consider my old battered bike with its threadbare tyres and dodgy brakes, not to mention its shopping basket tied on with string, and wonder if we are up to the challenge.  What have we let ourselves in for?

In theory, the car link is unnecessary.  The Abruzzo section of the cycle route skirts the major urban centres and can be accessed from almost anywhere on the coast. But we have chosen to tackle the newer and most popular – and arguably most stunning – section on the old railway line of the Trabocchi Coast. We need to get ourselves first to Ortona.

Park and Ride

It’s all very simple in the end. We park our car free of charge near the port of said town and unload our bikes.  From there it’s a short ride to the bike path and we are soon on our way, travelling southwards.

It is the first day of September and, as if to mark the end of summer, dense clouds are lurking over the horizon. The air is cool but still and the sea on our left is limpid. As we pedal along the only sounds are the rasping of our tyres on the smooth road and the rustle of reeds as we pass. A feeling of peace washes over me. This is sublime.

Biking to Bliss

I worried that on the Trabocchi Coast we might have to compete with throngs of other cyclists and I had a mental image of us all mashed together, elbowing for space like at the start of the Giro d’Italia.  While that scenario is unlikely, the route is certain to be busier on summer Sundays.  But on this cloudy weekday in early September we are alone for long stretches.

Occasionally we come across other travellers – some walkers, some on hired bikes, others like us on rusty has-beens. There are kids doing wheelies and teams of fit-looking cyclists in thigh-squeezing shorts, but everyone seems inclined to take it easy and enjoy the ride.  It’s that sort of place.

Old Railway Line

There is something eerie about cycling through a disused railway tunnel. Every sound echoes, and the walls still hold a memory of the shriek of the trains blasting their way into the dark. I remember this route: the old carriages with their brown plastic upholstery, and how the train rattled so close to the shore you could smell the sea. It was a spectacular journey. 

Now the line has been diverted inland, transporting passengers in a cocoon of air-conditioned comfort. Fields and suburban housing have replaced the ever-changing sea. How they must miss the view. But who’s complaining?  Not us, that’s for sure.  We are too busy enjoying this happy, ingenious conversion.

Freedom is bike-shaped

We stop whenever and wherever we fancy. After an hour or two the clouds clear and the day gets hotter and, leaving our bikes by the side of the road, we stop for a swim, then continue on our way.  We cycle past small coves, fishing boats, sandy and pebble beaches and, of course,  trabocchi.

At San Vito we stop for a lunch of seafood and cold beer. As we leave the town behind us we see that small businesses – cafés, restaurants and bike hire shops – are cashing in on the growing popularity of the cycle route and vying for trade. One offer stands out:  a picnic basket containing a seafood starter, a fried fish platter and dessert, not to mention a small bottle of wine for 16 euro, bike hire included. Whatever you do in Abruzzo, and wherever you are, there’s no excuse for going hungry.

At Fossacesia the route runs behind blocks of flats and the sea can only be glimpsed in the gaps between them. The road stretches out in front of us, shimmering in the heat.  Behind us, we can’t forget, is the long way back. So before ennui erodes our enthusiasm, we turn our bikes around. The southern section of the Trabocchi coast bike path, which you can also do by e-bike, will be for another time.

The return journey takes more effort, of course it does. Our muscles begin to ache, the heat prickles and we have to stop more often. But every effort has been worth it.

As we head back to Ortona, our thoughts, to paraphrase Sir Arthur, are on nothing but the ride we are taking.

Image by Monica Volpin from Pixabay