Day 6

Day 6: Sunday  November 18th Lagoudera to Ayios Epiphanios, E903 Road

Despite our late evening and hearty meal we are up early.

After expending so much energy yesterday we do not expect to be joined by Antonis and his father. But we forget that he is our Spartan. There he is, waiting eagerly in the hotel lobby, wearing his usual broad smile. The ladies drive us to Lagoudera and at 8:01am set us loose.

The first leg today is the 7.5Km hike to another Unesco World Heritage church – Stavros tou Ayiasmati (the Holy Cross of Ayiasmati). This section continues the undulating terrain of yesterday through pine woods with the occasional spectacular vista. Although it is not an easy path, it is a well-trodden one as it links 2 Unesco churches. Today we are not alone on the path, but we are not sharing it with pilgrims or ramblers.

Instead we gain a different perspective on mountain life – today is not about mushroom pickers but about hunters and hunting. We could hear them all morning with their ‘pop-pop’ and calls to each other and their hunting dogs. At times they seem so close we decide to sing songs so they could hear us rather than mistake us for a partridge or a hare. At other times we see them come out onto our path walking past, a number with their cocked rifles, the ground littered with expended shotgun shells – familiar debris all across the mountains, especially in the Paphos region. We even find some sleeping in woods while their dogs roam about, sniffing the ground.

Over-hunting, despite restrictions on dates and locations, has left little game on the island. But this does not seem to put off the hunters – this is more about preserving a way of life; embracing a pastime enjoyed by men with men or alone with dogs; often it ends with a feast of barbecued meats, lots of wine and beer, lively repartee and conversation, and a nap. If you pass one of these banquets you will invariably be invited to share in the food and wine and conversation. Mountain traditional Cypriot hospitality.

This is another day of perfect weather ideal for walking – a very light breeze and blue skies speckled with the odd puff of white clouds. On this first section to Ayiasmati there are several resting spots at points with spectacular views. One of these again gives us an opportunity to admire Morphou and its coastline. Another looks East across the Troodos range. Today we enjoy this latter view in early morning light that bathes misty morning clouds through which mountain peaks pop through, including a sophisticated monitoring station sitting on the highest peak in the far distance like a Japanese pagoda.

At the end of this section is a steep drop with 2 path options – the longer, gyrating easier one, or the shorter, straight down, steep drop alternative. You know which one Antonis takes!

At the bottom the church of Ayiasmati lies in a little peaceful nook, tucked under some trees. Like Araka it is very unassuming. Unlike Araka it is literally in the middle of nowhere. The nearest village by road is some 7km away and the road that delivers you to the church ends there. On the outside it looks very much like Panagia tou Araka with its long sloping alpine roof. It too was originally the katholicon of a monastery on the site built in the 15th century, now long abandoned. And like much of Cyprus folklore, the source of its name is subject to debate.

Given its remoteness visitors must think long and hard whether to disturb the priest responsible for the church simply for a tour of its works of art inside. Thanks to my devout wife I have had the privilege of a private tour by the Papas himself. But not today as we are on a mission. Instead my fellow pilgrims have to rely on my unworthy descriptions of the profound beauty of the interior. We rest and fill our water bottles from the outside taps which hopefully dispenses holy water , blessed by monks long forgotten.

The E4 path next section from Ayiasmati to the village of Ayios Epiphanos  all of a sudden becomes very comfortable – essentially a broad, gently sloping but curvy dirt road suitable for farm vehicles, 4X4s and diplokampina. The trail crosses the E906 road where we find a morning hunting party that has spread out at a picnic site to enjoy their post-hunt feast. We rest next to them and naturally we are invited to share in their bacchanals.  Meanwhile, their dogs are locked inside cages in the back of their trucks.

On the other side of the road we are back on the broad track of the E4 and without much of note we come into the village of Ayios Epiphanios. Despite its saintly name, the village has its roots as a refuge for pagans in the early days of Christianity on the island. Today it is another sleepy mountain village, albeit larger than the one where we started our day.

We arrange for the girls to pick us up about a mile the other side of the village at the junction with E903, which they do at 15:15, 15 miles from our start. Today all the moufflons were armed with the ViewRanger app so were not dependent on E4 signage  and so suffered no moments of doubt or retracing of steps.

Antonis has been a constant joy throughout and shows no sign of fatigue. He begs his father to stay on another day but Omiros reminds him that tomorrow is Monday and a school day. So it is here we will leave our modern day Leonidas. But he does not leave without one more Antonis moment. Being congratulated for walking 23.8 km today he tugs his father’s arm and force marches him to walk a further 200 metres so that he can make it a round 24 km. Over 2 days he has walked (ran) 40 kms over steep ascents and descents and, at the age of 9, is fresher than any of us at the end.

He will be missed - his constant smile and boundless energy lit up the past 2 days.

Here at the junction with the E903 the E4 signage points east  towards the monastery of Machairas, one of the most beautiful sights on the island. But we must resist the temptation tomorrow and turn off the E4 and head north towards Nicosia.

At 2800 ft we have moved lower over the day. However, given the nature of the terrain, we have climbed a similar height to yesterday while making this overall descent. Things will get easier from here.

That evening we return to the Rodon hotel but in particular to Pezema restaurant where we have the kitchen and staff to ourselves. Even without Omiros’ presence the service is impeccable.

Day 6 stats: Distance 14.8 miles (23.8 Km), total miles 61.3 (98.6 Kms)