Babadag - The Lycian Way

Richard Plater
Oct 22, 2017
5 min read

One of the things that has truly depressed me over recent years is how the accessible portion of the world seems to be getting ever smaller and smaller. The list of places where various government travel advisories or self-imposed environmental or political sensibilities tell us we should not go gets longer by the day. It's possible to have a long, long debate about where the boundaries should be drawn. Where do the responsibilities of the individual lie? When can travel to a particular country amount to an unacceptable risk? Is putting your travel dollars into a particular region some sort of personal endorsement of a regime or more simply an act of solidarity with the local population that accepts their hospitality and is blind to where their allegiances may lie?

If travel is your thing, then you can't fail to think about these issues from time to time and we're no exception. That said, sometimes it's all just a bit too difficult to bottom out and to know what's right. In September 2017, despite stories of political unrest and draconian state crack-downs, our decision was to head to Turkey and the Lycian Way.

The Lycian Way stretches for some 540 km along the South-West coast of Turkey passing many of the historic citadels built by the ancient Lycians. Who were the Lycians? Google them. They were a trading people and it turns out they knew a thing or two and pitted themselves in a series of heroic struggles against various armies of Greek, Persian, and later Roman invaders.

Our walk started in Ovacik where the path begins by passing under the precipitous limestone walls of Babadag, which rises right out of the sea to just under 2000m. The peak is a favourite launch spot for paragliders, who passed above us in improbable numbers as we set off. At one point I counted over thirty. We had five days of walking ahead with around 80 km to cover in total. Being of the genteel persuasion these days, it was day packs only, with our overnight luggage being ferried ahead.

That first day was warm and a couple of early scree strewn and shade free slopes turned into quite a test and it was this that led to the first memorable encounter of our trip. As we approached a shady spot, the top of my head already somewhat reddened and glistening, one member of a party just ahead of us dropped back and offered me a hat along with a stern warning about the dangers of the sun.

We soon struck up a conversation. It turned out the group we'd met were a gang of ex-pat Turks who return to the motherland each year for a holiday from various jobs abroad. Knowing that many Turks work in Germany, I decided to trial a bit of Deutsch and was rewarded by a long conversation in which I learnt that my would-be rescuer was a lawyer who works in Frankfurt advising foreign workers on the legalities of setting up a business in Germany.

As we ambled on in the warm, pine scented air we followed our new travelling companions into a small farming village and then onto the terrace of a small house. We'd read of a farm shop in the village and just assumed this was it. It quickly became apparent, however, that it was in fact the home of a friend of one of the other group and we'd now joined their private lunch party and made ourselves welcome. What was also quickly apparent was that despite our all too British embarrassment, this was not a problem at all. Food arrived and was shared, we offered morsels from our provisions, and conversation continued. This augured well, we were on our way and already in good hands. It was clear that along the Lycian Way hospitality is in the blood.

Day 3 saw both astonishing scenery and magical sites of antiquity. The path dropped rapidly from the cliff top village of Alinca and for most of the morning's walk threaded it's away at mid-cliff height along narrow ledges where views ran downwards over hundreds of metres of bare rock to the sea, while above pine covered slopes led the eye up to a crystal clear sky. This was special indeed, this was landscape of Yosemite scale and grandeur.

During the afternoon the path weaved inland and approached the ancient site of Sidyma. Our impending arrival was signalled by the appearance of ancient Lycian tombs with ornately carved ceilings lining the course of the path. Soon we were wandering among ancient ruins where the lack of any company, apart from the odd goat, or any tourist infrastructure lent us the feeling of being true explorers happening upon the standing stones for the first time.

For much of days 5 & 6, our path contoured around the hillsides overlooking a broad fertile alluvial plain following the course of a Roman aqueduct built to serve the city of Patara. At one point, above the village of Caykoy, water from one of the source springs flowed for several hundred metres before it was diverted into modern day terraced fields. It was amazing to see some two millennia old technology still fit for its original purpose and in use today. Perhaps even more amazing, although not now functional, was the valley spanning syphonic system at Delikkemer where a series of interlocking stones had originally created a raised and sealed pipe that drew water uphill before the final gravity assisted run into Patara. Ingenious stuff.

There is much more I could say about our time on the Lycian Way, from the 60+ year old Frenchman who put us to shame by NOT having his kit ferried from stop to stop for him, or the lunch spots of the gods featuring Mediterranean swims, the spectacular citadel of Xanthos, or the bar owner with the improbably large collection of English football team strips and a knowledge of Huddersfield Town that far outstripped ours.

Suffice it to say, returning to the thoughts with which I began this post, I can certainly report no regrets on our part from having made the trip. It was a joy to walk through some spectacular scenery with light packs and in shorts and t-shirts. And as our impromptu day 1 lunch amply illustrated, we received warm welcomes everywhere and shared in many great conversations with both locals and fellow travellers alike. On a number of occasions, however, our hosts told us that the chill winds of tourist nervousness had indeed hit them hard. The selfish take on that was the joy of uncrowded paths and undisturbed views, but it was sad to hear how visitor numbers had dropped off in recent times. We certainly would not think twice about going back. After all, there is still a good 450 km of the Lycian Way for us to tackle.

Itinerary:

Day 1 - Ovacik to Faralya (5 hours) - 17km

Day 2 - Faralya to Alinca (6 hours) - 13km

Day 3 - Alinca to Bel via Sidyma (6 hours) - 18km

Day 4 - Rest Day (and road transfer)

Day 5 - Xanthos to Uzumlu (6 hours) - 15km

Day 6 - Uzumlu to Patara via Delikkemer (7 hours 20mins) - 19km