Safe Return Doubtful

64 miles (103 km) – Total so far: 645 miles (1,038 km)

Camping Ceahlau Durau comes highly recommended from me. It’s out of the village and away from the lake enough for quiet. Maria and her husband run it and have quite a bit of land on which they grow their own fruit and vegetables and keep their animals.
It has small cabins and a large sitting area with barbecue and full kitchen. And WiFi.

Maria’s cooking is an option also, which I took avail of, plus a couple of beers last night.
Breakfast pretty much all comes from her garden.

Late starting today due to a miscommunication with the owners. I was waiting for them, and they were waiting for me..
Ceahlau lake view – just after setting off at 9:30…

So much for your swanky camper vans, this would have been great in its heyday

A day of two halves..
The morning mostly winding my way up the Bistrita valley gaining a couple of hundred metres slowly amidst some pleasant rural scenery with moderate and considerate traffic.

Typical Bistrita Valley scenery.

The second half of the day, and much slower on a very rough road, though the gradient was only 4-6%.

The top of the pass at 1150 metres.

3 pm and a late lunch with a cold water, it’s mid 30s now, at this small shop in Stulpicani- as usual, with lots of old guys on the beers and brandies.

Up, then down, as most hills go. The downhill, and looking towards Câmpulung Moldovenesc, (and the hills I’ll be in tomorrow), where I have a room in a Pension for the night.

On reflection, I probably should have cycled the Trans-Rarau today. I am now reliably informed that the road has recently been resurfaced,and the traffic should not have been too heavy. It was the latter reason I made my option. Rarau does go up to 1500 m, but not far off the same sort of climbing I did today, and on a better surface