Trip to Croatia

[BE35]

The Route

Glos- Deauville- Poitiers- Calvi (Corsica)- Brac (Croatia) -Havar- Losinj- Cannes- Deauville- Glous.

We wanted to visit Croatia as a holiday destination so after adding 2 more maps to our collection off we went.
With no real plans the route was decided as we went.

We left Deauville on Saturday morning and flew to Poitiers for some fuel and lunch, the restaurant was shut so we asked the flying club if they had any water we could purchase, "none for sale, but here have these" so armed with water supplies and some emergency reserve snacks we got airborne and flew direct Calvi (Corsica).



most of the flight was at FL85 then we descended to coast out St Tropez.




Approaching Corsica




The Citadel, Calvi Town and airport.



Calvi Airport




Calvi was lovely and we stayed for two nights, but the main objective was Croatia so we flew Calvi direct to Brac. Passing over the island of Elba then straight over Italy with great zone crossings and services from Italian ATC.

Mid way from the East Italian coast to Brac Croatia.



Approaching the Islands of Croatia



The famous beach of Bol on Brac called the Golden Horn



Final to Brac. The airfield sits at 1500ft.



Fantastic service at Brac, fuelled up and parked (they tied the aircraft down) passed customs etc and accommodation sorted with airport shuttle into Bol all in 1/2 an hour. Superb attitude to GA.



We stayed in an apartment in Bol for 40euros a night. The owners son took us out the next day on a great fishing trip.





We stayed in Bol for 6 nights and hired a motorbike to explore the island.
We also hired a boat and found some great deserted beaches



After Bol we flew the long flight of 4 mins to Hvar airstrip. It was an unusual flight as after takeoff we retracted the gear and then reduced power and descended from 1500ft to sea level into the (burnt) grass / dirt strip of Hvar.



Hvar aeroclub



Hvar is a lovely town with a St Tropez feel. Great restaurants and surrounded by other islands.

Takeoff from Hvar for The Island of Losinj.



We routed up the Dalmation coast over thousands of islands.

Losinj Airport Restaurant!!!



Losinj is a fantastic Island with some great little fishing villages housing some wonderful little restaurants serving fresh fish.



As always time was running out so we set off for the journey back. I filed a flight plan from Losinj to Chambery routing over Italy to Turin and through the Frejus pass.




We coasted in Italy just south of Venice with a direct track to Turin, once again an excellent service from Italian ATC allowing transit through all the desired airspace, on approaching Turin it was clear (or not as the case was) the weather had deteriorated from the Taf and a route through the pass was not for today, we diverted from the flight plan and routed south via Albenga and along past Monte Calo and Nice to Cannes where we stopped for fuel and a re- think.



Nice Airport



Parked up at Cannes



We decided to continue one hop back to Deauville over Clermont Ferrand
It was very hot so most of the flight back was at FL85.

A great trip was had and nice to see some new views from the air

[Charles Hunt]

Fantastic!

As a novice VFR bimbler I'm still amazed that the 'planes we fly can really do this/

PaulS. If the weather still looks bad at the weekend we could head south rather than north.............

[AfricanEagle]

Great report BE35.

Croatia is a lovely destination, I have been to all three the islands you visited and find it hard to decide which is my preferred.

Glad Italian ATC didn't cause undue hassles, they seem to be improving

Had I been in Italy I would have invited you to stop over, or maybe I could have flown to Brac to say hello but I was busy flying over the Alps ...

[Pete S]

Brilliant pics.

How I wish I'd been able to entice 'er indoors into a SEP all those years ago:

All those missed opportunities, never to be regained....

Peter

[Aerotech Flyer]

Great write up and photos Chris, thanks for being a trail blazer for me.
Between you, Peterh and Adrian your trip reports have just about got me all set up for a future trip to Croatia,.... and I just can't wait !
Looks like we were both down Corsica way at a similar time, so I will probably bore everyone with a more detailed trip report on Corsica itself later.
Nice to see the Beech running well,
Cheers
AF

[akg1486]

I really need to get my own aircraft! I have done five European tours over the last six years, but I'm always restricted by the minimum flying time per day and the maximum rental period. Last year at Graz airport (southern Austria) I couldn't help but notice that the Adriatic Sea and the Croatian islands were but a short hop away. Would have loved taking that hop and staying for a week before heading back. But instead we turned north again to get home in time.

Nice write up and fantastic pictures. For those who have never tried a longer trip: if you're well prepared it's so much easier than you might imagine. ATC in Europe, at least where I have been, is great. And the help you get from local flying clubs and pilots is usually fantastic.

/Peter

(Having never been there, I have heard many rumours about Italian ATC. Glad to see that they may not all be true!)

[Steven Day]

Chris
Good to see Gloucestershire machines on tour. There are some cracking trips being logged already this summer (see trip reports elsewhere). Very inspiring stuff. Yes, our aeroplanes are indeed quite capable of magic.
Loved the Hvar Aeroclub. Makes The Aviator look like the Ritz!
I flew through Croatia a couple of years ago but missed Brac - looks like I'll have to go back. Smart looking place.
Steven

[BE35]

Thanks for the comments!!
Has anyone been to Elba between Corsica and Italy?? we flew over it on the way to Croatia and it looked stunning.

[AfricanEagle]

BE35,

went to Elba yesterday for a day at the beach and a plate of seafood pasta.

Nice little airport. Rwy 34/16: 34 means coming over the hill but with a Beech you sidetrack it.
Fuel avalaible but 2.95 euro/l.
Landing fees 35 euro for < 2 ton aircraft if you are an AOPA member (20% discount).
Information office on airport site for hotels, restaruants and taxis. Taxi to Procchio is 12 euro. They give you their phone number for pick up on the return.
White beaches, crystal water, good choice of food.

Returning to your trip, regarding Hvar. A friend wants to go for a few days with his wife. I was last there 12 years ago, my info is a bit outdated. Who to contact for landing? How to get hold of a taxi? Hotel suggestions?

Thanks.

[BE35]

AE

You speak to Split Radar first then Brac, there is a frequency for Hvar on the map but its only an air ground radio and is hardly used, we departed from Brac for Hvar and just called them when we landed to let them know we were ok and on the ground. The taxi will be Starigrad but some refuse to drive the rough track that leads to the airfield. Starigrad tourist info should arrange one for them.

Hope this helps.