Friday 9th August
I leave Ruth and Mark in bed and sneak out for a very early morning breakfast at 5.00am, pre-arranged with the hotel staff last night. I couldn’t have a fry up, which was understandable. However there was plenty of cereal, yogurt and fruit, orange juice and coffee. I stashed a lot of fruit into the small rucksack for later. I made my way back from Pathos harbour yesterday afternoon and collected the bike from the Triangle for £5.00 day hire. I was messed about a bit, the lady in the shop told me I could get a better bike (because I was so choosy) from their other shop in Cato Pathos. I ran back the mile to the other shop and found out they had none in! I asked the man sitting out at the front of his shop to phone the other shop to say I was on my way back to collect the one I had seen there as the shop was about to close at 7.00pm. Thankfully they stayed open and I collected a 15 speed mountain bike, pump, a couple of allan keys for brakes, headset and saddle and a padlock. I parked it outside the hotel for the night. So – after breakfast today and putting a few things together in a small rucksack (the bike had no carrier): a bottle of water, camera, map and tools and draping this over the wide bars and end stops – I plunged out into the countryside inland just after 6.00am just as the daylight was beginning but the sun hadn’t risen yet. I rode out along the rough road opposite the hotel then left onto Leoforas Danais through Mostilia to join the Mesogi road north of Pathos town then up the steep road to the Tsada turnoff. There was a good view back down to the coast and Pathos Town. The turn off goes up a bit further to reach a plateau then it was down again to Lebymvru where there is a 12th century church, Agios Kirykos – then down to the river and up again after crossing the barren valley to Choulou. I took a picture here of the old mosque (4060), put on some sun cream as the sun was now getting warm at 7.30. I noticed a few houses around here had English names on the doorbell signs. I found out later that quite a few English people have emigrated and live in the villages around here. From here it was a further climb to reach the road that goes round to the west of Agios Fotios but then it goes down again immediately which I found a bit off-putting after struggling in the heat to get up here. I decided to go over the next rise to the east and arrived in Agios Fotios. I found it very confusing here as it’s a maze of streets based around it’s very large church. I went round the large village a couple of times trying to find the road to Chrysorrogiatissa, my first BIG, number 945. I asked the way of a local sitting at his table in front of the house. He spoke very good English. I asked where the nearest shop was also as I was completely out of water. I had already drunk 1 ½ litres getting to this point and was carrying an empty bottle, badly needing a refill. He insisted on giving me an ice cold replacement – as well as a couple of oranges and apples that he told me he had bought from Nicosia market only yesterday. I offered to pay but he point blank refused. He explained to me how to get to Chrysorrogiatissa. This was down the hill out of the village then up again to Agio Moni monastery. There was a cold water machine and a bottle of lemon concentrate just inside the doorway – and I was thirsty!
I did make an offering in the plate. Had a quick look inside the place, not very big but peaceful. Continued on up through the woods, not very far and no real effort involved. Past some parked cars and around a bend in the woods where I saw a tourist taking a video of me cycling up the rise. Some people will video anything. Round a final bend and the monastery was on the left. I had a look round, feeling silly having to cover my legs with a patterned cloth. There wasn’t a great deal to see inside. The church is nothing on the grand scale of Kykkos monastery but it was a lot quieter. The courtyard was interesting (4061). The toilets down the outside path were really primitive and rested on the side of a very large tree where a plaque in front informs that this is 500 years old. There are lots of souvineer shops along the road by the monastery. From here into Pano Panagia, slightly down around a couple of bends. I stopped to buy some milk and drank it with the sandwich I’d bought yesterday from opposite our hotel. This was the place where Bishop Makarios was born. I was sitting by the gift shop, just down the road is a memorial to him. There’s a road that goes off from this village into the Cedar Valley but I decided to double back and approach Troodos by another route as the jeep safari came this way. I wanted to see some different roads. Most of the routes around here, however, are not roads but dusty tracks. Back to Agios Fotios by the same route and around the maze of streets again but I eventually found the signpost pointing off to the right for Koilineia village. The way was now down for about 2km, a road strewn with hay, before descending into the village. (4062) From Koilineia I took the track that leads down to Vretsia and eventually to Troodos in the distance. (4063) The track goes down quite a long way. Vretsia on the way down has a sharp turn to the left for the continuation of the track. The right turn is a rougher track that goes down into the village. The stream and bathing place was reached and after that it was a steady uphill along the stony track to where the way divides. I was a bit confused here as there were no signposts. I stopped at a house to ask the way. An old man with a walrus moustache came slowly toward me. I soon found out he couldn’t speak English, only Greek. He invited me to his table where his wife brought us coffee and avacados to his order. He wrote down the names of the villages on a line across a paper and verbalised the names but wrote them in Greek. He then pronounced them again, got me to look on the map and write on his sketch the names in English. I listened to the sounds and compiled my own map of the local traps. Without this I couldn’t find my way. There are a few signposts around but many junctions of tracks have none and I didn’t want to wander up a steep track in this heat only to have to come back down. From here it was obvious how I could do a circuit of the Troodos to join the main roads higher up and return this same way and head south from this point later to return to Paphos. I struck out north along the track and eventually emerged at Kykkos monastery. I bought an ice cream from the van parked alongside the road and an ice-cold orange drink from the kiosk opposite the main entrance. Near the monastery on Kykko Hill (1318m) also known as Throni, is the tomb of Archbishop President Makarios III (1913 to 1977) The approach is by a smooth road. The President’s grave is a simple black marble slab protected by a stone cupola. On the hill’s summit is a modern domed chapel. Back down to the monastery, I filled my empty water bottle from a nearby tap then cycled up the steep road through the woods to Pedoulas (1090m). This is a cherry growing area. It was 10km on from here to Mount Olympus. There’s a great view 2km from the top at the road junction to the top of the mountain. From there it was 2km up to the flat and scruffy summit of Mount Olympus, 1951metres. (BIG number 947 ) There’s a British Radar station at the very summit with a fence around it but it was still possible to take in the view from the highest point on Cyprus.
From here to Troodos where it was possible to ride a donkey ( I didn’t bother) There were a lot of coaches and tourists here. I had my picture taken again and to fly the Union Jack I said, “Good afternoon, good up here isn’t it?” It’s the highest inhabited location on the island. There’s everything you need: restaurants, fruit stalls, telephone kiosks – just like those back home. The only food shop is Fereo’s supermarket so I’m sure he does a roaring trade. From here it was more or less level for a while through Pano Amsantos then down to Kyperounta, 11km from Troodos, then up again to Chandria and the final climb, 300 metres up a sandy track to Adelfoi, At 1612 metres it’s the second highest summit, (BIG number 948). This was my furthest out point. There’s a fire look out hut at the top and a church dedicated to the Holy Cross, beleved to date from the 16th century, has some wall paintings of scenes from the life of St Helena who found the True Cross. There’s great views to the north and south coasts of the island. From here I had to return by following the same roads for some way. I was way out from Pathos but it was only 3.00pm but really had to get back as quickly as possible. I estimated that it would take me at least 5 hours to get back from here. It would be dark by then and I had no lights. I filled up with more drink at Chandria and retraced as far as Troodos then went south, 8 km to Pano Platres, about 40 miles from Pathos. This place was a popular British resort in times gone by when fashionable Cyprus holidays were spent in the cool of the mountains and not the heat of the coast. The British army developed Platres as a convalescence and recovery centre. The police station here was originally the army chapel. The British Governor’s cottage that was is now the Greek Cypriot President’s residence. From here I took a track to Mandria, up a bit from there then down along open country to reach Agio Nikolaus, down further through Filousa, up to Arminou where I took a few photos of the Troodos and Mount Olympus over Kelephos Bridge (4064 – 4069). I had a coffee there with the locals. “Welcome to my café” the owner said with open arms. He made a fuss of me and gave me a free bottle of ice-cold water to take away. He also gave me a card inviting me to bring my family to his bed and breakfast up the road. He enthused that we would love it here as Arminou is a very quiet village and close to the hills. The walrus moustache man had previously described these villages (4070) that I was about to go through on my way back to Paphos. A diversion sign pointed to Trachypedoula (sounds like a prehistoric monster) for Pathos so I took that road across the hillside into the next valley and joined a new road through Stavrokonnou where there are a lot of shacks with corrugated iron roofs where people are living – are they immigrants! Here was the ugly side of the Cypiot Greek /Turk divide and so close to the tourist areas. From here it was a direct road to Mandria on the coast. I had a quick look at the village, hoping to get off the busy main road and cycle along the coast but there was no road. I retraced back to the main road, past the airport and into Koloni. In the failing light at 8.00pm I reached the hotel area along the coast, coming onto the tourist stretch from the main road inland. Koloni is built up, bigger than anywhere I had been all day since leaving Paphos Town early this morning. Koloni is a town for the locals. No trace of tourist trappings here. The hotel stretch is quite a contrast – seeing familiar looks of English and Germans after seeing so many locals for much of the day. I had a beer from the supermarket across from our hotel to celebrate and was just about to push the bike over the dual carriageway into the hotel when I met Ruth and Mark going out for a meal. We did a quick about turn. I showered then we went to the restaurant down the road, our second visit here. I had spaghetti bolognese but couldn’t manage it all. Ruth and Mark had been to Cato Pathos today. Ruth took him to air conditioned MacDonalds then they spent the rest of the day around the hotel pool and beach. I had been on the road from 6.00am until 8.00pm, 14 hours and 105 miles later I was thoroughly exhausted and past eating. It had been so hot. I left the bike in the hotel cloakroom overnight.
Troodos altitudes
Agros 1010 / 3300 Mount Papoutsa 1554 / 5098
Foini / Phini 900 / 3000 Mount Tripilos 1362 / 4567
Kakopetria 687 / 22 Moutoullas 780 / 2560
Kykkos 1300 / 4300 Pedoulas 1090 / 3580
Mandria 850 / 2790 Pera Pedi 760 / 2500
Makrya Kontarka1680 / 5500 Prodromos 1390 / 4560
Mesa Potamos 1000 / 3300 Platres 1230 / 4035
Moniatis 730 / 2400 Trooditissa 1300 / 4265
Mount Adelphi 1613 / 5292 Throni 1318 / 4324
Mount Olympus 1952 / 6406 Troodos 1850 / 6000
Its all Greek to me…
Hallo (to one person) = Yahsoo or to more than one = Yahsass
Goodbye, cheerio = Ya harah Excuse me = See-noh-mee
Yes = Neh No = Okhee OK = En daxi
Please after an enquiry = Para-kaloh
Thank you = Ef-harees-toh, acknowledged by : Para-kaloh