Jelsa to Hvar Town on the island of Hvar

Monday 30 September

Raining. No riding today which will no doubt gladden the hearts of some.

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but no, I was wrong! The boat was just pulling out of port at about 10.30 a.m. and the sun was trying to peek through the clouds. The option was put to us that we could ride - and everyone raced to their cabins to change and off we went. And what a pretty ride it was!

We rode along the coast under the cover of pine trees, past rocky coves and  into the village of Vrboska with pretty bridges over a canal.

On we went; rain started and we put jackets on and rode along a gravel road with big puddles to Starigrad. We cycled through the Stari Grad Plain which represents a comprehensive system of land use and agricultural colonisation by the Greeks in the 4th century BC. Its land organisation system is based on geometrical parcels with dry stone wall boundaries (chora).

Starigrad is one of Croatia's oldest towns (dating back to 385 BC); it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC.

There is bougainvillea everywhere.

We stopped here for a coffee and visited the monastery which houses a museum which has a lovely Tintoretto: Pieta - The Mourning of Christ; some of the other art exhibits here are highly prized including some works by Jacopo Palma the Younger and a rare Croatian hymn book dating from the 14th century.

We rode on a little further along the picturesque harbour to our boat for lunch. My Friend will take a break here rather than do the steep climb (and descent!) to Hvar Town.

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After nice cooked lunch onboard, we left for the big 7 km ride - all uphill - passing through the villages of Grablje (known for its wine and olive oil) and Brusje. Had a coffee at the top while the mist swirled round, then an undulating ride across the top until the 8 km descent took us down to the magnificent Hvar Town. (My Friend sailed round to Hvar Town with some others in the group who did not want to tackle the climb).

As we arrived in Hvar Town, the overcast sky lifted and as I crossed the enormous St. Stephen's Square, which is their main plaza/piazza/trg (and supposedly Dalmatia's biggest), there was a beautiful sky and the Old Town was lit up in late afternoon sunshine.