Some of my Tracks are Missing

We are approaching the end of this first week of relaxed restrictions - the weather has been incredible for May and with that in mind I asked Liselotte if we could meet earlier than we normally do and start walking at 8.00am.  Sod's law today was a cooler and cloudier start than it has been for days!!!  That was fine though because it meant I did not have to struggle with the heat, the hills however were a different matter!!

The countryside is beginning to change.  The lush green is disappearing and being replaced by the yellow of fields of grain which are ripening or which have ripened.  Soon, bar the evergreen trees, there will be a dusty brown hue all around us.  For the moment then we need to take time to stop and look at the beautiful scenery on our doorstep.  We are blessed with good fresh air and wide open spaces.

Today we were to walk in an area we have walked in previously but incorporating a few tracks to ring the changes.  We started at Arodes and then walked down to Kritou Terra (for every down there is, inevitably, an up) and then back in a circle to our starting point.  I am glad we had recce'd it yesterday so that I knew we could go around the edge of a field to join up the end of one track with the start of another.

The walk took us down into Kritou Terra and through the little streets and then back out the other side.  As we turned around to the right and headed back up away from the village we passed the ancient remains of a church which was hewn out of the side of a mountain.  It could be easily missed if you didn't know it was there - it is actually easier to make out from a distance but someone has put a small church shrine at the bottom which marks the spot.  This is apparently a chapel to Saint Eusebius but beyond that I can find little information regarding its history.  To be fair though the little village of Kritou Terra has a very informative website which gives lots of information about its history and places to see so hats off to whoever it is that had created that and keeps it up to date.  

Anyway we carried on climbing out of Kritou Terra - most of the remainder of our walk was to be a long ascent but with great views and plenty of shade I had excuses to get a breather along the way.  I am by no means as good a hill walker as Liselotte who fair races up with vigour and enthusiasm that I am sometimes lacking!!

I had new socks on today - I put on a pair of my Christmas Karrimor's which are a rather garish bright green and black but which are handily marked Left and Right and come with nice cushioned bits for ladies with bunions!!!  They were super comfortable and the next time I feel strong enough to tackle Sports Direct I will look for some more.

You could be forgiven for thinking that this picture was taken in England in late summer - the field has been baled and the big old bales are drying in the sun but it is Cyprus mid-May after a long and very hot spell.  I guess maybe the colour of the sky and the the mountains in the background are a bit of a giveaway.  Talking to family members back in England they are having some really awful wet weather at the moment.

We made our way back to the start and decided not to try and negotiate our way along the final track which John had tried (and failed) to find in the car which should have brought us out somewhere near the fresh veg shop.  It looks like maybe they have cultivated some of the land where the track might have previously gone and I am sure they would not thank us for trampling on their crops.

We covered a respectable 8km with a 250km total elevation and were done and dusted by 10.00am which left us both with plenty of the day to get on with other things.  I wasn't entirely sure how long this walk was going to be as it included the stretch around the field which couldn't be plotted.  As it happens it probably could have done with being a little longer from an exercise point of view particularly as the weather was a little cooler than it had been recently.  Still Liselotte seemed to enjoy it and I have a bit of a rest walking-wise now until Monday as Nicky isn't available on Saturday - unless John wants to take her place!!

WHAT A FABULOUS VIEW