Life in the remote villages along the trail is unhurried and the people friendly.

Practical information:
The Saint Paul Trail
The Lycian Way

After many months of research and planning, work on the St Paul trail began earlier this year with the help of a multi-national team of volunteers from Switzerland, Holland, Israel, Britain and Turkey itself. Local villagers have also played an important part and without their help many of the best sections of path would not have been discovered.

Life in the remote villages along the trail is unhurried and the people friendly. Walkers should add at least an hour on to a day’s walking for impromptu invitations to drink tea, or even sit down to a full scale meal.

Typically eaten, sitting cross legged around a large metal tray, a village feast may include fresh yoghurt, strong goats cheese, olives, piles of peppers and juicy tomatoes. Once a meal is finished, the offer of a bed for the night isn’t uncommon, and gives you a real insight into people’s lives. Guests usually sleep in the communal room where the food is served or, in the hot summer months, outside on the flat roof or veranda.

During the last months Kate has become a familiar figure to the villagers and shepherds living along the route. Though at first the sight of a foreign woman arriving with her two dogs, Blues and Soul, was jaw-dropping. More amazing still, she replied in perfect Turkish to their many questions!

On one occasion, Kate and I surprised an old shepherd, herding a flock of goats. He looked down in disgust at his worn and dirty shirt, before rushing into his hut to change. He emerged beaming a gap-toothed smile and invited us to sit and drink cool ayran. As we sipped the refreshing yoghurt drink he announced proudly:

“There have been no foreigners here since 1985.”
“Really,” replied Kate in her best village Turkish. “Where were they from?”
‘Oh, they were from Istanbul.”