Day 4; Bel
You will be pleased to hear that today is a slow news day. However, this gives me opportunity to recap on yesterday's findings which were one porcupine quill, one tortoise carapace, and the usual sheep skull. I shouldn't be surprised but the first two hadn't registered until I saw them; perhaps because I was too concerned with been gored by wild boar then eaten by wolves. On that subject I saw more evidence of wild boar rootling today. Actually, today I was at greater risk from bees as 100 hives lined the route at one point with 400 more in the meadow that sat surrounded by pine forest. A pretty large apiary.
I have concluded that 14kg is too heavy to be hiking with and I will avoid that in future plans. I have no plans to ditch anything as it is quite manageable but its a situation that can be avoided by choice of walk. Let's say I am building strength for the next half marathon. On that subject the army use full pack hikes as a means to develop endurance in their soldiers and the leisure activity of carrying a weighted rucksack just for fun is now a thing and it's called rucking. One of the many benefits of rucking is that it develops those core muscles we tend to neglect in our training.
Today started with a tour of the necropolis at Sidyma which consists of ancient tombs with other tombs scattered across neighbouring fields.
It is interesting how the relatively new and modest village sits on top of an earlier rich settlement. There are large dressed stone blocks and sections of pillars some of which are embedded in the new houses or are simply lying around in gardens or by the side of paths. These blocks are too big to be used easily so the undressed field rocks are used to build with. One house has a 10 foot high temple (?) doorway in their garden like a folly, another uses an 8 foot section of pillar as the corner of a garden shed.
After the necropolis I am drawn into climbing a local hill to see the acropolis which takes the form of a castle. It is a one-hour hike and a steep ascent with the aforementioned rucksack but worth it for the view... as they say. Interestingly there is a cave like structure and on peering in I see a whole skeleton. It has the air of a dragon's lair and so I beat a hasty retreat. I say hasty, the descent was quicker at 53 minutes but I can say I captured the flag.
I have concluded that 14kg is too heavy to be hiking with and I will avoid that in future plans. I have no plans to ditch anything as it is quite manageable but its a situation that can be avoided by choice of walk. Let's say I am building strength for the next half marathon. On that subject the army use full pack hikes as a means to develop endurance in their soldiers and the leisure activity of carrying a weighted rucksack just for fun is now a thing and it's called rucking. One of the many benefits of rucking is that it develops those core muscles we tend to neglect in our training.
Today started with a tour of the necropolis at Sidyma which consists of ancient tombs with other tombs scattered across neighbouring fields.
It is interesting how the relatively new and modest village sits on top of an earlier rich settlement. There are large dressed stone blocks and sections of pillars some of which are embedded in the new houses or are simply lying around in gardens or by the side of paths. These blocks are too big to be used easily so the undressed field rocks are used to build with. One house has a 10 foot high temple (?) doorway in their garden like a folly, another uses an 8 foot section of pillar as the corner of a garden shed.
After the necropolis I am drawn into climbing a local hill to see the acropolis which takes the form of a castle. It is a one-hour hike and a steep ascent with the aforementioned rucksack but worth it for the view... as they say. Interestingly there is a cave like structure and on peering in I see a whole skeleton. It has the air of a dragon's lair and so I beat a hasty retreat. I say hasty, the descent was quicker at 53 minutes but I can say I captured the flag.
My accommodation for tonight at Bel had "camp" in the name so I shouldn't have been surprised to find myself in an unglamorous glamping pod/igloo/sauna. It has a sea view and unlike my host of last night all I get is to be dumped at my allocated sweltering dwelling. It is made entirely out of expanded foam into which the chunky bed legs are slowly sinking. A fellow camper actually knocked on the outer wall to see if it was real. It is £30 with breakfast and would be a great deal if I wasn't a solo traveller. With the rising number of walkers there are a range of accommodation options springing up such as bungalows (wooden cabins) and other shelters which only cool down when the sun sets.
Yesterday's dinner was delicious home cooked food and a gargantuan breakfast; I am managing my expectations for tonight.
That last sentiment was written fatigued and hot. Sat on the terrace my host checks if I want egg pasta. As he serves me with tomatoes, onion and boiled garlic he picks fresh chillies from bushes on the terrace and we eat together playing chillie roulette. A game in which he kindly substitutes milder versions for me when I seem too ambitious.
