21 März, 2015

The Lycian Way - Luxury meets Hardship

Of all the treks I have been walking in the past years, the Lycian Way is one of the meanest - and most beautiful.



The Lycian Way, for all those, who haven't heard of it yet, is a fantastic walk along the coast in Antalya, Turkey. It's a civilised trek, one that can hurt you but doesn't have to. It's not as hard as the GR-20 in Corsica and not as off-the-beaten-trek as hiking in the pyrenees, but you shouldn't underestimate it.

Do not despair, red and white lead the way

Let's start with the preparation. I went with my boyfriend, Simon Floris. Preparation wise, hiking with somebody is always better than hiking alone because you don't have to carry everything by yourself. A tent, a cooker, gas, a sleeping bag and mat - if you're a slender lady (which I'm not), that can be challenging. Also, it's nice to have someone you can drink that beer with on Pirate Bay beach.

Impossible beauty at Pirate Bay. The beer is not in the picture

This is what we took:
Our teeny tiny tent
A gas cooker
Ferrino walking poles

Ferrino pole, LOWA boot and naked feet all make it through a river crossing
Sleeping bag 1
Sleeping bag 2
Sleeping mats
Trekking food for lunches
A water filter
A loop top bottle (1 litre)
Hiking clothes and socks for a week
Fleece, softshell and a fake down vest for me
A silk scarf
An inflatable pillow
Old, worn off LOWA hiking boots
Deuter back pack 1

Simon and his Deuter in the middle of No Mans Land

Deuter back pack 2
The Lycian Way by Kate Clow
Türkische Riviera - Rother Wanderführer

We were in Turkey for 10 days and we had planned on being on the Lycian Way for a week. We hadn't packed lightly, I had about 14 kilos, Simon had about 16 on the airport. Of course, once you are hiking, there is always the question of carrying water as well. You do the math.

We arrived in Antalya from Berlin on a Wednesday in early March, both extremely stressed from our jobs and not at all cool with people on the street speaking to us. I changed some of my euros into lira at the airport. Apparently, that's bad because of the exchange rates. There are ATMs when you exit the airport, better get your cash there.

Warding off the evil eye on the streets of Antalya

I know it sounds terrible but I guess, Northern Europeans are hardly ever approached on the streets in their home countries. It takes a little while to get used to. We weren't used to it when we exited the airport and that's why - dazzled and confused - we took a cab. We rode through an approaching sunset and arrived twenty minutes later at our fantastic hotel in old town Antalya, the Kaleici.


View from Hotel Dejavu
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