A hike through scrubland to the tourist resort at Konnos and onto Cape Greko, followed by a return to Ayia Napa walking beside the sea over rough limestone rock or along beaches.
I climbed out of town then followed roads and gravel tracks through an area of large bushes, exposed rock and an occasional Eucalyptus tree. I passed a military base, lots of aerials, some houses, an isolated church and no people. On reaching Konnos and the coast, the scenery changed dramatically. There were hotels, bars, a beach full of blue umbrellas and lots of people, usually in swimming costume, some looking fit, others with a lot of flesh wobbling as they walked. Tattoos seemed popular for men and women. As I sat down for a lemonade and ice cream, the lady at the next table had a tattoo down her spine telling me "you don't need a plan...", but the rest of the tattoo, lower down her back, was hidden by the back of the white plastic chair, so I am not sure what I did not need a plan for. Nor was she speaking English.
Finding the path out of Konnos was a little difficult, it took me while to realise it runs straight through the cafe, but once on the footpath it skipped up and down with signs identifying the different plants. The path led to a small church and below it the cave of Ayioi Anargyroi. People were jumping off the cliff into the sea. Not something I could recommend due to the risk of hitting a rock. However with the cool blue sea on a hot day like today I could see the attraction. A little further on there was one of a few natural arches on the coast that I would pass. I continued heading east until a fence prevented further progress. Beyond it there was what I took to be a military establishment with multiple aerials. So having reached the most easterly point on my trip on the E4 in Europe I sighed and headed west along the coast.
The E4 follows a footpath over rough limestone, the sea was to my left, with boats full of tourists on trips from Ayia Napa, on my right cliffs rose above me. I had to be careful to follow the trail, as the passage of feet had smoothed the sharp edges of the limestone, elsewhere it was unpleasant to walk on, slow dissolution by the rain having created a spiky surface. In time I reached the point at which the path was crudely paved, making progress easier. By now the cliffs had gone and resorts began, with their sun loungers, umbrellas, bars and areas of too green grass, kept that way by frequent watering.
After some distance on the paved path, it was time to follow the beach, avoiding people sunbathing and the carefully constructed sand castles (and a sand crocodile). The beach stopped at Ayia Napa harbour and a little further along the promenade I turned inland among the shops and bars to Barbara's apartments, a rather more modest place to spend the night compared with the resort hotels I had walked by.
In the evening there was a medieval festival. People lined the street waiting for the parade. The wait was eventually rewarded. People dressed in costumes pillaged from history slowly moved up the street, beating drums with tremendous stamina, blowing trumpets, throwing flags and swinging fire around their heads. Some were dressed for a masquerade, others on stilts wore fantastical costumes. Young school children waved in period costume. Speeches by worthy dignitaries seemed about to follow the procession so as people dispersed I left to eat in a Japanese restaurant. I chose it as other restaurants seemed to have been filled either by those who had been watching the parade or else the usual Saturday night crowd. Later there was a crooner singing on a stage in the square but I had an early start in the morning so I climbed back up the hill to my rooms.
25 kilometres walked today starting and finishing at my hotel. A GPS track of my route can be found on wikiloc.com and on ViewRanger short code johnpon0047.
I climbed out of town then followed roads and gravel tracks through an area of large bushes, exposed rock and an occasional Eucalyptus tree. I passed a military base, lots of aerials, some houses, an isolated church and no people. On reaching Konnos and the coast, the scenery changed dramatically. There were hotels, bars, a beach full of blue umbrellas and lots of people, usually in swimming costume, some looking fit, others with a lot of flesh wobbling as they walked. Tattoos seemed popular for men and women. As I sat down for a lemonade and ice cream, the lady at the next table had a tattoo down her spine telling me "you don't need a plan...", but the rest of the tattoo, lower down her back, was hidden by the back of the white plastic chair, so I am not sure what I did not need a plan for. Nor was she speaking English.
Finding the path out of Konnos was a little difficult, it took me while to realise it runs straight through the cafe, but once on the footpath it skipped up and down with signs identifying the different plants. The path led to a small church and below it the cave of Ayioi Anargyroi. People were jumping off the cliff into the sea. Not something I could recommend due to the risk of hitting a rock. However with the cool blue sea on a hot day like today I could see the attraction. A little further on there was one of a few natural arches on the coast that I would pass. I continued heading east until a fence prevented further progress. Beyond it there was what I took to be a military establishment with multiple aerials. So having reached the most easterly point on my trip on the E4 in Europe I sighed and headed west along the coast.
The E4 follows a footpath over rough limestone, the sea was to my left, with boats full of tourists on trips from Ayia Napa, on my right cliffs rose above me. I had to be careful to follow the trail, as the passage of feet had smoothed the sharp edges of the limestone, elsewhere it was unpleasant to walk on, slow dissolution by the rain having created a spiky surface. In time I reached the point at which the path was crudely paved, making progress easier. By now the cliffs had gone and resorts began, with their sun loungers, umbrellas, bars and areas of too green grass, kept that way by frequent watering.
After some distance on the paved path, it was time to follow the beach, avoiding people sunbathing and the carefully constructed sand castles (and a sand crocodile). The beach stopped at Ayia Napa harbour and a little further along the promenade I turned inland among the shops and bars to Barbara's apartments, a rather more modest place to spend the night compared with the resort hotels I had walked by.
In the evening there was a medieval festival. People lined the street waiting for the parade. The wait was eventually rewarded. People dressed in costumes pillaged from history slowly moved up the street, beating drums with tremendous stamina, blowing trumpets, throwing flags and swinging fire around their heads. Some were dressed for a masquerade, others on stilts wore fantastical costumes. Young school children waved in period costume. Speeches by worthy dignitaries seemed about to follow the procession so as people dispersed I left to eat in a Japanese restaurant. I chose it as other restaurants seemed to have been filled either by those who had been watching the parade or else the usual Saturday night crowd. Later there was a crooner singing on a stage in the square but I had an early start in the morning so I climbed back up the hill to my rooms.
25 kilometres walked today starting and finishing at my hotel. A GPS track of my route can be found on wikiloc.com and on ViewRanger short code johnpon0047.
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| Beach at Konnos |
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| Path back to Ayia Napa along the coast |
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| Natural arch near Ayia Napa |
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| Part of the Medieval festival parade, these drummers really had stamina! |
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