“That’s right,” said John Chawner, organiser and leader of Kyrenia Range Walks. “Our regular trail walkers and many new adventurers are booking places for our guided short, medium and long walks in the Kyrenia Five Fingers (Bespamark) hills. It looks like we’re going to have a bumper year up in ‘them thar hills’.
” A former senior officer in the Staffordshire force, John, who with his wife Margaret, lives in a charming Bellapais villa, started his hobby of hill walking in the Staffordshire and Derbyshire Peak District with frequent additional trips to North Wales and the Lake District. “Of course there are parts of Britain which are very beautiful and ideal for ramblers,” said John, “…and I enjoyed every trek I ever went on, either on lone trips or with groups of friends; however, the Kyrenia range presents a scenario of equal beauty, but it’s so different here, the flora and fauna, the geology and the weather patterns are all different and we’re really enjoying helping our visitors and friends to discover the natural beauties of North Cyprus.” “Now that the intense heat of summer is behind us, the climate is perfect for trail walkers to get their boots and bobble hats out and start out for the hills.
But if people are new to the terrain here, there are a number of tips they should follow: Take a map or a guide book*; if you are going out on your own tell someone where you are going; have a mobile phone with lots of credits on it; take a rucksack with waterproof outer clothing; for emergencies, have plenty of water and sugary or chocolate confections; a walking staff or sticks helps in certain circumstances; be conscious of time; know when it is going to get dark, set off for home in good time; stick to marked tracks and roads; have handy things in your rucksack; torch, penknife, scissors, string or spare laces, elastoplasts, binoculars, whistle, ointment (for blisters and such), bandages, medications or anything else you may think of” Chawner said. “Best of all,” says Chawner, “Is to go on a guided walk with someone who is familiar with the mountains, the tracks, the best routes and the potential changes in the weather. For instance, we take our customers on trails we know very well; there are planned stops for lunch or refreshments, there are good escape routes in case of emergencies and we always start and finish on time and according to plan.
This is the best way to safely get to know the Kyrenia range and furthermore, our guides can point out and identify most of the birds and animals that are likely to be encountered, as well as the wild flowers and orchids, especially in the early spring. This year a number of our groups will be coming from the UK to complete the ‘Cape to Cape Trial’. This takes trekkers all the way along the mountain ridge from Korucam Point in the east to Zafer Burnu at the tip of the Karpaz.
We complete about 22kms each day for 10 days which represents a good challenge even for moderately fit walkers. We get the walkers picked up each afternoon to be taken to their hotel. Three different hotels are used en route, and necessarily we deliver them back to the next day’s start point.
Not many miss out on a stage, although some take the chance to have a rest midway through and perhaps have a quiet day down at Kyrenia’s harbour.” ‘Walks in North Cyprus’ with contributions from Christina Hessenberg, Alison Dowey, Derek Dowey, Maureen Hutchinson, Tony Hutchinson and Dr Deryk Viney, is available at bookshops and tourist offices at 7.00.
This handy rucksack sized wire bound book contains details of thirty walks around North Cyprus with hand-drawn routes and clearly indicated landmarks.
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