Six cyclists and one sun

We are driving almost “in azimuth”, a constant rise. Ahead are only hills of Scythian mounds with their centers gnawed out by “black archaeologists.” Beyond the mounds the climb ends. With every meter of the way, the peaks of the yayla begin to emerge from the horizon, and the road seems to pull you forward with the promise of something extraordinary. The southern region of Ak-Kai is truly a fairy tale! The feeling that you are standing on the border of a lost world. Behind you are the steppe and the silence of ancient mounds, and below are houses, peach orchards, a web of roads and the winding riverbed of Biyuk-Karasu. The only thing that can bring you out of the state of euphoria is the need to move on - through Proval (the descent is not as difficult as it might seem) to the village of Belaya Skala and then along the asphalt to Belogorsk.

Day one.

Start of the bike ride: 8:20, Nizhnegorsky railway station. Why Nizhnegorsky? Flat terrain for 40 km, a good asphalt road with little traffic - an excellent opportunity to determine the pace of the group, and for participants to get involved in the cycling conditions. And, of course, a reasonable cost of transport - 12 UAH from Feodosia to Nizhnegorsk (suburban train Feodosia-Vadim).

Average speed 22 km/h, tailwind. 10 minute breaks every 40 minutes. movements. Before reaching Cherry, we slightly change the route plan (a good dirt road, gently gaining altitude, goes, as it seems, in the direction we need - to Ak-Kaya). We cross the river. Karasevka and before going up we stop for lunch. The heat and scorching sun in a cloudless sky made their own amendment to the daily routine for the entire hike: from 12:00 to 14:30-15:00 we rest, compensating for this time by making maximum use of the morning and evening hours.

At 15:00 we continue driving along the dirt road in the direction of the town of Belaya Skala, replenishing water supplies at the spring (N 450 10.518’ E 0340 37.840’). The road runs parallel to the town of Belaya Skala, so to approach the cliffs, 3.4 km from the spring, we turn onto a less well-trodden dirt road running along the forest belt. After a few km. only a forest belt remains, and the road turns into a trail from a car that once passed.

We are driving almost “in azimuth”, a constant rise. Ahead are only hills of Scythian mounds with their centers gnawed out by “black archaeologists.” Beyond the mounds the climb ends. With every meter of the way, the peaks of the yayla begin to emerge from the horizon, and the road seems to pull you forward with the promise of something extraordinary.

The southern region of Ak-Kai is truly a fairy tale! The feeling that you are standing on the border of a lost world. Behind you are the steppe and the silence of ancient mounds, and below are houses, peach orchards, a web of roads and the winding riverbed of Biyuk-Karasu. The only thing that can bring you out of the state of euphoria is the need to move on - through Proval (the descent is not as difficult as it might seem) to the village of Belaya Skala and then along the asphalt to Belogorsk.

When passing a similar route in the future: climb to p. Belaya Skala is better along the road that starts immediately after Vishnev - it most advantageously leads to the city of Belaya Skala, eliminating unnecessary wanderings.

We buy food in Belogorsk. We leave the city to the turn to Privetnoye. We stop for the night behind Karasevka. On the right bank, the clearings are flooded and are plagued by mosquitoes. Therefore, to spend the night, we cross the bridge (to the left bank) and go left. After 1.2 km (further is the sanitary zone of the Karasu-Bashi spring), the road goes to the right. Along it, 60 -80 meters up, there are several fairly flat clearings convenient for setting up a camp for up to 5-6 tents.

Day two

Karasevka – Novoklenovo – Karabi (Choban-Chokrak well) 37 km, 12.5 km on asphalt roads, 24.5 km on dirt roads

Departure is at 8:30. From Karasevka there is a well-rolled dirt road. The distance is 9.5 km. Difficulties are caused by the highly rugged terrain with ravines: sharp climbs and steep descents. The idea of ​​going straight to Novoklenovo was discarded after we saw the condition of the road and the upcoming futile climb. After Aleksandrovka we go onto the highway and along the asphalt towards Novoklenovo. In Novoklenovo there is the largest purchase of food for 1 dinner, 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches (well, there are no shops in Karabi:)).

It is also better to stock up on water in Novoklenovo: the well at the beginning of the asphalt road to Karabi (1.3 km after turning off the highway) is located in the distance (you need to drive 400 meters with a loss of altitude, and then return to the road). In addition, it is tightly closed with a concrete slab! Part of the slab was broken (5 cm of concrete on grape pegs turned out to be weaker than the anger of one of the group members), but where is the likelihood that the hole will not be concreted again.

The climb to Karabi is one of the most physically difficult sections of the route. It was overcome with frequent breaks, most of the way had to be driven by bicycles: poor quality of asphalt (potholes, coarse gravel on the road), the ascent angle was about 10%.

Lunch at 12:00 under the sign “Resting Place” 1.5 km from the end of the climb (set tables and benches, equipped fire pits, and, most importantly, thick shade). We wait out the heat, have lunch, put our bikes in order, and fix the first puncture on the route. After lunch it became cloudy.

At 15:00 we continue our ascent and after 45 minutes we reach the plateau. We reach the end of the asphalt and switch to a dirt road in the direction of the Meteorological Station. Before the Meteorological Station we go to the right in the direction of Karatau to the Choban-Chokrak well. Above it at 18:40 we stop for the night in a beech forest.

Day three (or what the schedule is)

Karabi (well Choban-Chokrak) – Karabi (South cliffs) – Privetnoye – Morskoe

We go around Karatau and go to the Southern cliffs of Karabi. The method of travel often changes to walking, the road is rocky with steep climbs, and elevation gain predominates. Photo session, relaxation and enjoying the majestic panorama of the South Coast. Then we move along the road along the southern edge of Karabi to the Great Gate.

We omit part of the program - visiting the Mamina and Bolshoi Buzluk caves: all participants in the hike have already been to them. The quality of the road leaves much to be desired, but there is practically no climb, there are no steep climbs, you can drive almost everywhere in 1x2-1x1 gear:).

The descent begins from the Big Gate. Conclusion after 3 falls, 2 of which resulted in the use of a first aid kit: the first third of the road is not suitable for cycling. Only on foot, led nearby. You can drive further, but to protect yourself from bushes you should wear helmets, windbreakers and pants. The speed is no higher than 8-10 km per hour, maintaining a distance and better without overtaking. You can boil tea on the discs; a couple of pads on my vibration brakes have worn out.

It’s impossible to move in a group, so the optimal technique is to stop every 3-4 km and at forks to wait for those lagging behind and cool the brakes. The mechanic and medic are in the back. For lunch we stop at a spring. In Privetnoye - a short stop at the store for ice cream and then on to the Yuzhnoberezhnoe Highway, to the pass to Morskoye.

We overcome the climb to Morskoye with 3 short stops. One of them is connected with a road that was blocked due to filming. In Morskoye - procurement. The village's shops are located not along the highway, but higher up, on a parallel street.

We drive to the outskirts of Morskoye and set up camp not far from the sea in a forest belt (on a river). Under the bridge there is a pumping station from which drinking water flows out. In the river - technical. The clearings in the forest belt are the resting places for camels, so don’t be surprised if in the morning in front of the camp you see a perplexed creature who has come to rest at the site of your tent.

Day four

Morskoe – Sudak – Solnechnaya Dolina – Shchebetovka

The ascent to Veseloye was completed with 2 rest stops. In Sudak - a snack and a visit to the auto-bicycle store. In the event of a serious breakdown, you should not count on Sudak: the selection of spare parts is very meager and, for the most part, designed for cheap bicycles. Just in case: bicycle parts in Sudak can be found in the Signal store. Located behind the Central Market (you need to drive 100-150 meters towards the sea and turn into the courtyard of the 9th floor in front of the Lux store).

We drive through Sudak along the bypass road (for some reason the visit to the embankment and the Genoese fortress did not arouse enthusiasm in a group consisting of 80% Feodosians). At the roundabout we go towards the Kapsel camping site. A long ascent, descent and we are in Kapsel. We stop at Meganom beach for lunch and swimming. Without relaxing too much (the sea, the sun, the beach - and I don’t want to go anymore) we go to Solnechnaya Dolina. We each climb at our own pace.

The ascent from Meganom to Solnechnaya Valley did not cause any particular difficulties (one short stop in Bogatovka, which would be better replaced by a stop near the Arhaderesse tasting room). Attention! You shouldn’t count on replenishing water supplies in Bogatovka! (except maybe mineral water from the store)

In Solnechnaya Dolina, we rest, have a snack, and without stopping we overcome one of the most difficult (after climbing Karabi) sections of the route - a 3-kilometer climb from Solnechnaya Valley to the Sudak-Feodosia highway. With one 10-minute stop we drive to the top of the Senora Pass.

We stopped to pull the group together (everyone climbed the climb at their own pace). The descent to Shchebetovka is a serpentine road that requires special attention. Two turns of the serpentine have a turning angle of more than 90 degrees, so it is advisable not to increase the speed on the descent more than 28-30 km/h. We set up camp in the forest above Lake Shchebetovskoye. Bonfire, tea until one in the morning, discussion of the hike, and in the morning... But this is the next day.

Last day

Shchebetovka – Koktebel – Feodosia

Check out is not too early:). In Shchebetovka there is a stop at the store, the next one is behind Shchebetovka at the spring. Having finally settled into a hiking rhythm, we drive up to the pass without stopping. Descent to Koktebel, snack and race against the approaching rain. Naturally, the rain turned out to be faster. Starting from the climb to Uzun-Syrt and until the end of the journey, he became our companion.

From the "Cognac Country" arch to Feodosia we move without stopping (it is better to stop at the end of the descent when exiting the Simferopol highway). At 13:00 we stop for the final photo, puncture repair and announcement of the successful completion of the hike.

For the future: Your itinerary should include a day in Kutlak Bay

Alexey Korobko. Feodosia.

First published on Tourism Organizers Forum