Today we woke up with sore backs and legs. Turkey’s Lycian Way runs along the South-Aegean coast, between the touristic hotspots of Fethiye and Antalya. Clow spent years exploring this sublimely beautiful part of Turkey and bringing local hill farmers round to her envisioned trail and the benefits of tourism (pick up her detailed Lycian Way guidebook and hiking maps if you plan on making the trip). Over a delicious home-cooked feast later that night, I chatted to a German couple walking sections of the trail; it was May so it was a great time to see the Mediterranean tourist hotspots with smaller crowds than peak season, but the Lycian Way was bustling with hiking boots and boisterous camaraderie. The route turns left off the forest track and climbs steadily to the lighthouse. The Sunday Times has listed it as one of The Talbots were challenged to tackle the Lycian Way by former Amateur Traveler guest Sherry Ott. How about a walk through the ruins of history? Lycian Way: Segment 1 is a 12.3 mile point-to-point trail located near Konyaalti, Antalya, Turkey that offers scenic views and is rated as moderate. Or possibly a few day trips of walking while enjoying a nice sunny vacation? Village entrepreneurs have also opened pensions specifically to provide stopovers to hikers, which can neatly break up the walk between Kaş and Kaleköy. Aug 20, 2016 - The Lycian Way in Turkey is the perfect answer for all three types of getaways.The Lycian Way (or "Likya Yolu" in Turkish), is a 509-km/300-mile walk along the coast of Turkey from Fethiye to Antalya. On The Lycian Way November 2019 Days 1 to 3 Here is my experience of Hiking on The Lycian Way between Karaoz and Cirali. The Lycian Way has become established enough now that there are almost always accommodation regularly available throughout the trek (with the notable exception of the long multi-day stretch through the mountains between Myra and Finike, for which ‘wild’ camping is still the only option – though those sections can easily be skipped). We took this challenging and beautiful walk and it was one of the highlights of our world travels, not to mention a muscle and relationship builder as we spent weeks exploring the rocky coastline and piney forests of Turkey together. … When they left us we started the Lycian Way at Fethiye and worked our way to Karaöz. The Lycian Way (Likya Yolu) is in Turkey a 510 kilometer trail that officially starts from Baslangic, outside of Ovacik and ends in Geyikbayiri outside of Antalya. So we decided to walk the section from Karaöz to Gedelme with them. I caught a dolmuş around the thrilling corners of the coast road from Ӧlüdeniz, stopping in Faralya for a lunch of cheese and spinach gözleme pancakes, the classic Lycian Way hiker’s fuel. One day you are high up in the mountains and the next on one of th… Using a boat to hike this portion of the Lycian Way (from Kas to Demre) is a perfect way to experience the Lycian Way AND the Mediterranean. It can also be walked from either end, west to east and vice versa. It is waymarked with red and white stripes, the Grande Randonnee convention. This stretch of dramatic Mediterranean coastline, its beaches and vertiginous sea cliffs overlooked by the olive-grove-dotted foothills of the Western Taurus Mountains, where travellers can explore moss-covered chambers of history’s first proto-democratic union. Spanning a total of approximately 540km, the Lycian Way is Turkey’s first long-distance hiking trail. My friend Jo is all smiles and enthusiasm as we leave Gul Mountain Hotel The Lycian League debated public issues in Patara’s bouleuterion, or council chamber, the heart of this politically advanced society; recently renovated, the structure was an atmospheric spot to watch the sun go down and reflect on these enigmatic people first mentioned in Homer’s Iliad. Ultimately, I didn’t use any specialised hiking services. cultureroutesinturkey.com/the-lycian-way The legendary Butterfly Valley, its sheer cliffs plunging to a golden beach backed by a simple campsite, is named after its population of colourful Jersey tiger-moths. A yellow Lycian Way marker sign and further sign for the Gelidonia Lighthouse was my start point. The next place I lingered was Patara, where a meadow strewn with Lycian ruins, from a 5000-seat theatre to a colonnaded street, leads to Turkey’s longest interrupted beach (18km). It was magical to overnight here and see Levissi’s spot-lit churches standing sentinel over Kayaköy. It was an easy start, just 5km on forest tracks to somewhere I had long wanted to visit – partly thanks to another book. You’ll find yourself awash in pure history virtually every step of the way (what other trail has you actually walking on an ancient Roman aqueduct for a significant stretch?). The people are incredibly friendly. We did not hike the Lycian Way from Fethiye to Hisarçandir as we were travelling with our 2 sons, Simon and Lawrence, who could only be with us for 7 days of the hike. So we decided to walk the section from Karaöz to Gedelme with them. Its pull on the imagination is undeniable, and it wasn’t long ago that its mix of stunning coastline, resort towns and rustic villages pulled me in. The trail is primarily used for hiking, camping, nature trips, and backpacking. There is possibility of visiting an ancient city, swim, and explore flora and fauna, learn culture in 1 day during a hike. On my first day of leg stretching, I struck out from Fethiye, leaving its energetic Barlar Sokak (‘Bar St’), marinas and Lycian sarcophagi far below as I climbed the hill. From Melanippe Beach the remaining hike is 17kms. Day one hiking the Lycian Way It’s a 17 km hike from Gul Mountain Hotel, about an hour’s drive from Antalya to a small B&B – Suleyman’s Pension in Yayla Kuzdere. Sinking a sundowner in the terrace restaurant, with its dangling lanterns, sea views and cool international crowd relaxing to chilled tunes, this section of the long-distance hike didn’t feel like a hardship. December 12, 2018 Ashley Hayes Comments 0 Comment. The smashed amphorae, building foundations and staircases disappearing into the blue depths exemplified the Lycian Way’s extraordinary combination of wild Mediterranean landscapes and spellbinding ancient history. The Lycian Way runs for a little over 500 km (not counting getting lost) from Fethiye in the west to Antalya in the east. The scenery is jaw-dropping. From Kabak, the trail continues through several of the key remnants of the Lycian League, a loose confederation of some 25 city states formed around 165 BC. Here lies the stomping ground of the mysterious Lycian League, credited with establishing the world’s first parliament at Patara, before they were absorbed by the Roman Empire. However, the trail can easily be walked either east (Antalya) to west (Fethiye) or west to east without problem. Secure your place. But after a few minutes of moving around, we were ready to go again. (Though if you have the spare day, there are now trails linking Fethiye to Ovacik as well – about a 15km walk.) Whether you go for the entire hike or just a day or two, you'll quickly fall in love with this area of the world and your ability to walk right through history. All editorial views are those of Lonely Planet alone and reflect our policy of editorial independence and impartiality. The Lycian Way ,trekking, culture, and sea | The Lycian Way is a long-distance footpath in Turkey around part of the coast of ancient Lycia. I set of in November 2018. The Lycian Way in Turkey is the perfect answer for all three types of getaways.The Lycian Way (or "Likya Yolu" in Turkish), is a 509-km/300-mile walk along the coast of Turkey from Fethiye to Antalya. The best months are probably spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October). If you’re planning to hike the entire Lycian Way trek, your best best for accommodation is to book your first night in Fethiye and then catch a dolmus minubus to the trailhead at Ovacik the next morning. Enjoying the view while stopping for a water break along the Lycian Way Kaş to Üzüm Iskelesi Beach In planning my own trip, I’d realized that I wouldn’t be able to do an full month on the trail. In summer it is too hot to hike on the lycian way trails (already in May we suffered a lot from the heat) and in winter there can be snow on several sections of the trek (there are passages at more than 1500m altitude – not the section we did, but further away). My next segment brought me from Ovacık, across the front of Baba Dağ (Father Mountain; 1960m) to Faralya, the village above Butterfly Valley. The official start of the the Lycian Way is in Ovacik, but most people begin 15km away in Fethiye. The Lycians were a democratic but independent, warlike people, with a developed art style and a high standard of living. It is a combination of several ancient routes of the Lycian people and is marked by a red and white striped logo. Lycian Way is 540km long marked GR trekking route of Turkey. See more ideas about Fethiye, Antalya, Red and white. The route was researched, designed and waymarked by British amateur historian Kate Clow in the late 1990s, who aimed to identify and protect Turkey’s ancient byways. The Lycian Way kicks off at the coastal city of Kaş © Jean-Philippe Tournut / Getty Images, Rolling out Gözleme © Veysel Kaya / Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Cheese and spinach Gözleme © fmajor / Getty Images, Butterfly Valley © Kenan Olgun / Getty Images, Flames from the ground at Mount Chimaera, Turkey © ninelutsk / Getty Images, Rock-cut tombs at the ancient city of Myra © mtnmichelle / Getty Images, The ruins of Patera © efesenko / Getty Images, Ruins at Xantos © Gülcan Aca / Ministry of Culture and Tourism. There’s Letoon, a religious sanctuary dedicated to Zeus’ lover Leto, the national deity of Lycia; and the grand Roman theatre and pillar tombs at Xanthos, the Lycian capital until Brutus attacked in 42 BC and the inhabitants committed mass suicide. While staying at a pension in neighbouring Gelemiş village, I enjoyed some of the hospitality for which Turkey is justly famous. The Appalachian Trail is a 2,200-mile hike that begins (or ends) at Mount Katahdin in Maine and rolls through 14 states to its endpoint on Springer Mountain in Georgia. The weather was warm and dry. Mediterranean Turkey is well set up for tourism, and I met numerous hikers who had their bags driven to their next stop by an accommodating guesthouse owner. I followed the coastal path, overlooking a cerulean bay broken by the undulating outlines of islands and peninsulas, to a boat-building yard, where wooden gület yachts were under repair for the coming summer. Since then, this 540 kilometre (335 mile) long trail has led countless walkers along the ancient ruins, tombs, pathways and port towns of this unique part of Turkey. She went on to promote other Turkish hikes including the St Paul Trail, the Carian Trail and more. And while so much of the past has disappeared, this path offer countless ways those elements that still peek through. Kate Clow with … But my fondest memory was the 4km walk between the tiny fishing villages of Üçağız and Kaleköy, the latter reached only by foot or boat, and named after the Byzantine kale (castle) overlooking its handful of houses. This is the starting point of our multi-day Lycian Way hike in Turkey. The village used to have 13 chapels, 2 churches, 2 school buildings and a customs building alongside houses when they were built during the second half of 19th century and first quarter of 20th century. Patara was Lycia’s major port, as well as the 3rd-century birthplace of St Nicholas, the Byzantine bishop also known as Santa Claus. We talk about their whole journey as well as segments people with much less time could hike. Of our multi-day Lycian Way is in Ovacik, but most people begin away... 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