While I have been here in Cyprus for several weeks (renovating a house), I have enjoyed several organised walks with The Cyprus Ramblers. It’s on one of these walks that I met Geoff Fryatt, a retired Lieutenant Colonel and occasional author on hiking. One of his books is Happy Hiking in Sunny Cyprus.
So if you’re looking for some hiking inspiration, in-depth tips or enthralling history stories, choosing a thoughtful gift for an outdoor lover or want to treat yourself, here’s one of the best hiking books to get you in the mood to hit the trails in sunny Cyprus.
This book that combines hiking, culture and history provides everything from recommendations and descriptions of epic trails to maps, photographs and grades of walks, so you can quickly find your next great hike.
Book Review
There is no doubt that the best way to get to know the beautiful island of Cyprus is to put your backpack on and start walking around the countryside. After more than two decades of exploring the hills and valleys, we have got to know the topography pretty well, but most importantly we have met many really hospitable and interesting people.
One can hardly stroll through a village without being greeted with a smile, often accompanied with an invitation to drink a coffee.
The language doesn’t matter so much as the genuine desire to make you feel welcome – the Greeks have a word for it kopiaste.
The countryside itself is an ever-open door – it is for us all to enjoy, endaxi?
Up until a few decades ago, life for most Cypriot families centred on hundreds of remote villages and even today, they will talk of their home village routes with nostalgic pride. Transport then was either your legs or a donkey, and market days meant a trip in the handsome mountain buses piled high with everything from grandma to gas-bottles.
The remnants of this not-so-ancient way of life can still be discovered in the ruins of derelict villages where giant oil-presses slumber in dusty sheds, worn down millstone or crusty iron relic.
Who built those miles and miles of terrace walks, the bridges and water mills?
All the walks in this book are circular and can be done any time of the year, but in winter, those walks in the high mountains should only be attempted with respect for the extreme cold and low clouds that can blanket the peaks in the afternoons.
A high-temperature morning on the coast could become a high wind-chill afternoon in the Troodos so pack a light jacket just in case. Some of the shorter walks could be combined to suit your day.
About the Author
Londoner Geoff Fryatt joined the Royal Artillery in 1960 and rose quickly through the ranks to become an RSM and later a Lieutenant Colonel, ending his career with his last posting being in Episkopi.
His service time took him to Germany 51 years ago where he met and married his wife Doris. Together they were stationed in Germany for 18 years, then to UK, Brunei, and Cyprus.
Geoff is President of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity in Cyprus and last year the charity donated over £7000 to the remaining veterans of the Cyprus Regiment.
An amateur military historian, hiker and hasher with his wife, they are retired and have lived in Cyprus for 27 years.
He has walked well over 10,000 kilometres around the island with Doris and their friends. They have enjoyed doing the 30 walks listed in this book many times and in all sorts of weather. He has had so much pleasure from exploring Cyprus and meeting interesting people that he felt obliged to put it all in a book, so that others could also experience the peace and freedom of the Cypriot countryside. Perhaps also learn a little bit about the history and culture along the way.
Here are a few highlight hikes from the book:
Troodos National Forest Park
Atalante Trail
Berengaria hotel: A place overgrown with legends
Along the walk you will come across the sad demise of the mountain hotels like the enormous broken Berengaria Hotel snoring away at Prodromos.
Berengaria Hotel, a majestic building that silently stands in Prodomos, the highest village in Cyprus, was once the most luxurious hotel in Cyprus and served as a haven for royals and other titled guests.
The hotel was named after Queen Berengaria, wife of Richard the Lionheart. However, mysterious deaths, screams and other strange apparitions appearing in the abandoned hotel, all combine to create a horrifying conundrum.
The property is situated on a plot of 26,520 square metres while the main building covers an area of 4,980 square metres. The hotel consists of 80 rooms in two wings, while there is also a guest house, a restaurant and a swimming pool.
It was the creation of British architect Walter Henry Clarke who designed it for the Ioannis Kokkalos family. Work was in progress from 1927 and it was opened on June 10, 1931. Its peak years were in the mid-twentieth century when it was dubbed a “crown jewel of the Cyprus mountains.”
The hotel was named after Berengaria of Navarre, the queen consort to King Richard I of England. Richard the Lionheart was to wed Berengaria but a ship taking her to the Holy Lands was shipwrecked off the Cyprus coast and she was taken prisoner by the island’s ruler, Isaac Komnenos. Richard did not take the insult lightly, taking a break from the crusades to conquer Cyprus. Komnenos was taken prisoner while Richard and Berengaria were wed at a chapel in Limassol.
They are said to have spent their honeymoon in Prodromos which is why Ioannis Kokkalos decided on the name for the hotel.
According to legend, the hotel owner had three sons. Before his death, he left the business to his three sons to share equally. However, upon his death, the sons, driven by jealousy, greed, and pride ran down the hotel. Subsequently, all three of them died under mysterious circumstances. For instance, the eldest of the brothers, they say, threw himself over the bridge, when faced with serious financial problems. Locals also believe that his father avenged him and his beloved “Berengaria” brothers for their unfulfilled promise. This, together with other stories including that of a manager who committed suicide at the hotel added to the conversation around the village that the hotel was haunted. Some people claimed to have seen shadows through the shattered windows and heard screams and cries.
Additionally, another story holds that two female ghosts roam the hotel. One of them was found dead in the swimming pool, and it’s said she still hangs around trying to avenge her death. The other is that of a young woman with black raven hair who is seen at the hotel dressed in white linen and can allegedly be seen leaning against one of the windows at sunset. Another myth says that inside the hotel there was a fresco, depicting the dance of hell and that, whoever saw it, would be doomed for the rest of his life. All these stories have now made the hotel a place sought after visitors that still having a lust for the thrill of this location.
The hotel has been abandoned for more than 30 years. At this point, the question still remains: Will the majestic hotel be able to open once again its doors to welcome guests from around the world? Until then, the hotel is covered by a gloomy veil of mystery, remaining a hot spot for adventure junkies – beware though do not enter.
Kalavasos – Mines and Trains
Kalavasos is 25 kms east of Limassol where the late yellow tent covers a Neolithic village site.
As you drive towards the village stop at the car park on your left, opposite a taverna, and have a look at the last railway train in Cyprus displayed on a bridge across the riverbed.
The first leg of this walk takes you up the West side of the valley to the Kalavasos Dam, the 4th largest on the island, with a capacity of 17 million cubic metres of water, yet sometimes it is almost dry!
Kalavasos means ‘good wooded valley’ and so this area has been settled and farmed for thousands of years. The Vasilikos River supplied their water before the dam was constructed.
As well as ancient mines, there are tombs and graves near the village dating from the stone age as well as the Bronze and pre-Cypriot eras. The piles of rusty tools and other mining leftovers found in this region provide proof of mining activity by the Phoenicians and the Romans.
From 1937 until they closed in 1978, the mines produced a total of 5.5 million tonnes of copper ore.
This walk takes you past the entrance to two of the mines where the ore was loaded into tipper lorries to be dumped into a huge hopper that filled the narrow-gauge railway trucks for its journey down to Vasilikos 10km south to be loaded into ships.
The famous Three Venetian Bridges
Built during the Venetian rule (1489-1571) a series of hidden bridges are dotted around the villages of Cyprus. The bridges formed part of the old camel trail, built by the Venetians to extract anything valuable they found on the island, such as copper from Pera Paidi village.
Make a fun day-trip out of exploring them and go for a walk on the Venetian Bridges nature trail opened by the Department of Forests. Nestled amongst vegetation and built over streams, there’s usually a cool climate surrounding the bridges which is an ideal break during the hot months and an enjoyable excursion in autumn and winter.
With various Venetian bridges scattered around, here are three you shouldn’t miss out on:
Tzelefos Bridge, Paphos district
Definitely the most known bridge of the island, you’ll find it in Paphos’ forest and it can easily be accessed from Limassol and Troodos as well, with all routes offering beautiful views of cypress and pine trees. Its popularity is due to the fact that that it’s the largest stone bridge ever built in Cyprus and goes over River Diarizos. Found in an area of rich green vegetation, the forest area engulfing it is beautiful and has various nature spots to be explored. Many hikers, tourists and even newly-weds make a stop to be photographed with the charming Tzelefos Bridge.
Only 6 km from Ayios Nikolaos villages, enrich your journey by visiting some other nearby picturesque villages such as Omodos, Arsos and Vasa.
Elia Bridge, Paphos/Limassol district
Very near Kaminaria village (4km) and only 2 km from Tzelefou bridge, Elia bridge is built where the river of Kaminaria and Diarizos meet. The name of the bridge translates to “olive” and as the name suggests, there was a vast reach of olive trees in the area. Look out for the carving of crosses on both sites of the bridge, considered to be its main characteristics. To experience its vegetation bloom, visit over winter or spring when the river will most likely be running and more green will be decorating the area.
Akapnou Bridge, Limassol district
A lesser known Venetian bridge, even for locals, is that of Akapnou and surprisingly features two arches rather than the typical Venetian style of one.
25 minutes from Limassol, finding it might be a tricky task as it’s buried in wilderness at the end of a dirt road. Whilst on the Akapnou – Eptagonia road, pass by Akapnou village, cross the modern bridge and look for a sign for the Venetian medieval bridge on the right. This will lead onto the dirt road. If with a rental car and worried about taking it down a bumpy road, park and walk around 300 meters to get to the bridge. Approaching you have a wonderful view of the two arches, just be careful of the wild vegetation growing free around it and any sharp drops.
Kritou Terra
With the wild west of the island blessed with beautiful age-old villages speckled across the undulating sunkissed countryside, it’s hardly surprising that many independent holidaymakers choose to set up base in one of the stone-built villages of the Paphos district for a summer getaway that dreams are made of.
And when it comes to inland explorations, one of the most gorgeous spots in the area simply has to be the quaint village of Kritou Terra; situated 570 meters above sea level and home to one of the most stunning natural sights on the island – the Kremmiotis Waterfall.
Only recently made accessible, a gorgeous trail leads up to the fall – but do be warned, you’ll be clambering over slippery rocks and you’ll need good walking shoes. Set in an incredibly lush green environment, the water here rarely stops flowing and provides for an incredibly refreshing day out when temperatures rise.
How to get here? Located on the east side of Kritou Terra, keep your eyes peeled for roadside signs leading the way. You can park your car at a small picnic area and pool, before embarking on a 900-meter nature walk. Once you reach a small cave, you’ll need to crawl through it to get to the falls on the other side. And you can take our word of it; it will be worth the effort!
Aside from comfy shoes, be sure to take your swimsuit if you fancy a splash, a towel, and your cameras.
To purchase a copy of Hiking in Cyprus please email [email protected]
Links to walking groups: c3a-cyprus.org, csrc-ws and cyprus-strollers.org
Source: mycyprustravel.com, visitcyprus.com and wikiloc.com
George Georgiou
