Leg 3, Day 6, pm - Bee City, the Devil's Rocks and the Roman Bridge

Having "conquered" Tahtali Dag (with the aid of all available technology) my challenge was to do some serious walking for the rest of the day. I planned to walk to a feature from the guide book called simply Roman Bridge.

Card-playing friends might know of another meaning but this is a piece of Roman engineering, probably built under Hadrian, spanning the Kemer Gorge. It must have been of consequence to the Romans to have a route to the hinterland to mainatin their rule and for transport of the produce from upland plateau. It is some distance into the gorge behind Kuzdere on the coastal plain. (If that name sounds famiar it was their summer Yayla village I already had the pleasure of visiting.)

I could see that half way down the Teleferic road the path branched off to the North. Boarding then bus back to the Base checkpoint I asked the driver (or so I thought) tomdropmme off half way down but I guess he must have wanted me to get my money's worth of the ticket price because he took me all the way to the bottom.

So I started by walking back up the road, about 2km uphill. In my mind I saw a positive side to this; This would mean I would complete an entire section - from Tekirova to Roman Bridge, reckoned at 17km for the day, in fact I ended up doing a little more.

The start of the walk was not hard to find. Turning off the main "shuttle" road a short road led to farm buildings and a track came off to the left climbing the slope on the "skirts" of Tahtali Dag. I followed this track, continuing to rise with it until the Lycian Way marks indicated a branch off. There was a fine view over the plain to the north - I could see my objectives and this informed my sense of direction for the gradual descent that was to begin. First of all the Way departed from the tractor track and became the typical Grade 2 of variable quality, but on the whole it was not too bad and clearly marked. It hugged one side of a ridge. Then came a dividing of ways and the one I wanted began to dive into a valley.

There had been views over land cultivated for citrus fruits and pomegranates, the water of the valley producing luxuriant deep green foliage on the former and the scent of their new flowers was heavy in the air.

Two huge handsome grey and smoothly eroded rocks stood out in this plain. They are known as the Devil's Rocks. It seems that the Horned One has need of a rock or rocks in many parts of the world, though I'm not sure exactly what purpose that serve his Satanic Majesty. Mostly I think they are something for him to sit on and roar from during a thunderstorm. If he just sat on a park bench or stood at a street corner and roared it wouldn't have the desired effect of showing that this frightening storm was His Demonic Work rather than part of a weather system with static charge exchange effects.

I digress. Descending in this valley I noticed a few more more wild plants (one being French Lavender, the one with petals on top like feathers). There were also some charming little water features. In finally emerged by abroad stream and knew from maps that beyond the opposite bank was the road I was due to continue on. I found stepping stones to cross the stream and on the opposite bank discovered I was in Bee City!

There were row upon row of beehives and I picked my way carefully and moved very slowly through them to the road. I believe that bees will leave you alone unless 1. they think you are a threat, because you accident my trap them, or flap your arms about a lot and 2. someone else has already disturbed them, i.e. having just removed some honey from the hive. It is the latter possibility that worries me most, especially when I saw a guy wearing a protective bee-suit. But I kept an eye on each hive I approached and tried to assess whether it was a happily humming hive or the scene of a raid with the outraged townsfolk out for revenge. I managed to get through unscathed despite one rather persistent individual who kind of escorted me off the premises.

Following the road through woodland I saw a lot more bee-related work going on; repairing and preparing hives. I also seesaw what look like "official" bird nesting boxes and took pictures, hoping for a translation and explanation of the text one day.

I followed the path quite close to the Devil's Rocks and through a "ghost town" of buildings that look as if they were abandoned before construction was complete, and wonder how such a waste comes about. Eventually I arrived on the main road by a bridge over the Kemer river and turn left to follow it up into the gorge. It is long steady hike relieved by the stunning scale of the river,  and constructed wiers and the steeply falling sides of the gorge. I time the walk and right on schedule (40 minutes brisk walking - twice the distance from de Bohun to Southgate Station)I arrive at the Roman Bridge.

At first I am shocked by the scale. I hadn't really thought through what I was expecting but for some reason expected it to be on the scale of the aqueduct at Phaselis. It really looks rather small, but this is partly the result of the grandeur of its surroundings. It is a perfect half-round arch, about 7.5 metres across at the widest point and the block work is perfect. One thing that strikes me is that, considering there is 50 ft drop to roaring waters there is no parapet wall or railing on either side. I would not want to be in charge of children or dogs crossing this bridge!

I took a seat at the terrace of a restaurant/çay house alongside the river and listened to the sound of the waters with my eyes closed. So relaxing! It was also mesmerising to watch the waters, gush and roil around the white-scoured limestone rocks and banks of the river.

After a little while I realised I needed to head back to camp - dinner was due to be served at 7.30 and it was no 6. I started walking, half half-heartedly hitching a lift but to no avail. I ended up where 8 had met the road, and remembered that this was the turnaround point for busses from Kemer. One promptly arrived and I caught it to Kemer, the another to Tekirova.

It was a long trek from Tekirova to the Paradise Garden (not its real name!) But I had completed the section (plus the 2km double back from Roman Bridge). I had a great appetite for dinner and slept like a Köpek (dog)