Brac Island

​Today we head out to the first of our island visits. We leave our lodging (here is the little alley it was at the end of in Split).  


We pedal to the ferry departure point which has ferries going to all the different islands and find the one for Brac. We are all surprised by how large it is and how many vehicles get loaded on board.  

It is about an hour’s ride and we deboard in Supetar.  I am once again blown away by the clear turquoise water full of schools of fish. 


We have a longish ride today with some serious climbing and the day is already feeling warm so we get on the road quickly.  So we don’t linger in Supetar but it is indeed lovely.  

We soon enter Sutivan, another gorgeous seaside village. 



We soon leave the coast and head inland which was the start of the days climbing.  We pass through some small villages and once again the island is covered with rock piles and rock walls from when ancient farmers cleared the fields for agricultural purposes.  




The wildflowers are abundant!

One of our goals today is to climb to the highest point of all the Adriatic Islands called Vidova Gora. On the way we see our first warning for sheep in the road.  Before the day is over we do see sheep running across the road!


It is a very long steep climb. The last few miles up top are in a pine forest which did provide some shade and it smelled glorious.  We summit to an expansive view of surrounding islands and Italy across the sea.  



Then a break burning descent.  The island of Brac is known for its marble.  The White House is made from marble from here. We did see quarries in the distance and our route took us right into one active one. 


Back to Supetar and lunch by the sea before catching the ferry back to Split. 




Today’s ride was full of wow moments.  We climbed 3800 feet in 35 plus miles.  Every inch of the island was photo worthy.  The pavement was great but there were terrifying sections that were narrow with no side rails or shoulders and sheer drop offs.  This is definitely a place to plan a return to someday. 

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