Day 6 - Nancie's Notes

Patara to Kalkan; Sat 6th April. The Lycian Way continues from opposite the Flower Pansiyon, a paved road until after the Riding School buildings. A stony road winds away from human habitation. The first horses are seen and a lone donkey nearby.

Massive stonework of a tomb and other ancient remains. R spends some time watching lizards. We pass a smallholding with a noisy yapping dog - then unsure of the path (lack of signs) have to pass again.

Signs become more frequent. Finally we are on a high level path and meet the occasional tortoise.

We pass through a pine and scrub woodland on a buldozed forestry road, eventaully emerging in a meadow area. R saw a Bee Orchid.

Realise the path is very even with  raised stone edges, at times with a central "trough" hewn out of stone. It is actually part of Roman aqueduct and the huge structure of the Diklemer Siphon* comes into view.

*(R; This is a piece of Roman engineering; a pipe constructed from a series of hollowed stone blocks carried on a monumental solid stone wall across a pass between two hills. There is a dip in the wall but if the pipe were well sealed water would have flowed from one side to the other. Sections of the "pipe-stones" and pottery liner are scattered at the foot of the wall.)

The Way continues on the other side of the wall. The tranquil and beautiful view of blue seas beyond gives little indication of the difficulties ahead.

Followed signs. The path gets more and more difficult, then there is a treacherous section where the hillside is of very coarse, cutting rock in sharp, jagged formations (R; plunging steeply to the deep blue waters of a secluded bay. We were astonished that the Way markings led across terrain that serious climbers would have found daunting even with the aid of ropes!)

A tiring and unrelenting scramble and climb down and across this section. Coached by RT. Path continues in challenging style (rounding a headland) until joining a concreted road on the Western outskirts of Kalkan.

It is a continuing building site of "pleasant" villa-type residences, a few more detatched than others. Work in progress on this Sunday as we enter from very hilly streets. Local dogs roam loose in the street - in good voice greeting the weary travellers.

R; It is a long walk to our pension. We had just enough energy and forethought to but two bottles of cold beer on the way - consumed in our room while watching (Turkish) "Survivors" on TV!

Sea of Plastic, Grotto, Pelican

A day of challenges, solutions, and surprises began with our departure from Gavuragili.

The usual breakfast of tomatoes, boiled egg, cheese, olives, bread and honey was followed by hasty packing of things needed for the day. This was put in one (my) backpack. The rest was bagged up to be collected and shipped to our next stop, the Flower Pensiyon in Patara. (After the first two days of walking, which were frankly exhausting, it was decided it would make sense to "send ahead")

The track was easy going and easy to follow, a steady climb through pine woods that provided shade and a resinous fragrance. This section ended with a scramble up a bank to join a tarmac'd road. The "Way" was supposed to follow this for 500m then take a path to the left. Thinking we had found this we began to climb the wooded bank. With hindsight it seems this was not part of the Lycian Way at all, and probably a path made by forestry workers, so it did not connect with the next section of the LW.

The tarmac road made a wide loop to bring it over a pass. We forged ahead, knowing that the Way made a short-cut, crossing a ridge, then rejoining the made-up road on the other side, Finding our way back down to the road proved tricky but we picked our way down through olive grove terraces, then found a path alongside a small gorge. Eventually we dropped into the dry bed of the streamwe and walked the final stretch to join the road.

Before us the massive plain of the Patara Delta stretched for miles, bounded by the hills and mountains beyond.. Rows of the massive glasshouses and polytunnels now cover most of this plain making it look like a sea of milky plastic.

Pleased with ourselves we headed back towards the massive site if ancient Pydnai, once a prosperous port and power base of the Lycian Greeks.

Rounding a bend we suddenly saw something very striking; a massive cave or grotto, about 25m diameter, like half an upturned bowl. It was naturally formed out of limestone with a pool at the bottom and some wierd suspended encrustations on the ceiling. It reminded me of the man-made grotto in the Parc les Buttes Chaumont in Paris.

There was a tree planted centrally in front, and two recesses at the back of the cave seemed to continue into the hillside. It was easy to imagine it being regarded as a shrine to Greek or Roman deities.

A long walk past the glasshouses and into a conservation area where mimosa trees reeds and tamarisk dominate brought us past Pydnai and to one end of the Patara sands. Here too Loggerhead turtles come ashore to lay eggs.

There is a frail-looking footbridge across the stream the flows down to the sea. In a refreshment pavillion alongside this we bumped into Charlie and Rupert. We had last seen them on our way to Faralya. (We had shared a moment of Lycian Way disorientation with them and enjoyed hearing their tales of the perilous descent into Butterfly Valley.)

Together we headed North towards Xanthos, another great archaeological site in this area. On the way I say delighted to spot a Smyrna Kingfisher, perched on twigs beside a stream and to see it dive for fish.

I asked a Turkish dolmush driver the name of this bird. He phoned a friend and came back with the reply; since a fish is 'pelac' and bird is "kush" this bird is 'pelac-kush' or 'pelican'. I'm not sure we were talking about the same bird!)

Day One

I am still reeling from today's walk experience!

Together with my friend Nancie I managed to get to the startpoint for the Lycian Way by ten o'clock. Pretty soon we were walking through woodland - thankfully cool as the day started to heat up.

The path climbed, then fell then just carried on climbing! There were magnificent views back to the coast around Olu Deniz. We passed a number of cistern tanks, where a fair quantity of spring water is collected for the benefit of passers-by and people working on the hillsides.

The vegetaion changed from pine forest to "maquis" and the curios shapes and surfaces of water-worn limestone became familiar. The grade of the track also varied - mostly it seemed to be lumpy stones that required care with every step to avoid twisted ankles. But occasionally there would be a stretch of green, close-clipped by the ubiquitous goats who seemed to belong to no-one but the sound of whose bells ornamented the silence.

Another common sound was that of bees. This area producss a lot of honey and the bees forage on the flowers of the mountainside. The most noticeable blooms on todays walk were the acid green mops of euphorbia, some with flame-coloured bracts and dark seed pods, and the ghostly spires of the asphodels, their flowers like pale stars, many with a faint pink wash.

Many birds were heard but not seen including a warbler and a stonechat. Numerous jays, a buzzard, black-caps and finches were also seen. Occasionally a lizard caught my eye but most times, having spotted me first it scurried away. I did manage to study one that hung like a devilish tongue beneath a mouth-like cleft in a rock. I got close enough to see its dark grey-checkered colouring, its size, the shape if its head, before it darted ito the "moufh".

To the right, the steep slopes toward the sea were clothed in scrub, to the left rose the flanks of Baba Dag. The walk continued around headlands and across stony slopes, the surface underfoot constantly changing from smooth path to loose rubble, and the gradient rarely level. Some stretches were like an interminable flight of stairs; these were the ones where occasional rest-pauses, regular sips of water and dogged determination were needed.

One descent brought us into a valley of occasional pines on a floor of bright white limestone rubble, the result of rockfalls that occured in 1953, when six houses in the village of Kirme on the valley floor were crushed. The entire south-facing side of Baba Dag appears to have been hacked away, the exposed rock totally lacking any vegetation and extensive scree slopes of chalky white rubble spread out at its base. I found this sight both awesome and depressing, and was keen to move on.

Strenuous climbing led to elevated pastures, a "ghost village" of half-finished villas and a wrong turn or two that meant doubling back or walking an extended loop to reach the next objective. It soon became clear that the guide book was out-dated and that way-markings could be misleading and inconsistent. My frustration with such things was mollified by sharing the experiences with the one or two fellow walkers met along the way - and by the wonders of the country through which we were walking.

After a long uphill slog we rounded a headland to see a village perched on 500m high cliffs above the deep blue waters of a sea inlet; we had reached Faralya, our first sleepover.

Bel

Last night the weather took a turn for the worse, "blowing a hooley" and keeping me awake worrying about the underthings I had washed and hung on a line outside. When I heard what sounded like rain I got up and collected in what I could find. In the morning a few stray item were found, none the worse for their ordeal though a little shaken.

I am now in a place called Bel, a mountain village. I haven't seen much of it yet as we arrived in a shower of rain (yagmur) at the end of grey and windy (ruzgarli) day.

On entering the village I was greeted by two sheep dog pups (kopek) who belonged to Ahmed my host. We spent the evening along with a Dutch couple, Martin and Lucy. "chatting" with him, his wife and 2 of his five children, Isa and Gelur.

Isa, about 16, a good-looking polite a charming boy is destined to be a shepherd. Gelur, 14 is the only one with any English in the family and seems very bright. She therefor was translator for the evening and though shy at first, took to the role in good humour and enjoyed showing off her simple skills.

The days walk began with a hair-brained ramble across terraces, along goat tracks, culminating in a preciptous cul de sac. Back-tracking we found our way down to the road and established our bearings.

The landscape is surprisingly green just now and fertile fields flanded the roads and paths though many appeared too small to allow use of tractor-towed machinery so you have to assume that cultivation and harvesting are labour intensive.

The day's walking ranged from tarmac roads to rubble tracks, to dry stream-beds and one memorable but misguided assualt on a mountain pass, through rocky pine woods and prickly scrub.

Our sense of direction, however, was on track as the red and white way markings suddenly reappeared and we were soon on our way to Sidyma, which boasts some Roman and Byzantine ruins, and a charming village. We enjoyed "chay" from a welcoming family, in the shade of an enormous bay tree heavy with blossom and buzzing with bees, and bought two small jars of honey from them. Then we headed off for Bel.

Shortly after leaving, after trecking a few village paths between dry-stone walls topped with brush-wood (a goat deterrant I think - they like ridge-walking) we were surprised to see a familar elderly man walking towards us.

"Bel?" he asked, looking a little confused. "Bel" we nodded. He shook his head, pointed in the direction we had come from and said, emphatically "Bel!". I made a mental note to make regular checks of my compass in future!

The Velvet Path

I was up early - in time to go with Gelur to catch the school "dolmush" and then walk to the other side of the valley to watch the sun gradually illuminate the village.

I wandered through some village lanes and wondered at the lives these people must have relying on relatively basic technology.

Back at Ahmeds house I stood with him on the terrace and looking out over his village with a bright blue day beginning we agreed that it was beautiful.

After breakfast it was back on the Lycian Way (Lykia Yolu) again stsrting with a gentle climb on an "old" road. Butressed by a wall on one side and wide enough for a tractor it seemed nevertheless rarely used, except perhaps, judging by the close cropped grass, for grazing sheep or goats. It was blissfull underfoot - the perfect way to start a day of serious walking.

We climbed gently, soon entering paths across upland "yaylas" and into pine woodland. The red and white waymarks were ever-present and we took care to add a stone to the occasional marker cairns where possible.

Soon we were shadowing the coast, though some 700m higher, working our way roubd headlands and valleys en route to the coastal village of Guvaragili (Goov-rally). The most demanding part was crossing and descending a broad slope composed if large smooth panels of rock with just a few fissures and occasional trees providing footing and shade respectively.

Though it was sunny a constant sea-breeze kept us cool and the sight of turquoise waters near the shore and the extensive sandy beach at Patara kept up our enthusiasm.

There were sightings of tortoise (koplunbagi) snake, a squirrel and tuneful birdcall one of the few sounds above the sighing of the wind. One exciting find was a single quill from a porcupine! I was so excited with this evidence of the recent presence of this rare creature.

A dog barked as I approached the first house in G. Beside the gates of a house and garden stood a smiling young woman. "From Bel?" she asked. It soon became clear that here was our pension for the night - and thrre were our bags safely delivered from Ahmeds place as promised; another miraculous link in the chain had been deftly forged.

A journey of 500km begins with...

SO. The first few kilometers are behind me - but as they were through airport corridors and queue "stacks" they don't count. Basically I have arrived at my starting point!

Points of interest on my way here;

1.Confusion at airports as to whether hiking poles are to travel in the cabin, or in the hold of your plane. (from London to Istanbul the former, from Istanbul to Dalaman the latter, apparently, and this incurred some frantic to-ing and fro-ing at the security barrier).

2. The best place for lunch at Istanbul Attaturk Airport is the staff canteen, called the Botanik Cafe (see photo). Discovered by accident we were nevertheless welcomed and the salad bar was great!

3. A superb view of Dalyan from the plane. A sand bar beach runs across the delta formed where a waterway from Lake Coycegiz filters down to the sea. On this sandbar loggerhead turtles struggle ashore to lay their eggs. It is now protected against development.

4. The sight of the mountain Baba Dag's majestic cone, capped with a touch of snow despite temperatures at sea-level being in the low 20's (68+F)

I am staying at a "butik" hotel in Ovacik about to turn in, with a chorus of toads singung a lullaby.

First steps tomorrow. More news soon!

ONCE IT'S GONE IT'S.. SCONE!

The Cream Tea Party in aid of Water Aid at the Elmgreen School (DT dept.) raised £110 in cash and £180 in pledges. The latter is eligible for Gift Aid bringing the total for the event to £335! 

By far the greatest contribution was made by Gen Guise who provided at her own expense and labour100+ delicious scones, six flavours of homemade jam, table setting with white damasc linen and easter-themed decoration. Other DT staff did sterling work setting up and clearing up after.

As many as 75 staff attended. Some enjoyed testing their skills with modelling ballons, others the opportunity for a chat, and all the luscious treats and tea.

My role was to meet and greet, explain how I came to the decision to walk the Lycian Way and why I chose to raise funds for Water Aid.

My travel plans were "in limbo" recently due to the cancellation of my original Turkish internal flight but mid morning today finally confirmed. Rather than flying overnight Saturday the new schedule has an early start on Sunday and arrives 6pm local time.

I then need to get to Ovacik where I'll spend the night. I start the walk the next day.

I carried the fully packed rucksack to and from work today. No sweat, but I have to be very time-conscious as I can't really run with it to catch a train!

Murky Waters

This time next week I will be in Turkey, hopefully having completed the first day's walk on the Lycian Way!

Yesterday, as a training exercise I loaded my rucksack with all the gear I will be taking with me and set off on a hike of, ultimately 16+ km. This included an extra "loop" at the end pick up some groceries!
My pack weighed in at 10.5 kilos.

After trekking across parts of New Malden, Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common I arrived home feeling none the worse for wear, but the shopping loop left my shoulders feeling pretty crampy. I think the continual motion of walking keeps cramp at bay;  shuffling through the aisles of a supermarket and the added burden of a carrier bag are evils that I hope not to encounter on the LW.
I've noticed that the soles of my beloved Scarpa boots (which I have worn every day - 5+ weeks - since I got them) have pretty unyielding soles. At the end of work today my feet were aching a bit so on the way home I picked up a pair of "gel" insoles. I've just been for for a circuit of the local streets and they seem to work well. I'll test them with a day at work tomorrow and no doubt my feet will report back tomorrow evening!

I came across this Turkey-and-water-related article today.
Hasankeyf locals stuck in limbo after Ilısu Dam decision

Hasankeyf is a rural town threatened with inundation if the Ilisu Dam project goes ahead. The project, built for hydro-electric power, has also been criticised as threatening to deny Syria and Southern Iraq of the water of the Tigris/Euphrates.

It will be an interesting discussion point should I meet Turkish people with sufficient English to be able to give me their point of view!

I'm sending this from my smartphone and posting a photo just to test the system so.. forgive the random subject matter! (something I saw on my walk)

WORLD WATER DAY

I'm collecting, he's collecting...
A rainwater collecting "jar" in Uganda. As an amateur ceramicist I can only marvel at this!

Yesterday was World Water Day.

This was established by the United Nations 20 years ago to focus attention on the lack of safe drinking water in specific parts of the World.

I was rather late discovering this so it was a bit of a rush to produce publicity for the windows if the DT Department at Elmgreen.

Today 783 million people - about 11% of the World's population lack access to safe drinking water.

700,000 children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation - that's almost 2,000 a day.

These are shocking facts to throw at young people. Ironically it is the very young who are most at risk of these diseases.For the purposes if campaigning I try to balance this with positive messages - about how the efforts of organisations such as Water Aid bring about change for the better.

One positive message I can pass on to all my supporters is that I have passed my initial fundraising target of £500! I now have a new target in mind - I want to double it to £1,000!

THIS WOULD BE A FANTASTIC ACHEIVEMENT! Whether applied to one large project or a multitude of small ones such a sum could have a dramatic positive impact for a cimmunity or for literally hundreds of individuals. (If £15 can ensure a continuing supply of clean water for one person, we could multiply that by 667!)

If you haven't already donated, or know someone who hasn't "got round to it" yet, now us the time to act! You can experience that warm glow next time World Water Day comes around knowing that your contribution will have helped change lives for the better!

Here is a link to a new feature on the Water Aid site www.wateraid.org/welcome-to-alakamisy It is intetactive. It's a nice way of seeing one of Water Aid's project sites, meeting some of the locals and appreciating how they benefit from clean water. In a cold damp UK it's also nice to visit sunny dry Madagascar and see how the water sparkles!

Don't forget the donation site! uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobinThomson

Jews Ear, Soggy Meadows, Steaming Mugs of Tea

 

 Hi!

I hope that those of you to whom I recommended the blog have found your way here and have enjoyed what I have had to share with you so far! I have had one comment, constructive criticism you might say, that I should be describing the region I will be walking through, its unique history and natural character, rather than rambling on about seemingly irrelevant matters (like this photo of Jews Ear fungus taken on Sunday).

He may have a point.. but rather than describe the wonderful Lycia to you now I will tell you a bit more about my preparations for the walk. I’ll give an introduction to Lycia in my next blog post, and subsequent ones, hopefully, will be relayed from that very land itself!

So you may guess that with only 19 days until I fly to Turkey my plans for the expedition are gathering pace. I have had the inoculations recommended for Turkey and am working through the last remaining items on my pack list. This includes some odd ones; a whistle, a tick remover, a ball of string. This last one is for lowering a billy-can into a well or cistern to collect water. Some of these cisterns are quite ancient, and strategically located to accumulate rain fall. Of course I have water purification tablets and I plan to get filter-fitted bottles too.

 Towards the end of last week I was thinking that camping a few nights might be a good idea, reducing accommodation costs and  making the options of where to stop and spend the night more flexible. It would also add to the sense of freedom and adventure… but probably at the expense of good quality sleep. An experimental attempt to fit camping gear into my rucksack this weekend was less than encouraging – a two-man “bug” tent added 3 1/4 kilos and a lot of bulk to my pack. I'm trying to keep my pack weight down to 10 kilos!

On the subject of walking with a back-pack I decided that I needed some practice, and on Sunday loaded my rucksack with an odd collection of items to provide a weight of  12 kilos (Curiously these had a beverage theme; bottled water, cartons of fruit-juice and two ancient bottles of cheap bubbly – as well as the aforementioned tent, poles and a rolled-up sleeping mat). The weight was daunting but once on the rucksack was reassuringly comfortable, the straps and padding fitting comfortably against neck, back and shoulders. I set off for The Common at noon.

 Despite grey skies and a bitterly cold North-Easterly wind I found that the main problem was regulating body temperature - unexposed parts having a tendency to over-heat!. After a long muddy trek through muddy forest, over muddy hillocks and soggy meadows I arrived at the Windmill. I had completed over 5 km and was ready for a rest and refreshment. Did I mention it was muddy?

The Windmill café is a useful facility for local families enjoying the fresh air and wild landscape, and exercising dogs and/or children. They offer all-day breakfast, a full menu of traditional café fare, cakes, ice cream and steaming mugs of tea. I suspect that there are few patrons who arrive with the Sunday paper, spend more than a lunch hour there and whose only experience of fresh air is that encountered between the café and the adjacent car-park. Good luck to them.

Having collected a justifiably calorie-loaded snack and the obligatory tea, I disengaged myself from the rucksack and lowered it to the floor – then almost floated to the nearest table! I mused about the prospect of refreshment stops on the Lycian way. The attraction of the Windmill café on a cold and blustery March Sunday in South-West London is the warmth, piping hot tea and shelter from the wind. In three weeks time my ideal rest-pause site might be altogether different!

It was a good time to take a break, giving me the chance to flex my neck and shoulders, and when I hauled the pack back on it felt familiar and comfortable. The five km return walk seemed to pass more quickly. I was home by 4.30pm not too much the worse for wear. I did however crash out of the sofa and it was after 6.30pm before I “came round” and resumed an upright and conscious state.

During last week at The Elmgreen School I was delighted to venture into a classroom to find a class of Year 7 students busily designing and colouring posters entitled "Water Aid". Although the school is not officially part of my fund-raising challenge my joint Head of Department, the lovely Genevieve has decided to make an end-of-term staff tea-party an instrument for fund-raising for Water Aid! I also received my "official" Water Aid T-shirt (photos soon) and leaflets to back up fund-raising efforts.

Fun-raising is going really well. I am now confident of achieving my target and now secretly setting my sights on a much higher figure! If you have not yet donated, or know someone who might, please go to, or direct them to; http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobinThomson

Thanks to all donors for you thoughtfulness and generosity. Thoughts of your kindness and of what your donations will achieve will give me energy and resolve to carry on when things get tough. To find out more about Water Aid go to http://www.wateraid.org/

Robin

Training; Limbo, Shopping and the Cowboy Spidermonkey..

"How is the training going?" It's a reasonable enquiry from someone interested in my preparations for the walk. But for me its a tough one to answer. The response "It isn't!" hovers like an unquiet soul... But, borderline delusional as ever, I can point to a range of recent activities that, to my mind might be construed as "training".

My recent rip to Paris included a few treks across the city; the Louvre itself boasts many kilometres of  gallery that I did my best to cover. And the occasional encounter with natives exercised communications skills that will be valuable in Turkey. "But they don't speak French in Turkey!" I hear you say. Do you think I was speaking French in Paris? 

Last week I made the mistake of doing a major midweek "shop", forgetting in the excitement of my supermarket sweep that I no longer possess a car. With a couple of bulging carrier bags in each hand I walked the couple of miles home. It was painless, but tiring (this was at the end of a normal working day). 

Thinking about the prospect of carrying all I will need for a walk of 135 miles I was curious to check the weight of my shopping, so once indoors I stepped on the bathroom scales first with, then without the bags. After a bit of mental arithmetic I concluded that my shopping weighed 13.5 kilos. My walk guide book recommends a pack weight of no more than 14-16! My target pack-weight is now under 10 kilos!

My plan for training includes a regular physical workout with emphasis on maintaining flexibility of joints (especially hips, knees, and feet) and improving cardio-vascular efficiency. I have to confess to failing to keep up this regime. So I have been surprised to find that recent activities that would tend to leave me winded or with a crick in my neck or shooting pains in my knee have produced no such horrors. Perhaps it is my regular morning run for the train that is keeping me fit! (I find I do this now even when I know I'm in good time) - maybe also the series of physical challenges that come my way in the course of my work.

Last week's physical challenge was the "Scenery Limbo". In this event the plucky volunteer has to carry a succession of 15 stage flats (painted canvas-covered frames), balancing them on his back, while stooping under the head of the Hobbit-sized doors that access the under-stage storage space.(I had Hobbit-sized assistance getting them out but at about 5pm they disappeared probably on some ring-quest.)

This weekend I was recruited to assist in installing a Velux roof-light on the pitched roof of a three-storey Brixton terraced house. The job was too small to justify the erection of scaffolding. Having conducted all the necessary Risk Assessments,  a full set of climbing gear was procured and the work proceeded with me "in harness" and carabina'd to ropes lassoed from one chimney-stack to another.

When I was young I remember being shown pictures of the "Spidermen" who pieced together the steel frames of the burgeoning sky-scrapers of New York and Chicago. I was already an adept tree-climber; these men were my heroes for their bravery, skill and acrobatic prowess. Now at the age of 58 I feel entitled to borrow something of their name, coupled with current jargon for a casual trader, and an able assistant and declare myself a Cowboy Spidermonkey! 

Once again I claim this to be appropriate training for my trans-Turkey trek. I'm sure there some ridge walking involved and at some point I expect to experience some degree of exposure (this is climber-speak for being on the brink an eye-watering precipice) 
and a sloping slate roof three-storeys above a Brixton back-yard is as exposed as it gets.

More soon!

By the way; the fund-raising for Water Aid is going really well, maybe thanks to the Virgin money Giving site that makes it all so easy and straightforward -  don't forget to make your donation! Go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobinThomson

What every woman in Paris will be wearing in May

“What every woman in Paris will be wearing in May”

Five Weeks to Go!

… and still a lot to prepare; visas, inoculations, money…

But every day sees a little bit more achieved. Today I’ve been putting together an itinerary for the walk, inserting into a Google calendar the stretch to be covered each day with the total hours estimated. For example;

Sat 6^th April Xanthos to Akbel 7hr 15min

This is about average; the entire “first leg” from near Olu Deniz to Kas totals 70 hours walking time, to be completed between the 1^st and 10^th April so the average is 7 hours. But, since places suitable for overnight stay are not evenly distributed there is some variation in the hours to be walked each day. On the 4^th April for example the days quota is a mere 4 hrs 5mins (with the remainder of the day spent at the idyllic beach of Guvuragili); the 9^th April on the other hand holds in store a gruelling 12hrs 10mins – and this with an initial ascent to 787, then 990m (that’s a Munroe!) and continuing on a 900m high plateau for most of the day. This is the penultimate day of the first leg – the “home run” to Kas on the following day is a comparatively bearable 9 hours and 40 minutes!

Hopefully by this time my walking companion Nancie Crick and I will be seasoned travellers, well equipped with the most practical yet comfortable clothing, and well-prepared with sun-block, plenty of water and fortifying snacks. What cannot be predicted, however, is the weather; early April is still prone to changeable weather and rainfall and this could seriously prolong stretches of the walk.

Risks that cannot be eliminated must, as far as possible be reduced! A recent trip to Paris gave me pause for thought. A piece of pizza bought in a seemingly respectable café had a devastating effect on my health for the following 24 hours! I was dehydrated and weak and couldn’t manage the schedule of visits planned. No great hardship as I was able to rest and recuperate in the comfort of my hosts apartment. If this were to happen on the Lycian way it could easily derail the schedule, so I am thinking through strategies for avoiding suspect food and drink.

Another minor setback on my Paris visit was that I developed a blister on my heel; perhaps because I had worn no other footwear than the brand new hiking boots that arrived the day before I went! With luck Heléne, the partner of my host provided me with “Double skin”, an amazing invisible but tough gel plaster that covers that crucial spot on the heel, reducing the effect of rubbing and protecting skin that’s already stressed. As she said it is “What every woman in Paris will be wearing in May” when winter boots are discarded in favour of sandals! I’m going to make sure I find a supply of these for my journey!

Once again – if you haven’t already, please visit my Virgin Money Giving page and think about sponsoring me on my walk. And if you have then take a look at Water Aid’s website to see how people benefit from your donations http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-JpKUsuMGlQ#!

Thanks to everyone who has already contributed to Water Aid; I was stunned at the immediate and generous response from you!

Please pass my details on to anyone you think might be similarly moved to donate. 

All my best, until the next one, Robin*

48 days to go!

Hi!


If I have an unusual spring in my step -
it’s because this year I'm walking the Lycian Way! 

It's 48 days until I start my walk and It's beginning to feel very real! 

Tomorrow is my birthday (to save the embarrassment of bald figures let's say that last year was my Heinz) and it seems significant that I am finally getting my act together with both this blog and my fundraising page. If you haven't seen it yet go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobinThomson 

Most exciting of all - I've received my first donations! The target of £500 that seemed so arbitrary, despite the "logical" one pound per kilometre, suddenly seems achievable, realistic even! 
Who knows, I may even exceed it.

As I have said on the fundraising page I am not expecting the 500km to be “a walk in the park”. My plan is to make three trips to Turkey, and have three stints of ten days devoted to walking. To complete the 510 km I need to average 17km (10.7miles) a day and this, at times, over fairly rough terrain and on some steep slopes.  

However, I am fortunate in having two great parks on my doorstep - Wimbledon Common, and Richmond Park and these will be my training ground. On my most recent effort, I walked from home to Richmond (town) via both parks, with snow on the ground! The distance was a little under 16km and it took me 3.5 hours. With the lumpy terrain of the park I think (apart from the wintry weather) it was a good parallel. In the wild landscape of Lycia I expect my pace to be considerably slower but I should manage this distance in say 6 hours each day.  The harsh reality is that I will need to repeat this achievement, day after day, for ten days at a time. 

Just for a chuckle;  here's a picture of me from 1988 when I visited Turkey with my then wife Karen. This is at the site of ancient Termessos. With typical bravado I am flirting with danger, it being some years since the earthquake that shifted the stones of these monumental classical buildings.

Until next time, 
Yours, Robin