Walking the Lycian Way

This morning we start by exploring the atmospheric ‘Ghost Village’ of Kaya Köyü, made famous by Louis de Berniere’s novel ‘Birds Without Wings’. Once known as Levissi, it was home to a thriving community of Greek Orthodox Christians. At the conclusion of the Greco-Turkish war in 1923, Levissi’s citizens were forcibly removed in the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. It never recovered from this mass exodus and now the homes, shops, restaurants, chapels and churches lie weathered and crumbling on the hillside. From Kaya Köyü we start the first of our walks along an extension of the Lycian Way, through the pine forests and then downhill towards the sea and Ölüdeniz. As you walk towards the Blue Lagoon there are superb views of the famous spit, with Baba Dağı (Father Mountain) looming in the background. (c 4 miles)

Hotel: Fethiye

Today we walk from Alinca village to Sidyma. The route descends to the valley floor through olive and fig trees before climbing up to the ancient ruins of Sidyma. Well off the modern tourist track, the site is virtually untouched and much of it has been appropriated by the inhabitants of Dodurga, the village which now overlies it. You will see columns and large pieces of ancient masonry incorporated into local houses and outbuildings. Sarcophagi lie scattered amongst the wheat fields or used as hay stores. Not much is known about the site – it is scarcely mentioned in written records. (c 10 miles)

Hotel: Fethiye

Our day starts at the ancient site of Pydnae. Now at some distance beyond the sea, the marshy area around it was once a bay and it was probably used as a small naval fort. The site is in a very ruinous state and overgrown but there is substantial masonry and evidence of 11 rectangular tower at its corners and mid-way along the walls. From here we walk to Letoon which shares UNESCO World Heritage status with nearby Lycian capital, Xanthos. Letoon was an important religious centre in ancient Lycia with temples dedicated to Leto, Artemis and Apollo. The site is partially flooded and you may well spot terrapins resting on broken columns that poke above the water. Later we drive to Xanthos, a major centre for culture and commerce for the ancient Lycians, referenced in Homer’s Iliad and the scene of two suicidal attacks (one against the Persians and another against Rome) in its rather gruesome history. (c 5 miles)

Hotel: Fethiye

We leave our base in Fetihiye today and drive to Yeşilköy, from where we walk to ancient Patara.  Along the way we stop to investigate the aqueduct which supplied mountain water to the ancient city of Patara, before visiting the site itself. The aqueduct runs along the slope of the Kisla mountain, surviving only in fragmentary form. A section spanning a dry valley near Patara is, however, quite remarkable, with a sealed siphonic pipe formed from some 1,000 interlocking stone blocks running a atop a 12-metre-high stone bridge. We continue to the site of Patara, situated at the end of a beautiful 12km long beach. One of the six principal cities of Lycia, Patara’s oracle was said to rival that at Delphi. In Christian history the city was visited by St. Paul en route to Jerusalem and it was also the birthplace of St. Nicholas. At the end of the day, we are transported to Kaş and our overnight hotel. (c 8.5 miles)

Hotel: Kaş

This morning we drive 22kms to the site of ancient Apollonia. Positioned on a hill, the city has a walled acropolis, a good range of Lycian tombs, a small theatre, baths with cisterns and a Byzantine church. Walking downhill from the site we come to Aperlae situated on a pretty inlet. This tiny Lycian port city once supplied the coveted Tyrian purple dye but, lacking a reliable water supply, was abandoned at the end of the 7^th century AD. From here we follow the rocky coast to Üçağız, ancient Teimussa, both names meaning ‘three mouths’ referring to the three entrances to the bay. (c 11 miles)

Hotel: Kaş

We return to Teimussa by road and walk to Simena (present day Kaleköy) and walk up to the acropolis area. Spectacularly situated above a translucent, island dotted Mediterranean Sea, the acropolis is dominated by a picturesque Medieval castle built on Lycian foundations. Inside is a small theatre that once accommodated 200-300 people, a sign that this was a minor settlement in Roman times. Evidence of its ancient heritage can also be found in the cluster of Lycian sarcophagi perched dramatically on the hillside outside the castle walls. Across the bay are the half-submerged ruins of the residential part of Simena, tumbled by earthquakes in the 2^nd century AD. Staircases descend into the water and foundations of the ancient harbour can be traced below the sea. We conclude with a boat trip to explore these sunken remains. (c 2 miles)

Hotel: Kaş

We transfer to Dalaman for our flight back to London.