It is a gentle, green stretch of coast, a few hours from the crush of Istanbul and a world apart from it, with wooded hills coming right to the water and long beaches of dark sand where the Black Sea throws surf onto the shore.
The Black Sea coast is not the Mediterranean, and the character here is different: cooler, wetter, more forested. Oak, beech and hornbeam press close to the road, there is mist in the mornings, and the sea is often grey and restless, with a swell that makes swimming a matter of watching the flags. The rivers are slow and brown, and you can take a boat up the Göksu through reed beds and woods, a trip that locals do at weekends. The weather can turn quickly, with cloud rolling in from the sea and showers that leave the roads slick.
For riders, the coast road east of Şile is one of the best easy days in the Istanbul region. It follows the cliffs and coves with a string of bends, with a smooth surface for most of the way, passing through forest, farmland and small fishing villages. Weekend traffic from Istanbul can clog the road near the more popular beaches, particularly in July and August, so aim for an early start or a midweek ride. Watch for wet leaves and sand on the corners, and for the occasional tractor or herd of cows in the villages.
Şile, to the west, is known for its cotton cloth, a loosely woven, embroidered fabric, and for a lighthouse that has watched over the coast since the nineteenth century. Ağva itself, a small town of about nine thousand, has fuel, shops and plenty of places that cook fish and the fried anchovy that the Black Sea does so well. Kandıra, to the east, is the next larger place. Spring and early autumn are the best times to come, when the beaches are quiet and the forest is fresh.