Leg 3, Day 11-12 - Mission Accomplished

I am currently in Antalya, with about 24 hours to go before I fly back to London.

Two years, two months and six days ago I had this idea that I might walk the Lycian Way. I understood this to be a long-distance footpath around the coast of the Tekke pininsula, South Western Turkey.

The idea of spending two weeks, during my Easter break, walking in Turkey's wild countryside, discovering new landscapes, animals and plants, and meeting host families along the way seemed irresistible; it would be a physical challenge, and walking alone an opportunity for reflective thought.

At the same time the thought occurred that I could use this opportunity to raise money for Water Aid, a charity whose aims and achievements I had long admired.

So it has come to pass! In have completed my third "leg" and donations to Water Aid from so many thoughtful and generous friends continue to arrive. Donations so far this year have come to £421.43 (including Gift Aid)! My "dream" target for the year of £1,000 may yet be fulfilled as I'm sure there are some waiting to hear "Mission Accomplished!"

You will see on the donation page (http://uk.virginmoneygiving/RobinThomson) that the total since the beginning of my Walk is £1,960.00 - with Gift Aid added this comes to £2,300.18 !! This has come in a variety of amounts and from a variety of donors, many, from the Virgin Money Giving site with unusual names, such as;

A complete ****
Ground control to major Thomson
Some Silly Bugr
Chorus Chimpus
Underwater Dining Club
Blisters O'Plenty
Jeffrey and Maude Lebowski

I must also mention the Elmgreen staff, both those enjoying and those providing "DT Cream Tea" parties - another of which is due on Thursday 16th! Remember; "Once it's gone, it's Scone!"

One thing I have discovered is that the Lycian Way is not what I thought it was! Rather than a single path from Olu Denis to Antalya, I discovered that it is in fact a network of paths; there are alternative roots between objectives and optional excursions. For example coming over the pass between the Taurus Mountain villages of Beyçik and Yaylasi Kuzdere there was the option of "walking" to the summit of Tahtali Dag. I had ruled this out from the start because I would need to pack camping equipment for the whole walk; in the event it became clear that experience in Arctic survival would also have been needed! Perhaps it's something I could come back and do one day...

Also the Lycian Way stops short of Antalya - walkers need to complete the journey by road. This is presumably because the more challenging landscape gives way to plains, is less interesting to walk, and whatever ancient ways existed have long been superseded by fast roads. On the other hand a new "beginning" section has been completed from Fethiye!

My plan this year was to cover the maximum remaining paths between Ulupinar and Hisarçandir (the end of the Way). I succeeded in doing this by walking as far as Göynük (over mountains and finally down the Göynük Canyon) and then return South by the "alternative" coastal route. This gave me the greatest variety of landscape experience, and the wildlife and cultural diversity that goes with it.

In fact I went further than Ulupinar, continuing back to Olympos and Adrasan on a personal mission to revisit favourite places (and people), and to test an alternative route to one taken last year.

So to me, and I hope you don't think me pretentious, the Lycian Way is more a state of mind. It's a path, yes, but it is also a way of experiencing directly aspects of the landscape of this area, and the challenges of sustaining life here (whether human, plant or animal) for which I find it hard to imagine a substitute. The challenges are ; a dramatically eroded limestone geology, the limited fertility of lime-bearing soils, huge daily and seasonal variations in rainfall and temperature, few valuable minerals and few natural harbours. Despite this the Tekke peninsula has historically been of strategic importance for control of shipping routes, and the source of much exotic produce from the few but productive pockets of fertile land, and the products of the wilderness being exploited to the full. This accounts for the wealth of finds from the extraordinary number of archaeological sites found here.

Because of these unique circumstances, and with the convenience of being within reach of modern resources (unlike central London, mobile phone signals are well supported along most of the Lycian coast!) the Lycian Way has become a focus for "cultural tourism" and I cannot recommend it more strongly for anyone looking for a challenging yet deeply rewarding holiday!

As for me, I will miss it... until next time.