Turkey Trot might better be called Turkey Roll in this instance! A bicycle tour through Turkey may seem like an outlandish undertaking, fraught with peril. The country isn’t exactly alone in that respect, but here are some pointers for staying safe. A lot of it is plain common sense; but some items, such as appropriate dress should you visit a mosque, are more specific to Turkey. So, are fancy socks considered inappropriate?

This is quite a large nation; the northern parts can be getting snow while at the southern end, people can be sunbathing on the beach! Many cycling routes are available, but for ideas on visiting specific areas see here.

The accounts I’ve read of bicycling through Turkey mention avoiding certain regions; but frequently mention how delightfully hospitable the people are. That must be most welcome to cyclists pedaling their way through the land; especially if they’re half a world away from home.

Sharing the road with livestock would be a new one for me! I hope that cows, goats, etc. wear bells so it’s possible to hear them before getting too close to them. It also wouldn’t be the tidiest thing in the world to ride along behind them (I don’t need to say why).

There’s one aspect of being in Turkey that didn’t seem to be mentioned in the articles I read. Is an exposed female ankle still a crime there? If so, what would the authorities think of a woman in lycra riding a bicycle? Or dancing the Turkey Trot?