YASSOU! GALLIPOLI to GREECE 🇬🇷 - Australia to Scotland by road - Episode 91

Our first stop on Gallipoli was a tour of the memorials. The lower end of the peninsula is now a National Park dedicated to the battles which took place here in 1915, known as the Gallipoli Campaign to the Allies or the Battle of Cannakkale to the Turks. Driving around the peninsula, aside from the many memorials, remnants of the war whether crumbling bunkers, cemeteries, heavy artillery, barbed wire, or trenches lay everywhere. We’ve studied the war, read books, watched movies, and seen this area every year on April 25th though reading the head stone message on the graves from grieving wives, mothers, sisters and children back home really tugged at the heart strings. Maybe it was due to COVID though the desolation of the area compounded the already somber air. We spent several hours exploring the Park before heading up the coast to try and find a camp spot sheltered from the northerly and away from the battlefields.
This part of Turkey appeared to be significantly different to the rest of the coastal spots we had visited and ironically for more like Asia. It also felt like socio-economic step and the infrastructure was less developed. Farming and fishing took centre stage and the little beach we found, looking out to Greece, and tucked into a narrow steep valley was also home to a few fisherman who lived in little huts nestled in the trees. The howling wind must of hampered conditions and there wasn’t much movement on the boats. The area also seemed very popular with weekenders from the neighbouring villages (who hadn’t quite grasped the concept of waste management yet) though being mid-week it was only us and the fisherman and we parked in close to a row of trees to seek protection from the wind. We had a good run with beaches in Turkey, this one wasn’t the best, though still provided a nice, reasonably protected, camp spot for the night.
This was also our last campspot for Turkey and the following morning we continued north to Bulgaria. We’d chosen to make passage trough Bulgaria and into Greece for two reasons. One, we knew some other overlanders who were staying there, and two, it is significantly cheaper. To drive in Europe (Bulgaria) you need to have Green Card Insurance, similar to CTP in Australia. As a European this is simple and is bought in your home country though as a non-European it can become a little bit more difficult. Thankfully Bulgaria is one country which is quite easy to buy this insurance and better yet, right at the border. Compared to Greece, purchasing it in Bulgaria was about a third the price which also made the slight detour much more attractive. With the fastest and easiest border crossing to date out of the way, we drove the 60 odd kms off into the country side to an oddly located camping area in a small farming village. For the past 4 years we had been talking to another overlanding couple Jerome and Auk (jerometheworld - on instagram) who are from the Netherlands. They drove the opposite direction to us and we nearly crossed paths on the Sub-Continent several times. This time our schedules aligned and they were staying in this campground as they head East again. We spent a few days catching up on errands, working on the Troopy, and hanging out with Jerome and Auk. The campground had a beautiful setting on the grounds of an old renovated farm house and looks as though it would be quite busy in the peak season, for now it was just us which was perfect. Power, hot showers, and a washing machine was also worth the few dollars!
Saying goodbye to our new friends we started off again heading south west towards Greece. Our intention was to maximise time in the sun on the beaches of the Med, while we could, before back tracking and exploring both Bulgaria and Romania properly.
We had thought the entry into Bulgaria was quick, the entry in Greece was even quicker with the whole process taking approximately 3 minutes. Obviously it should passing between two EU countries though we’ve become so accustomed to long tedious crossing that the ease of these crossing is a bit of a shock.
Entering Greece was like a step back into modern times and we cruised down the smooth highways, through the coastal towns, stopping for a night at a beach side camp, before continuing on in search of sunshine. Our plans for Greece was to head as far south as possible, explore the Athens area, before heading up the West Coast. With forecasts looking less than desirable for these lower regions it was became apparent we may need a contingency plan for our time here. As the sun set on our second, and much more tranquil beach camp, we revised our plan to a more adventurous path and set off the next morning to conquer a mountain.
Catch the next episode to see all the action.
Thanks for reading, enjoy the episode.
J&M

[@moxietube]

Welkom to Europe , nice you met up with Jeroen and aukje . greeting from the Netherland

[@TheWayOverland]

Cheers, yeah it was great to finally meet up, it had been a long time coming. And a nice quiet little camp spot too.

[@renson326806]

Another great episode, thanks for sharing.

[@TheWayOverland]

Thanks Simon

[@stevestott1514]

WOW what a wonderful video , from the history of the area to the beautiful country side views , and that beautiful fox along the road way . And some great looking tracks down to the beachside . Looked like a awesome set of relaxing beach camp spots also . Thanks again for sharing your wonderful travel memories with us your over landing friends . Cheers 🥂🍻 from Steve Stott in Sutherlin Oregon U.S.A. :):)😄😁👍🏼

[@TheWayOverland]

Cheers Steve, good to hear you enjoyed the end of Turkey! Greece has some incredible scenery coming up! 🙂 🇬🇷

[@EscapingCrowds]

Another great episode. Keep those awesome travels coming! We love tuning in each week.

[@TheWayOverland]

Cheers guys, good to hear.

[@wildliveunit292]

nice vid. Thanks for takin us along!

[@TheWayOverland]

Cheers guys!

[@ThommY41]

Such good and easy vides in these video's. And man you are showing so much awesome spots, love it.

[@TheWayOverland]

Cheers! Yep, surprisingly overlanding doesn't need to be all drama! Sure we sacrifice views though it's a better indication how we travel. Glad you're enjoying it! 👍🏻

[@landyandy4x4]

Cool

[@TheWayOverland]

👍🏻

[@snowmoon7385]

Deja vu.

[@peteregan3862]

Love the scenery, and the reports on the Troopy.

[@Keemokazi_]

Nice , Come to Albania Please ❤

[@flysoutbackadventures]

Another great vid, as per usual. Keep up the good work 👍

[@TheWayOverland]

Cheers!👍🏻

[@neilmitchelhill9388]

Terrific video guys, really enjoying your travels

[@TheWayOverland]

Thanks Neil

[@michaelyapp6099]

it is so good to see you two back on the road again. safe travels!

[@TheWayOverland]

Thanks Michael

[@cleanenergyinside1921]

Really enjoying your travels. Hope to see more ...

[@TheWayOverland]

Cheers, good to hear. Lots more content to come...

[@oldandgrumpy6284]

Super. Thank you for your nice video.

[@TheWayOverland]

Thanks!

[@dwpenrose]

Great video!

[@TheWayOverland]

Thanks David

[@holgermuller2987]

Hi guys, Great episode Yep, have been many times participating in SYD the memorials… but never been in Gallipoli.. Interesting about the green card insurance. We are up for that way later on… Yes, I know No need for a Europe rego plate. But my one is a VIC plate… Happy days Cheers

[@TheWayOverland]

Cheers Holger, VIC plate won't give you any problems with borders. ours is obviously WA. The only problem VIC will attract is at rego time when you need an inspection. Thankfully WA doesn't need any.

[@drarkhan743]

Welcome to Europe. Here sometimes you don't even notice that you have entered the new country.

[@TheWayOverland]

Yep, some of those EU borders made us worry thinking we needed to stop and show someone something. Such a (welcome) contrast to some of the crossings in Asia or Central America we have experienced.

[@colinross6259]

Greece is a cool place to travel. Lol, do you know my cousin/brother/sister that lives in Oz. Of course.

[@TheWayOverland]

Yeah, think we worked together back when I was painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

[@cleemensassmannshausen8354]

welcome to europe! within the Schengen countries there are no border controls, all easy going. if you would like give me a note as soon as you are around in central europe ready for a quick chat, our blue Troopy is ready to go...😀

[@TheWayOverland]

A blue Troopy! Nice! Yeah the Schengen border crossings are a very welcome change from the crossings we've experiences through Asia, and Central/South America previously. As tedious as they may be sometimes the challenge of some crossings makes the journey a lot more interesting! Thanks for the offer, we would've got in touch though we're not in Europe anymore!

[@jamesmazurstudios]

If you see this: how do you filter your drinking water from your water tank? Thanks. Great video :)

[@TheWayOverland]

Cheers, it runs through an inline B.E.S.T water filter which is installed under the sink.

[@jamesmazurstudios]

@@TheWayOverland thanks.

[@peteregan3862]

Ooooh - the Gallipoli campaign had a huge impact on WW1. The Allied failure meant Istanbul was not captured early in the war and Turkey not forced out of the war, and a second front not opened on the Danube Valley, which would have drawn German forces from the Eastern and Western Fronts - the intent of Gallipoli land campaign and earlier sea campaign. The land campaign was quickly organised after the UK Navy rejected further attempts to seize the Dardanelles Strait after several ships and submarines were sunk/damaged by sea mines and Turkish Army artillery - the latter not being that effective against the battleships of the time. It means Turkey stayed in the war, and the Allies, which included many Indian troops, fought campaigns from the Suez Canal and Kuwait(?) through Iraq and other Ottoman held territory all the way to the borders of modern Turkey just in time for Germany agreeing to an armistice on the Western Front. The war exhausted the Allies too, and they were not in a position to resist Turkey's rejection of the onerous terms imposed on Turkey by the victors. Ataturk was able to secure the territory Turkey has today - Greece lost Izmir, etc.

[@TheWayOverland]

That’s a lot of info Peter, which is all correct, though the talk-over was referencing the 'course' in terms of the outcome, not isolated occurrences. If I summarise what you’re saying, the Allies failure on Gallipoli allowed all the incidents mentioned to occur. Although this may be true and they were defeated on Gallipoli, they were still victorious to the war as a whole (a term I use loosely). Yes, the Gallipoli Campaign, or more appropriately the Battle of Cannakkale shaped modern Turkey (as mentioned), though the question remains - if the Allies didn’t invade Gallipoli would the outcome of the war been any different? This sentiment seems to be agreed upon by people more closely attached to the intricacies of the war than me - www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/gallipoli

[@peteregan3862]

@@TheWayOverland I realise your trip is very much about what there is to enjoy of the world, and you are encouraging us to go see it. Whether it is a beach, Greek temple, ancient and modern farm buildings, olive groves, cows, sheep, horses, a caravan stop on the Silk Road, or a church or mosque, the people you meet, it is impossible not to touch on the history of the land you travel through, as you do. The people meet along your way surely feel it is so much better that we have tourism and not wars. "loosely" is a very apt word you use. A big history to the Ottoman Empire including from 1853 to 1856 the British and Ottoman empires fought together against the Russian empire in Crimea. At the start of WW1, 60 years later, the Ottoman Empire were part of the Central Powers alliance with the German and Austrian empires - the alliances were meant to be a way of preventing war, but the German Kaiser and his ministers decided they wanted one, and everybody else got dragged in into war in 1914. 38 years later, both the UK and Turkey were members of NATO and have been so for the last 70 years. In this context, wars look really stupid. At the start of 1914, I expect neither the British or Ottoman Empires and people expected to be fighting each other in just months. A lot of what we might call stupid/unnecessary battles got fought in WW1, tragically, a lot of people were killed and wounded on both sides, but generally the outcome of battles/campaigns had consequence. Both the Ottomans and British saw huge strategic advantage to be won or lost. At the start of WW1, the Ottoman Empire included both sides of the Arabian peninsula, and most of the Sinai peninsula. I'm not sure of who started fighting first, the Ottomans or British, but early in WW1 the Ottoman Empire tried to capture the rest of the Sinai peninsula up to the Suez Canal and prevent the British Empire using it to draw troops and supplies from India, Australia, etc. That could mean the Central Powers getting such a big advantage that they would win the war. There is some symmetry in the Ottomans wanting to capture one side of the Suez Canal, and the British wanting to capture the Canakkale(??) peninsula and control the Dardanelles Strait. The many battles on the Western Front with huge loss of life, had more consequence than most people think. UK WW1 War Cabinet minutes, which are online, show, for the British sector, it was a war for control of the Belgian ports. The ports were German submarine bases, just 15 to 50 km from the front line, for attacking the British Navy defending the supply line across the English Channel. While neither the British Army or Navy could capture the Belgian ports, they eventually managed to block the ports, and the UK stayed in the war until Germany was exhausted.

[@wolfgangwust5883]

Hi guys, beautiful episode as always. Did you mark the camp spot behind the bulgarian border on iOverlander? Will be in the region next year. Thx

[@TheWayOverland]

Thanks, yep it's on iOverlander, lookup - Alexandrovo Camping - 41.98682, 25.72681. Nice little camp spot.