Ok - so I did not get to the actual Black Sea last weekend. This time I took advice and was recommended Ağva about 100 Km northwest of Istanbul.
The weather was attrocious - it was overcast in Istanbul but it was the sort of rain that overwhelms the windscreen wipers in Ağva.
I set out on the road to Şila - which is a reasonable mainroad. Just past Şila the road abruptly and without (any) warning turns into a narrow and twisting mountain road - with cows wandering about and more hairpins that barbers hsop. It wsa wet, windy muddy so, of course, I went into rally driver mode :) Luckily - I survived.
I spent a happy half hour in the cutpark watching the torrential rain sweeping across the beach - a happy English holiday habit - before making a run for the end of the pier and the shelter at the end. The Black Sea is surprisingly warm and (if there was less rain) I would have gone paddling.
After lunch at the harbour restaurant, I headed home and saw a sign for the coast road (and yes - I did manage to translate coast road in Turkish :). Stunning vies and curiously Irısh approach to road improvement (one minute two lane blacktop - the next a rutted farm track).
Finally I stopped in Şila which turned out to be a pleasant fishing town.
As usual - click on the picture below to see more :
