Then approximately four hours walk onto our next campsite. I'm trying to adhere to the official Lycian Way route. This takes me out of the ruins of Patara, across a farmer's field, and straight up a hill. Fiona had earlier decided to leave her pack at the pension, so she goes back to retrieve it then takes a far more practical route along some nice roads.
First metre of the Lycian Way Thorn Challenge; only 199m to go.
My "straight up a hill" route immediately leads me into a forest of thorn bushes. At first I think that I must have the navigation wrong; but "no", I can see the red and white trail markers heading into the thorns, and the Lycian Way iPhone app, which I'm carrying, says that I'm on the right track. I try to brute force it. Within 10m I've doubled the already considerable number of thorn scars and welts that I'm carrying. I stop and get out my cold/wet weather clothing, put it all on, and try to brute force it again. I make it another 10m into the thorn forest and have to give up. I still have another 180m of thorns to go, I'm already wearing all of my clothing (in 30 degree heat), and I'm a mass of scars. I can't see how anyone could complete this stretch of the Lycian without a machete or body armour. I retrace my steps, sidle 150m around the hill, find another path heading up, follow that, and rejoin the Lycian Way 300m above. This is the first stretch in which I haven't been able to follow the official Lycian Way route exactly. The next day I rediscovered the notes that I made when we went to visit the Cultural Routes Society before starting the walk, and see that they had advised us not to attempt this section. DOH!
Fiona and I meet on top of the hill, and continue on, through more idyllic scenary, before setting up camp at 6pm in a forest clearing beside an olive grove, about 2km short of Yali Burun. Bread and cup-a-soup for dinner.
Camp Staying Alive
Today's tortoise count : 0
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