TRANSPORT ON CROATIAN CAR FREE ISLANDS

As tourists we love the lure of a car free island; less pollution, less noise, just generally more bucolic and quaint. But what of the locals who have to live there day in day out? And how do you get your baggage to your accommodation if you choose to stay there yourself?

The island of Kolocep, close to Dubrovnik, is an object lesson in carless ingenuity. It has two small villages and only one port, and even so most of the houses are up a steep slope from the harbour. There are shops and bars to provision, not to mention a hotel. In just one morning we witnessed every mode of transport the island has to offer.

Most obvious is the golf buggy, used to ferry hotel guests and their baggage from one side of the harbour to the other. Simple, effective. But in the grand scheme of things not very exciting… although we did see one local who had his own buggy, scooting along with a glass of wine in his hand. Not a plastic cup, but a glass. A stemmed one at that, but it was almost lunchtime.

Far more prevalent than buggies are the lawnmower-cum-tractors. They absolutely had to be homemade and they were parked everywhere and used for everything. Positioned right at the front is a lawnmower engine, mounted between two small tractor wheels. Behind that the lawnmower’s handles and the tractor’s metal seat. Sometimes that was all there was, but more often than not there was a cart attached, used for transporting goods delivered by ferry, for shopping, for building materials, animals (farm and domestic) and even people.

Judging by the speed this one was going, they certainly corner well ????