Pedalbania – Epilogue
So that was it. The following morning we had a hot three hour drive to the airport where we said our goodbyes to Erlis and Vato, and to Robert and Jack who were booked on different flights. Vlorë looked a particularly nice town as we drove through – a wide promenade along the front, separate cycle lanes and a generally good vibe. It looked like a good place to spend a few days.
It was a great holiday and a great experience. Erlis and Vato worked hard to make it all very easy for us. I suspect it was like the proverbial swan – calm and serene on the surface but paddling furiously below the waterline! The places we stayed were among the best available; the two guest houses obviously more basic but still comfortable, and the food was universally good. CycleAlbania were determined to give us a good experience and show us the very best of their country, and they succeeded one hundred percent.
Is there anything I’d like to change? Maybe. These aren’t criticisms, only thoughts and ideas about what would have made it even better for me personally. Others may differ.
I’d have liked to have had time to see a few of the places and buildings suggested by my guidebook which were on or close to our route. Of course even one such visit a day would probably need an extra hour in the day; it wouldn’t have worked on the Gjirokaster or Butrint days, but maybe a shorter lunch on the other days could have worked.
Then the bikes. I must admit to being a little disappointed, probably unfairly, but I did find my bike heavy and hard going. I understand that the bikes need to be robust to cope with the poor roads we encountered especially in the first two or three days, and the hybrid concept is a good compromise. If I was drawing up a specification I’d save weight by not having front suspension – I don’t think it added anything to the ride apart from extra weight – and I’d do without the pannier rack and pannier. Anything that couldn’t be fitted in the pockets of a cycling jersey could be relegated to a small backpack for those who needed it, or carried in the minibus. Handlebars which allowed at least one other riding position would have been good too. But in the end I managed, and for anyone who thinks they might find it too hard the company does offer the option of electric bikes.
One last word about the group. Thanks, guys! You were great company. I enjoyed your friendship and companionship. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I’ll toast you with a Korça the next time I’m in Albania. Come to think of it, I never did get to try a Korça dark beer, so there’s one reason for going back!
Map and guidebook
I thoroughly recommend the Bradt ‘Albania’ guidebook by Gillian Gloyer. I have Edition 5 dated Jan 2015 but there’s a new Edition 6 published in March this year.
I also bought the Vektor map of Southern Albania. It’s at a scale of 1:200,000. This is really only useful as a general location and road map – the scale is too small and the map too difficult to read to give any real impression of what the terrain is like. For this holiday we didn’t need a map at all as we were given a photocopy of each day’s route from a larger scale map. I bought my map from Stanfords, who also stock Albania maps at 1:50,000 but these don’t cover the whole area and you’d need several to cover the route we followed.
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