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Lycian Way
In the second week of April 2007 we walked a section of the
Lycian Way, a long distance trail along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. We
had a fantastic time, despite very limited preparation!
The notes on this page will hopefully help you prepare if you are planning this walk, with information on where we walked, where we stayed, the weather, and a packing list
We had a one week holiday in early April and decided to
walk from Karaoz to Cirali (roughly, sections 20, 21 and part of 22b from the
Lycian Way trail guide). We were not aiming to cover as much ground as
possible; rather, to have time to enjoy the scenery and to do some camping.
We flew from Heathrow to Antalya via Istanbul with Turkish
Airlines, arriving late in the evening. The taxi into the town centre
cost about 35 lira at that time of day.
The large supermarket to the west of the city, Migros, is an
excellent place to find food supplies, including powdered milk, dried fruit and
other camping essentials. We had brought a camping gas stove with us, but had no luck finding camping gas cartridges anywhere in the city. In the end, we decided to forget the camping gas and just cook over wood fires, which turned out to work very well.
The following day we took a dolmus (a kind of cross between
a minibus and a taxi) to Kumluca and from there to Karaoz, where we bought a
few more supplies at a small shop near the beach. We began our walk from there,
setting up camp that evening at the lighthouse on the point of the peninsula.
There are two good camping spots there and it was a magical place to spend the
night, watching the stars overhead and the lighthouse beam sweep through the
air, with the sea just below us.
The next morning we walked to Adrasan (about 14km), where we
stayed at the Golden River Hotel (recommended – friendly, comfortable and
reasonably priced). The hot shower and dinner by the fire was very welcome!
After a good night’s sleep we set off again, stopping for the night near the
shepherd’s hut, where there was a supply of fresh water and some flat ground
for camping, with a great view down to the town lights below.
The next day we walked down to Cirali, and stayed at the
Myland Hotel – a little more expensive than our other accommodation but very
luxurious, with hammocks set among an orchard of orange and lemon trees.
By now we were grateful for the chance to walk without our
packs – so the following day was a day walk in the morning along the beach to
the ruins at Olympos (an amazing place to explore). In the evening we walked up
to the Chimaera, the constantly burning natural gas flames escaping through
cracks in the rock in the hillside. The best time to see this is after dark –
we walked up in daylight and then stayed as the sun set. There is a little
kiosk at the base of the hill selling drinks, and you will need a torch. I
think that cooking on the Chimaera is forbidden. Hypothetically, however,
pancakes with melted chocolate would probably cook well.
We had fine weather (warm but not too hot) for all except
one day, when there was fairly heavy rain and thunderstorms – we spent that
morning sheltering in the shepherd’s hut. You can check the weather for some towns
on the walk at the BBC website. If you
get caught in a thunderstorm, as we did, you might want to read some advice
about avoiding
lightning strikes.
We were aiming to camp for part of the time, and as it
turned out we camped for two nights and spent the other nights in pansiyons
(hotels/bed-and-breakfast). This worked out well for us, although it did mean
that we had to carry tents and sleeping bags. By walking for longer each day it
would seem possible to do this section of the walk without tents and so with a
much lighter pack.
We stayed at the Golden River Hotel in Adrasan, and at the Myland Hotel in Cirali.
We were amazed how much heavier a rucksack can seem after two
hours of walking uphill, compared with when you first lift it at home! The
weight of the pack is a major factor in how enjoyable the walking is. My pack
weighed about 16kg, including food and water, which I would gladly have reduced
if possible. Unfortunately, very lightweight camping gear tends to be quite
expensive and so we had to balance cost with comfort. If you were considering
any of the mountainous sections of the walk then I imagine you would need more
(and warmer!) equipment. Anyway, this is what I took with me:
Camping equipment
Tent. An old two person tent – 3.5kg – perhaps more suited
to music festivals than a walking holiday, but it was all I had available and
it did a fantastic job, even keeping me perfectly dry during the rainstorm. You
might want to consider instead a modern light tent, a lightweight bivvy bag or
not taking a tent at all!
Thermarest. Definitely worth it for comfort on the rocky
ground.
Travel pillow. I forgot this and so folded the end of my
Thermarest over to make a pillow.
Sleeping bag. I took a down bag weighing about 1.5kg –
warmer than was needed.
Head torch and spare batteries.
Cooking equipment
We couldn’t find any gas cartridges for our camping gas
stove (see above!). In the end we cooked on wood fires, which worked very well.
There were fireplaces already made at the two places we camped and the dry wood
was easy to light. Obviously, on the rainy day it was a bit more difficult.
Also note that later in the year, fires might not be advisable or allowed.
Matches.
Spork. This cross between a spoon, a knife and a fork worked
perfectly and weighed almost nothing. You might start wondering why you bother
with separate cutlery for dinner parties at home. Well, maybe.
Lightweight pan set.
Mug. Actually, I forgot to bring one, so my friends lent me
one of theirs and shared another between them. To avoid guilt pack your own.
Clothing
1 pair quick drying trousers.
1 warm fleece.
1 warm long-sleeved top.
1 T-shirt.
1 long-sleeved T-shirt.
4 pairs of light socks, 4 pairs of heavy socks. I prefer to
wear a lightweight sock inside a heavy sock to reduce blisters.
Underwear.
1 pair of walking boots. Preferably not brand new!
1 pair lightweight flip-flops. I didn’t take these but
wished I had, for comfort around camp and on the beach.
1 wide-brimmed sun hat.
1 warm hat.
1 waterproof jacket.
1 pair waterproof trousers.
Water
Platypus water bottles. Great water bottles, lightweight and
easy to fit into the pack. We carried 2.5 litres of water each.
Katadyn water bottle purifiers. Very convenient way to
purify water as you need it. Chlorine or iodine tablets would be lighter but
more hassle.
First aid
We took a standard first aid kit, including bandages for
strapping up sprained ankles or knees, paracetamol, plasters, and Compeed
blister plasters – which were very useful.
Rucksack
I took my 65 litre pack, which was just about big enough. I
ended up using my fleece as extra padding on the waist straps, which were not
as padded as they might have been.
Other
Lycian way trail guide,
by Kate Clow
Sun block, and lip sun block. The sun was quite strong, even
early in the summer.
Toiletries. Quite a lot of weight can be saved here by
decanting only what you need for the week into small containers.
Toilet paper.
Camera. We took one between us, to save weight. I took some
photos with my mobile phone as well.
Sunglasses
String.
Penknife.
Compass. Not essential but useful.
Walking pole. I found this very useful on the downhill
sections. Mine is a Leki.
Small notebook / sketchbook and pen.
Bin (garbage) bags as pack liners. When it started to rain I
wished that I’d brought my dry bag pack liner instead, but the garbage bags did
the job.
Travel documents
Passport
Travel insurance
Money. We took some British sterling to change into Turkish lira.
We also took some money out from ATMs in Antalya. XE.com is a useful website for checking current exchange rates.
Food
We ate pasta, couscous, oranges, apples, cucumber, miso soup
(from sachets!), chocolate, dried apricots and figs, cheese, bread, cereal
bars. And grilled sea bass when we were staying in towns!
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