While the popular image of Turkey is one of sandy Mediterranean beaches lapped by a turquoise sea, the Black Sea Coast reveals a very different, but equally compelling picture (writes Rebecca Burns). Cool and uncrowded, damp and dramatic, it is the least visited part of the country, yet it is possibly the most scenic and one of the most culturally-intact.

Perfect country for a remote and romantic road trip, the Black Sea region delivers dreamy landscapes and glimpses of authentic Turkish culture away from the tourist throngs.

Tucked away here is the outstanding Ottoman city of Safranbolu, the historic Sümela Monastery, and many beautiful glacial lakes, rugged mountains and lush alpine meadows.

Springtime is one of the most beautiful times to visit, when the mountain valleys are carpeted with wild flowers, but with heavy rainfall the landscape remains green all year round.

With your own vehicle and a week to spend exploring, you can see some breathtaking scenery and squeeze in many of the region's most interesting towns and historical sites - travelling roughly between the town of Amasra in the west to the city of Trabzon about 620km east. Be warned, however: some of the region's roads can be a little on the challenging side; consider hiring a four-wheel-drive vehicle for your trip and you'll be thankful.

Roughly travelling from west to east along the Black Sea Coast, you could stop off at:

Amasra

This peaceful, picturesque coastal town is a good starting point for your journey, with a lovely beach and some wonderful historical architecture dotted about. Seek out the remains of the two 14th century fortresses and the surviving Roman bridge in the harbour, and enjoy a cup of Turkish tea at one of tea gardens at the base of the old Byzantine city walls.



Safranbolu

Driving inland a little you reach one of the region's top attractions: the historic city of Safranbolu. If there's one destination not to miss in the Black Sea region, it's this. An important caravan station on the main east-to-west trading route from the 13th century until the arrival of the railway in the early 20th century, at the height of its power in the 17th century Safranbolu's architecture inspired urban development throughout much of the Ottoman Empire.

Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its Old Town boasts hundreds of historical buildings and architectural features including Ottoman houses, mansions and mosques; five tombs; a handful of Turkish hammams; beautiful fountains; several 'caravanserais' (old roadside inns); and a historical clock tower and sundial. At its heart, the 350-year-old Cinci Hanı, a 'hotel' for travelling merchants, gives you some concept of the grand scale of the town's trading activities centuries ago.



If you're staying overnight, make for Market Street where some of the wonderful 'konaks' (mansions) have been restored and reopened as guest houses.

Kastamonu

To discover some of the region's handicrafts and enjoy some time outdoors, the town of Kastamonu provides an excellent base. Souvenir-hunters can pick up hand-printed tablecloths, home-made jams and brightly-coloured knitted socks, while nearby Daday is surrounded by meadows that offer some of the best horse riding trails in Turkey. In Kastamonu itself you can see ancient Byzantine, Greek and Ottoman artefacts in the Ethnographic and Archaeology museums.

Trabzon

Much further east and back on the coastline, Trabzon offers a convenient base for visiting Sümela Monastery, which lies 55km to its south-east in Altındere National Park. Trabzon was established as a Greek colony and grew wealthy thanks to its strategic position on the busy trade route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Once visited by Venetian explorer Marco Polo, today Trabzon is the region's biggest city, and its sights include the remains of Trabzon Castle and the Haghia Sophia Museum, housed in a converted 13th century Byzantine church which later became a mosque and then the museum.

Sümela Monastery

Perched high up on the cliffs of Mount Mela, overlooking the forests and streams of the Altındere Valley, the restored Sümela Monastery is one of the region's most impressive tourist attractions.

Reached by a 1km-long forest path through pine trees, it was founded in the 4th century by two Greek monks who are said to have discovered a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave on the mountainside. After their deaths it became a place of pilgrimage and it's now a big tourist draw. A large aqueduct stands at the entrance, built against the cliff face, and the monastery complex includes a Rock Church, chapels, a library, living quarters, a sacred spring, kitchens, classrooms and a guest house.



Uzungöl

To absorb some of the region's finest mountain scenery, travel south of Trabzon to the alpine lake of Uzungöl, which was carved out during the Ice Ages. The sleepy village on its shoreline is backed by dramatic mountains and, apart from camping, hill walking and fishing, there's not much to do except relax and enjoy the views.

Hemşin Valley

If you're in a four-wheel-drive, you could venture a little further east to reach one of Turkey's most culturally authentic regions, and one of the best spots for trekking and hiking. The locals in Hemşin Valley and the wider Rize Province take great pride in their traditional costumes, agricultural festivals and customs, and still migrate between higher and lower pastures at different times of the year. Adapting to the rugged terrain, they have engineered an electrically-powered cable car system (a 'vargel') to transport people, goods and even animals across steep valleys and narrow passes, with some wonderful (if hair-raising) views.

Many people still live in wooden houses in remote villages perched on the steep mountainsides, and the scenery is magnificent. Near the attractive town of Çamlıhemşin's you can hunt down Kale-i Balâ Castle, and in the village of Ayder you can enjoy the hot springs and follow mountain trails to higher meadows and more remote villages.

For travellers with a sense of adventure this distinctive region of Turkey is hugely satisfying; it feels a million miles away from the heaving tourist resorts of the Med and the Aegean, and offers a hearty helping of wilderness, fascinating towns and amazing archaeological finds.