The Lycian Way

By Ambassador Petri Anne (@petri_anne)

The Lycian Way is a 500 km long-distance trail in the Southwest of Turkey, winding through mountains, coastline and ancient ruins. Every day on this trail brings something different, from mountains to turquoise bays and fields of giant olive trees to sleepy villages. 

The start

Day 1 let’s go! We got picked up by a taxi driver from Fethiye to go to the start of the Lycian Way in Ovacik. There is a big yellow sign that marks the beginning of the trail. The driver raved about how beautiful his hometown is, and, after seeing our backpacks, he gave us his business card in case we needed a ride back. Besides some delight that people think we are day hikers, it also makes me feel safe because no one expects us to wild camp somewhere. That pride in my small backpack changed later in the hike. Read on why!

Lots of climbing for a coastal trail

The first day of a new trail always is exciting. Not really knowing what you got yourself into. I did do some research but there isn’t that much information out there about the Lycian way. The views were amazing right of the bat! How lucky are we that this trail will be our home for the coming weeks?

In my head it was a coastal trail like the Fisherman’s trail in Portugal, but there is a lot of climbing on the Lycian Way. The mountains are right beside the ocean which creates breath-taking views. One moment you’re on a rocky ridge looking out over the endless blue, the next you're deep in a forest.

Meeting the locals

From day 1 we felt the hospitality of the people living here. Everyone was friendly and curious about what we are doing. The Lycian Way isn’t that famous yet, but you see its popularity growing. People living near the trail are catching on, opening little restaurants etc. Sometimes they even cheekily change the blazes of the trail so you’ll pass by their property - which I think is pretty funny. The Turkish Kitchen is amazing! also as a vegetarian. I was happy we did a Duolingo challenge before coming here so we knew the basic words. 

The storm

Since it was early spring, the weather was unpredictable. We had some rain and even thunderstorms at night. Day 5 was rough. We hiked through endless greenhouses and there was trash everywhere. Trash really is a global problem. Most people skip this section and I would have done that too if I knew this earlier. Seeing dead animals among the piles was a bit traumatizing. That night, we couldn’t find any wild camping and set up late, just before a huge storm rolled in. We had to bail our campsite and ended up sleeping under a carport, sheltered from the wind and flying debris. In the middle of the night, the owner of the house came out and offered us tea and food, how sweet is that?

Nature mixed with history

The highlight of this trail is nature mixed with ancient ruins! Imagine walking up a steep mountain in the rain and suddenly seeing old Lycian tombs. It was magical! The trail goes through well-known historical sites, but the highlights for me where the ruins without tourists. The most enchanting campsite was right beside a centuries-old church ruin, with a few tall stone walls still standing strong. We pitched our tent right in the middle of what once was the heart of the building. When the full moon rose, it was magical. 

Humbling 

I can be quite proud of my gear; it took time and research to get everything together but compared to the shepherds that live in the mountains, it is nothing. They know so much and they need so little. Very humbling and beautiful to see. In turn, they were very curious about us. I felt we were a little soap series they could watch. Us filtering water while they just drink it! Everyone we met was so helpful. Google translate was our friend. Sometimes people didn’t really get what we were doing. In one village, an old lady with a huge scythe asked where we were headed. We said the city of Kaş, and she kept telling us we were going the wrong direction; ‘that way is long and hard, there is nothing there’ she said, waving that huge blade. We tried to explain that was kind of the point, but it didn’t land. She just shrugged and walked off. She was right though. It was long and hard, but also extremely beautiful.