After refueling, we drive on the D010 (four-lane highway) along the shores of the Black Sea. Enjoy the beautiful panoramas along the way. We pass a number of small villages where you can stop for a cup of coffee. From the town of Ören, the highway leads through valleys with beautiful green forests in the 75th Year Republic Forest (75. Yıl Cumhuriyet Ormanı). The road also gets more winding here. After about 80 kilometers we leave the highway.

The first stop is planned at Gökgöl Cave. For this you have to park along the road and cross the road, watch out for the passing traffic. Gökgöl Cave is the 10th longest cave in Turkey and the 2nd longest cave in Zonguldak with a length of 3350 meters. The cave dates back to the Carboniferous era (a period in the geologic time scale that lasted from 359 to 299 million years ago) and is approximately 350 million years old. In the cave, which has a walking path of 875 meters, there is an underground stream, the flow of which increases in rainy periods.
Gökgöl Cave is extremely rich in stalactite formations, such as stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flagstones and macaroni stalactites. The sections of the cave from the entrance to the Great Depression Hall are called Fossil Entrance, Asthma Hall, Wonders Hall, and Miracle Hall. The cave is a wonderfully beautiful sight to visit.

We now drive inland and the roads (D010 and D750) are still very wide highways, but they meander through a beautiful mountain landscape with lots of greenery. At the town of Gökçebey we take the D030, a two-lane road that meanders along the Filyos River, with some wonderfully winding stretches of road through the mountains. Lunch is planned at Ihlamur Seyir Teras, for this you have to go off the route but it is definitely worth it. From the terrace at this restaurant you have a great view over the Yenice Urban Forest. There is also a museum and you can even choose to plan an extra night here, there are small cabins for rent.

And then the highlight of this day; the Yenice Urban Forest, identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 1999 as one of the hundred "hotspots of European forests" with extraordinary biodiversity. The Yenice Urban Forest is one of the nine "hotspots" in Turkey and so definitely worth a longer stop.
The area is a natural wonder, made up of virgin forest, monumental trees, a unique ecosystem and a wealth of biodiversity that is rare outside the tropics. The most important parts of the Yenice Urban Forest are undoubtedly the "Nature Conservation Zones" with the monumental trees and the arboretum area.
The conservation area was established primarily to protect the biodiversity of the pristine forest, with its many species of monumental trees, the most valuable part of the heritage. The trunks of some trees reach diameters and heights rarely seen in the world, growing amid the green valleys, craggy peaks and rich plant life created by the abundant water and humidity.
In the Yenice Urban Forest there are several hiking trails that are definitely worth walking and plan some extra time for this. More information in the link at the bottom of this review.

From the Yenice Urban Forest it is about 40 kilometers on beautiful winding roads through the beautiful landscape of northern Turkey to the end point of this journey Safranbolu. This UNESCO-listed city is one of the best places to visit in Turkey to relax, soak up the Turkish culture and soak up the atmosphere. You can camp at Kadioglu Hotel & Gamping or stay overnight in one of the hotels.