This week began with the decision we never wanted to make.
With the wind direction changing and the weather worsening, winter began to hit the Black Sea and it became too dangerous for our canoe. Combined with a problematic border crossing, that was high in the mountains, and cliffy terrain, that could provide no hiding from storms, our only option was to call time on the paddling.
With just over 350km left to Istanbul and more than 4500km under our belts already, the end still seemed very much in sight and we still wanted to complete our journey by human power. So with that, we said goodbye to our canoe, laced up our trainers, and started walking.
Unfortunately we came to Europe prepared for canoeing, not for walking. As we set out along the coastline, blown sideways by the wind that kept us off the water and soaked by heavy rain, we found our equipment was less than ideal. Neither of us had walking shoes, our large dry-bags were clumsy on our backs and rubbed against our legs, and we lacked dearly in pairs of socks. Nevertheless, we set out to walk with determination and finished the distance in just ten days.
From the stormy Bulgarian coast we climbed into the mountains and inland to the Turkish border. From here we spent two more days rolling through mountainous terrain before it began to flattened out and towns grew more regular. We walked in thick mist and hot sun, on empty roads and busy highways, past tiny villages and large towns, and through it all we met people we could never have seen while canoeing.
In this way our walking finish became a refreshing way to end our adventure. Everyone we passed wondered why we held paddles, they were keen to talk to us and unbelievably hospitable. We had a man insist on buying our groceries, cattle herders shaking our hands, beeps and toots from passing motorists, men waving us over to chat in tea rooms, a shopkeeper who weighed our bags and army men who talked about football. Perhaps the most memorable of all was a roadside break that saw us hailed into a school where we took part in an excitable English lesson. Crowded by kids who kept applauding us, we answered questions, showed pictures and generally tried not to look too bemused.
After nine days fuelled by copious amounts of free Turkish tea and spurred on by everyone we met, we found ourselves camping just beyond Istanbul city, its skyline twinkling in the night. We awoke at 4:30am and set off for day 146 of the expedition. The early morning motorway was quiet as we marched along the hard shoulder and were quickly in the city. The city, however, is massive.
For hours we walked through every urban scene imaginable; hectic traffic, street bazaars, through high rise blocks and along tram lines until, by night, we limped through Istanbul’s historic city walls. There in the centre of Istanbul, with broken bodies and tired minds, we found our way to what every explorer wants in turkey: a seat and a kebab.
Summing up the last ten days in one blog inevitably leaves things out, so summing up the entire expedition is simply impossible. We have had the most fantastic experience and the most brilliant adventure. We have become the first people to canoe the comprehensive river route across Europe, taken on miles of the Black Sea and walked through turkey with paddles still in our hands. Now the adventure is over and our writing for TIBS ends. Our sponsors: the Lord Rootes Memorial Fund, Kent Canoes and Coubtryside: Ski and Climb, must be thanked for making this all possible.
Thank you for reading and following our story and thank you to all who have offered their support along the way.
Written (on alternate weeks) by James Warner Smith and Nathan Wilkins and edited by Luke Augustus.
To revisit our journey in full you can visit our website at www.canoeingthecontinent.com and follow our Twitter account @CanoeingEurope.
