Great advice, thank you so much, this is exactly what I want to do Southsea (Hampshire to Istanbul -and Ankara-Antalya)
Just checked your journey... what an adventure! You are very brave. I might try your route but try to ride Nuremberg, stay the night then Sofia, then Istanbul.
Do you think this is achievable?

Well Nurenburg and then Sofia and finally Istanbul would be 2 very long days and one short day. I calculated that Hampshire to Istanbul is 1,900 miles with a sea crossing and a longish border Bulgaria/Turkey and I preferred to do that in 4 chunks at around 500miles a day.

You could go further than Mainz in the firsf day (I had my reasons for stopping in Mainz as you can read in the trip report) but maybe not as far as Nurenburg. From memory my leg from Mainz to Maribor got me arriving quite late 19:00ish and I certainly would not have wanted to go further than Sofia on day 3. Based on my stamina I could tweek the distances but not take one day out of the schedule. As you've heard on this thread, there are different opinions on how far to ride safely in a 3 day. I know for me 600ish miles is about my limit but you may feel you can do 1900 in 3 days.

One other option is to aim to just cross the border into Turkey and stop there on the 3rd day and tweed the 3 days to achieve this. I considered this. Then you could get into Istanbul late morning on day 4. Let us know how you get on!

I'm open to correction but the Turkish visa has to be bought in advance online now so I would check this before departing. You get a simple barcoded page to print off for $15. Last year it was available as a sticker visa at the border. Insurance can be bought at the border.

I drove a landrover to Iskunderun last year with a buddy on our way south. Didn't pass through Bulgaria but the main roads in Serbia were quite good.

Whilst I wouldn't suggest missing out on Istanbul you can also take the ferries across the Dardennelles at Gallipoli. We did so to avoid the protests that closed the bridges in Istanbul.

Very true!
There is little point going on a long distance trip if you're going to endure it rather than enjoy it. It makes little or no sense to cover all that distance and see nothing along the way.
If you have to be in Turkey then plan a longer trip but if you simply want an enjoyable bike ride then set your target a bit closer to home and smile all the way.
How do I know this? I've done both.....relaxed trips with no punishing deadlines to meet and hurried trips just to get somewhere at a certain time. No prizes for guessing which one I remember with fondness! Incidentally, riding to a deadline will also increase your chances of making a mistake somewhere along the line. Going for that overtake you really shouldn't, riding too late into the evening, tiredness setting in, adrenalins levels higher than necessary, the list of potential negatives is endless and none of them are good.
Take your time wherever you go! :thumbup1: