Polonezkoy is a small village hidden in the forests on Istanbul's Anatolian side, a short way from the chaos of the city and a world apart. It was founded in 1842, when Prince Adam Czartoryski, a Polish aristocrat in exile in Paris, bought land here and offered it to Polish refugees after the failed uprisings against Russian rule, and the village was originally called Adampol. For a long time, its inhabitants spoke Polish and kept their Catholic customs, and the traces still show in the wooden houses with steep roofs, the small chapel and a handful of restaurants serving Polish dishes alongside Turkish ones.
As the start and finish of a ride, it is a refuge. The surrounding forest of oak, beech and hornbeam is protected as a nature park, and the lanes leading in are narrow, shaded and quiet on weekdays, with gentle curves and a surface that varies from smooth to patched. Weekends are another matter: Istanbulites flock here for breakfast and walks, and the road can fill with cars and motorbikes, so early starts are best. Heading north toward the Black Sea, the road continues through more forest, with long, easy bends and occasional views of reservoirs, before dropping to the coast near Sile. The nearest districts with fuel and services are Sancaktepe, Umraniye and Atasehir, about a dozen kilometres away, so fill the tank before heading in.
The village's character comes from its mixed heritage. For generations, it was a place where Polish descendants lived in the Ottoman and later Turkish world, and the community has shrunk as families moved to the city, but a few still live here and keep the old houses. The local cooking is a pleasure: a long country breakfast with eggs, honey, cheeses, olives and fresh bread is a weekend ritual. Polish dishes, such as pierogi and smoked meats, appear on menus.
The forests here are part of a green belt that surrounds Istanbul on both sides of the Bosphorus, and they provide the city with much of its clean air and water. Squirrels, foxes, wild boar and many species of birds live among the trees, and in autumn the leaves turn gold and copper, while in spring the ground is covered in wildflowers. The air smells of damp earth and leaf mould, and after the city's roar the quiet is striking.
Bring a light jacket, since the forest is cooler than the city, and allow plenty of time for the return to Istanbul, where traffic can be heavy.