Day 4
Day 4: Friday November 16th Pano Platres to Platania Camping Site, B9 Road
Day 4 starts with a team breakfast in the hotel and at 9.01am we start out with a short stroll through the tourist village of Platres, quieter than normal due to the time of year and time of day. On the other side of the village we come to Psilon Dendro, site of a large restaurant and picnic area that overflows on Sundays in the summer months. This morning it is closed. Its other claim to fame is that it marks the start of the Caledonia (Kalidonia) trail, probably the most famous and trodden in Cyprus.
It is short, 3km at most. But it is steep, finishing 2Km short of Troodos Square just below Cyprus’ highest peak. The trail tracks a stream called Kryos Potamos (Cold River) which it crosses several times, often with the help of a bridge. The floor of the trail itself is comprised of rocks, tree roots and, in places, stone steps.
About half way up the stream becomes a waterfall which gives it its name, the derivation of which is disputable in keeping with most things in Cyprus. One proposition is that it originates from Scottish explorers who came across it in 1878 and titled it after the Latin name for their homeland. The counter explanation is that it is named after the swallows (xelidoni in Greek) that can be heard singing in the tress most of the year.
What is not in doubt is that the waterfall is only about 12 mtrs in height. Despite its diminutive scale, it has enough going for it to be voted the 14th best waterfall in Europe by Business Insider.
Today the autumn sun is out and that bodes well for a lovely climb through pine woods, the view speckled with streaming sunlight and flashes of blue above the green canopy. This would be no fun in the rain as much of the track is shiny rock and stone which becomes treacherous when wet – we can’t afford twisted ankles so early on the walk, especially as we have to hit Apostolos Andreas on the 30th November. It is November so the stream is gentle and the waterfall modest, although sufficient in the autumn sun to give birth to rainbows. The floor is cushioned by a bed of dried leaves that gives a carpet feel to parts of the trail.
It is a persistent climb, not very long but steep. At weekends the trail is busy with families and lovers enjoying the physical challenge and the cool waters – a treasure on this increasingly hot and dry island. Now we have the trail pretty much to ourselves and can rest and enjoy it at the various scenic stops.
Higher up as we come out of the trail and head towards Troodos square we spot walking parties hiking the number of mostly circular trails that go around the Troodos peak.
Coming out of the trail we hit the old B8 road that zig-zags its way past the President’s summer residence on our way to the Troodos visitor centre and ranger station. The residence was formerly the British Governor’s bolt holt away from the oppressive summer heat of the interior inland lowlands which house the capital Nicosia.
We visit the ranger station in search of one ranger in particular. Nathanial looks like any other mountain ranger – but he has a particular distinction which stands him out.
The European long distance walking paths are a network of (super) long distance footpaths that criss-cross Europe. The paths are designated by the European Ramblers Association and today there are 12 covering over 53,000 Kms across Europe.
We have a special interest in one of these – the E4. The E4 starts in Portugal, passes through Spain and France and winds its way east before ending in Cyprus. A few years ago it was Nathanial that established the E4 trails in Cyprus.
This was no easy task as – unlike elsewhere in Europe – there were little/ no established domestic trails to build on and connect; he basically made it up as he went along, camping out many nights and defining virgin tracks that wind their way from the Paphos coast ending on the opposite coast below Famagusta. We are resting our hopes on that section of the E4 that crosses the Troodos range, giving us a route to follow over rugged mountain terrain, avoiding blind alleys, unpassable ridges and treacherous mountain inclines which even the bravest moufflon would not take on.
Nathanial was aware of our challenge – I had searched him out some time ago to learn whether the E4 was the best solution for getting across the high mountain range. He had assured me that it was the only option for what we had in mind. I had also asked him whether he thought the trail was passable for our purposes – 3 old men seeking to be the first to walk from island tip to tip. I recall him looking at me up and down and offering a less than resounding affirmation.
Today we say ‘hi’ to Nathanial if only to show him that we had been serious in our quest and that we weren’t too old to have made it up to this point.
Having had some lunch in the Troodos Hotel in Troodos square we set out to find the E4. We had now passed the highest altitude on our whole walk so surely it would be nice and easy and downhill from now!
We soon picked up the E4 as it crossed the B9 – a primary artery connecting mountain villages. We are so excited on our first contact with Nathanial’s expressway. It would mean an end for a few days to tarmac walking in favour of typical earth walking trails, free of vehicles, following well defined tracks and signage, at one with nature, through pine woods that open up unexpectedly to magnificent mountain vistas from which you can see half of Cyprus.
It takes us no less than 20 minutes from where we picked up the E4 to realise that we are lost. What we thought was the E4 path had brought us to dramatic mountain edge as far as we could see. What to do? We had followed the sign, although we hadn’t seen another one since the first E4 marker. We track back to see if we have missed another one – there was not one. What to do?
There is only one option – call Nathanial. I am so embarrassed – I can sense what he is thinking. Senile no-hopers that will probably need rescuing by brave rangers any moment now as they fall into some deep ravine somewhere. Helpfully Nathanial tells me not to trust the signage as it is old, many have fallen over or been washed away, and others have been twisted by mischievous passers-by, deliberately pointing them towards impassable precipices.
He puts us on the right track but our confidence is broken, our spirits deflated. If we couldn’t trust the E4 how can we get across the remote and very rugged and undulating mountain highlands? We set out again, quietly, keeping our distance in a line, each deep in thought.
At 3:40 pm we make our way into the Platania Camping site on the B9 where the girls are waiting for us to take us back to the Semiramis. We have walked only 12.3 miles but climbed up close to and around the 6400ft largest obstacle in our way. Our finishing point was at an altitude of 3600ft similar to that of our starting point at 3550ft. In between we had climbed to a high of 5600ft at Troodos Square, passing the Caledonia falls at 5360ft.
We felt the climb and subsequent descent in our legs and we had taken a couple of wrong turns on the E4, but surely the worst is behind us!