Day 0; Orientation
Reaching the location of the trailhead sometimes gets overlooked so I am starting today's report with a summary of how I got to the trailhead as that can be tricky to get right. In brief, I flew into Dalaman airport where, having cleared customs, I was able to quickly buy a Turkcell SIM for 28 days paying an extra £2 for paying by card and not cash. The airport is expensive but is better than a hot and sweaty search in town. With dual SIM I had good phone signal and access to my UK number so everyone can contact me on my usual UK number. I had used the company HolidayExtras to pre-book the inexpensive (£8) 50km transfer to my hotel and the local companies are geared up to expect your flight and book you on to an appropriate minibus. Seriously, the minibuses reverse up to the airport to receive their goods for transport like trucks at a warehouse. My hotel, The Pink Palace, is very close to the trailhead proper and is large enough that the transfer minibuses know where they are going and deliver you to your door stress free. For efficiency all round our driver even offloaded some of his cargo to a taxi when we were close to the general drop-off zone.
As I arrived after midnight I was grateful I had given myself time to find my feet with a day to find the trailhead and for general preparations such as making a note of my phone's Turkish number and the Turkcell SIM PIN. Note here that the Turkcell shop will sort out your phone and SIM and give you the SIM PIN - though they don't spell this out - which you will need if you later check how two SIMs fit in your phone; yes I'm a dummy I know. BA don't provide a meal for short haul so you are limited to paying for a drink and snack on board unless you made your own provisions.
The main road near the trailhead has a useful clear sign to get you to the actual trailhead.
Then the left side of the trailhead has the banner shown everywhere and a secondary sign has been thrown up on the right. Likya Yolu is of course Turkish for Lycian Way.
It isn't so easy finding the trailhead on maps as there is no precise 'address' so the best I can offer you are the what3words coordinates. Every 3 metre square in the world has its own unique what3words address.
///deliberates.knowledgeable.preps
In youth-speak 'deliberates', 'knowledgeable' and 'preps' neatly describe how to approach the Lycian Way.
Worryingly there is up front information on what to do in an emergency. Call 112.
I am also worried about the lack of the red and white trail markers though these do appear when they're needed.
My GPX tracks on the MAPS.ME app show where cisterns and other key features are and I decide en-route to go at least to the first cistern and am initially dismayed by what I find.
That is until I locate the real cistern 20 meters on which reassuringly comes with a bucket on a rope. I have brought string for the occasions when rope isn't provided.
As I sit in the shade at 1pm it is very comfortable, perfect holiday weather, but I am mindful of just how much I warmed up whilst slowly climbing. Walkers heading to Faralya (my destination tomorrow) are still coming through this late in the day and I remind myself to get a promot start after the 8am annoyingly late hotel breakfast. For me, slow and steady will win the day.
Still at the watering hole I chat to Millie and Lorenzo once they have worked through their walkers' spat. It is hard when walkers don't share the same natural pace and happily this young pair have the maturity to quickly talk it through. They are spending 10 days on the Lycian Way camping and are relieved to find someone else walking the route.
I walked further than planned and have drunk the only bottle of water I brought. With no snacks or water I fill up from the cistern and head back deciding that testing my stomach with un-filtered, un-steralised water is a good plan.
There is an old comedy sketch where a Spanish weather forecaster points to a map and says 'Scorchio'. No, this isn't funny in isolation, but the scene is repeated within the sketch show and across the series of shows and becomes funny with repetition. In contrast my one isolated day of scorchio was fun today but when repeated over the next 30 days of proper walking will be much less fun if I don't take care of myself. As may be obvious I am trying to prepare myself for the days ahead.
I enjoy afternoon coffee with my imaginary friend.
Anthony: A Turkish coffee please.
Waitress: Do you want sugar?
Anthony: Yes please.
Waitress: How many?
Anthony: Two.
I have taken great care not to reveal too much of the splender of the turquoise coast today so please check tomorrow's post.
