From the coast to the beginning of the hills, Novafeltria: A great ride on a bike path following Marrecchia River

September 27, 2015

Today is Mary Ellen's birthday and we have decided that we will probably stop early so that we can go out for dinner to celebrate.
We had a beautiful start to the day making breakfast at the beach at Torre Pedrera. Despite the heavy winds, the skies were blue and we had this vast beach to ourselves.
It is our intention to camp as much as possible, but this is becoming increasingly difficult as most campgrounds have closed mid September or are going to close very soon. It was good to be able to camp last night as we don't think that there is another one until Assisi.

We're back! We don't usually like to backtrack, but it was a good decision to turn around at Santarcangelo and go back to the coast where we knew a campground was still open. At this point, we don't have Hans Reitsman's guidebook for the route and we are ill informed about what is ahead regarding accomodation, etc.

A rough section of the trail - better for the tandem to have one rider instead of two when the gravel is not a firm surface.

We're not too sure what to expect of the trail- but most of it is better than expected.

We followed this river for a long time through a nature park and bird reserve. It was quite beautiful and the cliffs were impressive. The gravel surface was very good - but it did bog us down and keep our speed pretty low. Another time, we would probably choose the alternate route on the road. Many people were out enjoying a sunny Sunday.

The flat terrain is being replaced with hills, castles and olive groves.

This section was bad and quite steep. We will be rejoining the road at this point.

We were happy to find a Bar/Cafe - most things are closed on Sunday, but you can count on Bars and Pizzerias to be open. And, what a good place it was. People drive out from Rimini to eat here as the food is excellent, handmade and reasonably priced.

We started to chat with a group of cyclists who had ridden out from Rimini for a Sunday ride and lunch. What a fun group and they gave us good tips about the route ahead.

The water level of the river is not very high this year but it is a very pretty valley.

San Marino is a region in this area - its own Republic.

We will continue to follow the Marrechia River today.

We have seen many castles today, high up atop cliffs and hills.

Typically an Italian meal has at least 3 courses and this is Barry's first course. Ravioli in a luscious sauce and walnuts.

Mary Ellen had filet steak with green pepper sauce, roast potatoes and veggies au gratin.

The simplicity and good ingredients of the steak with sea salt and rosemary was delicious.

Dessert - don't know the name of it but there is cream and chocolate involved - really tasty.

To finish the evening - limoncello - on the house.

We had a lovely evening at the restaurant - a memorable and tasty birthday.

This couple (from Muenster Germany) were eating dinner at the next table and are also riding their bikes in Italy. We realized that we have been seeing them at a distance the past few days. As fate will have it, they are also staying at our hotel.He is an avid antique bicycle collector. He has over 60 bikes in his collection. The oldest dating back to the 1850's.They were on their way to an Eroica event

The staff and chef at the restaurant came out to congratulate Mary Ellen on her birthday at the end of the evening.

Today's ride: 46 km (29 miles)
Total: 1,694 km (1,052 miles)

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