April 26th-30th – The Dalmation Coast

We left Dubrovnik on another beautiful day and stopped after crossing over their impressive Franjo Tudjman Bridge, one of the largest single pylon, cable stayed bridges in the world, to take some photos. We then carried on up the Dalmatian coast and out to the Pelješac Peninsula which is a big wine growing region. The vines we saw here were quite different from those we saw in Italy, they were all only about a meter high and all gnarly and twisted. I didn’t look like they would produce as many grapes per vine compared to the Italian variety but there looked to be more vines per hectare - we were going to have to sample some. As we climbed up and over the peninsula the rocky lands gave way to forest and as we came over to the western side the view up the coast and out to the islands was spectacular. Down the steep winding road and on to our campsite just outside of Orebič. The campsite is perched on a steep cliff and they have done a lot of work with terracing and retaining walls. Our little spot was about 100m above the water with a great view out to Korčula Island and the little islands in between. We set up camp and went for a walk down to the water below where they had their own large stoney beach and wharf which was really nice. Jac sat on the wharf while I clambered around the rocks to the next beach and was disappointed to find a lot of rubbish along the way. Not dumped rubbish this time but rubbish which had been washed up over a period of time from the sea, mainly plastic bottles but also jandals, shoes, polystyrene and anything else that would float. Quite sad but I don’t think you could blame the Croatians for it. Back up the hill to the campsite and a nice hot shower and I think the award for the best amenities has to go to Nevio Camping as they were first class (and also very new). That night it turned quite stormy and we had to get up at 1am to take the awning down and by the morning it hadn’t improved much so we packed up and carried on our way. We drove over to the other side of the peninsula and decided to catch the ferry to Ploče instead of driving all the way back down the peninsula and up the coast. Unfortunately it meant that we missed the little bit of the coast road that went through Bosnia and Herzigovina which would have been interesting but we didn’t realize that until later. The ferry was about the same size as the Waiheke ferry (for the Kiwis) and took about as long as it thumped through the waves to Ploče sending salt spray overhead. Ploče was not a nice looking town but once I’d been to the cash machine we carried on up the coast. The weather wasn’t the best but the rain held off mostly and we some good views of the coast and the many islands along the way. The land near the coast was really rocky and quite inhospitable but there were towns and villages along the way with beautifully clear water and the road was excellent. As we drove through Split we were wondering (not for the first time) how much it would cost to rent a yacht and sail around the islands, as there were a number of marinas around the area - maybe next time. We stopped just past Split at a town called Trogir and booked into the campsite there. The campsite was on the waters edge and we were almost the only people there. There was a concrete promenade running along the front and we took a stroll along the water’s edge. They seem to do that a lot here, pour concrete along the beach front, especially when there is a hotel or apartments. They develop the beach with concrete, seats and umbrellas and there is very virtually no sand, just little stones. I guess it’s partly because it’s so rocky in places it’s the easiest way to access the water.
Next morning we were off again north and the weather was improving. In the sunshine the coast and islands looked very dramatic and quite barren, mainly rocks with scattered and stunted trees but it was still quite beautiful and this part of the road was excellent. It was a very pleasant drive and we covered a fair distance all the way to a little town called Selce, about 20km north of Senj. The camping ground was once again near the waters edge with a promenade running along the beach front, but this bay was much nicer. There were also a number of cats wandering around, which is something we have noticed a lot all over Croatia, there was one particularly friendly one here. I went for a walk along the promenade into the township and low and behold I found a nice sandy beach along with more concrete, a hydroslide, seats and umbrella stands. People were busy tidying their places up for the coming summer when there would be lots of people here. I bought a couple of beers and walked back to our little bay and we sat on the dock in the afternoon sun with Otis Redding’s ‘Dock of the Bay’ running through our heads.
Next morning we were greeted by our friendly moggy before we walked into town again and got supplies. There was virtually no wind and the congregation for the star class sailing regatta were mulling around wondering if they would get any racing. There were boats from Hungary, Austria, Ukraine, Germany and Slovenia - I wish I had my Team NZ T-shirt! Back to the campsite, pack up and off again. North again up the coast, through Rijeka and out of Croatia in to Slovenia. It was a pity we were so rushed to get north, we would have liked to have seen more of Croatia but events conspired against us and we had to rush a bit - maybe next time.

---

---