North Slope of Mount Carmel and Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. North Slope of Mount Carmel

   Haifa is the one big Israeli city where you really do ride up a mountain to get home. The north slope of Mount Carmel drops almost straight into the Mediterranean, and the city is stacked on it in layers: port and railway at the bottom, then the German Colony with its tidy Templer houses, then the long terraces of the Bahá'í Gardens, and finally the ridge, where the road along the top gives you the whole bay as far as Acre on a clear afternoon.

   Read the complete North Slope of Mount Carmel write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   North Slope of Mount Carmel is where the day begins. Next is House of ‘Abbúd.

2. 2. House of ‘Abbúd

   Acre sits at the northern tip of Haifa Bay, on a small peninsula that has been a port since the Bronze Age, and the House of Abbud is one of the Ottoman-era buildings of its old town, in a maze of stone lanes about a kilometre from the walls.

   Read the complete House of ‘Abbúd write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   House of ‘Abbúd comes up about 27 km into the recorded legs. Next is Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of.

3. 3. Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of

   In the second century AD, after the failed revolts against Rome, the centre of Jewish life moved to Galilee, and the Sanhedrin, the supreme rabbinical council, settled for a time at Bet She'arim, on a hill at the western edge of the Jezreel valley. Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi, the patriarch who compiled the Mishnah, the first great codification of Jewish law, lived here, and when he was buried in the necropolis, Jews from all over the diaspora wanted to be buried near him. The result is a vast network of catacombs carved into the soft limestone, listed by UNESCO in 2015.

   Read the complete Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 63 km into the recorded legs you reach Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of. Next is back through House of ‘Abbúd.

4. 4. back through House of ‘Abbúd

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete House of ‘Abbúd write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through House of ‘Abbúd, late in the day. Next is North Slope of Mount Carmel.

5. 5. North Slope of Mount Carmel

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete North Slope of Mount Carmel write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at North Slope of Mount Carmel. That is the ride.