Our excursion of Sunday 6 March 2016 takes us to the fields between the village of Kornos and the village of Delikipos, in the district of Larnaca, south of Nicosia and west of Larnaca. Our destination is a short trip of 31 km from Nicosia. At a low elevation, this area is rich in agricultural produce. The hike is linear, almost entirely on level ground and follows dirt roads connecting the various plots of land, used by the farmers. Along the route, we shall visit the remote church of Agios Georgios ‘Sopotamou’, sitting on a hill, in a beautiful location. If you visit the area in spring, you will enjoy the feast of colours, as many flowering plants are in bloom. The sighting of not so common birds is possible; your walk leader was lucky to come across a grown-up hoopoe (tsalapeteinos) one day. If you visit the area in colder weather, you will enjoy a hike in mild climate conditions, while avoiding the hot sun. The hike starts 500 m after the Delikipos picnic site, on the road from Kornos to Delikipos; this is the place we shall stop at the end of the walk for our picnic, weather permitting. The hike starts at 10:45 am. Xenophon is leading the hike, which will go ahead even in light rain; if you need to, call 97613720. The hike is 9 km long, will take close to 3 hours hiking time, and involves just one demanding uphill section of 400 m distance and is classified 1 (easy) to 2 (medium) for difficulty.

At the end of the hike, we shall walk or drive the distance of 500 m to the Delikipos picnic site, for a picnic (weather permitting).

You have the choice of meeting the group at the hike start, or meet at the designated meeting point in Nicosia. In either case, you need to carry copy of this set of instructions. Meeting in Nicosia offers two important advantages: we drive in full cars, leaving some cars behind; thus, we save in fuel and enjoy the trip in good company. The meeting point in Nicosia is the Handicrafts Centre (Kentro Heirotechnias) on Leoforos Athalassas (Athalassa Avenue), which offers ample parking space. The car trip starts at 9:45 am. Please ensure you observe start times, for the benefit of the group.

How to get to the walk start:

Get to the main junction between Leoforos Lemesou/ Limassol Avenue and Leoforos Athalassas. Zero your odometer at this junction. Drive along the Nicosia-Limassol motorway, heading towards Limassol. At the 25.4 km reading you exit the motorway on your left, at exit number 11, following signs to Kornos and Stavrovouni. At the 25.5 km reading you reach a T-junction; turn right, following signs to Kornos and Delikipos. At the 25.7 km reading you pass a left turn for Nicosia, do not turn left, go straight. At the 26.0 km reading you pass a left turn for Kornos, do not turn left, go straight. Exactly 3.6 km later, at the 29.6 km reading you pass a left turn into a dirt road; do not turn left, go straight. At the 30.1 km reading you pass a right turn for Chrysosotiros church; do not turn right, go straight. At the 30.5 km reading you pass the Delikipos picnic site on your left. At the 31.0 km reading, you observe signs indicating the bridge of Diplogefyro on your right, and a left turn into a dirt road leading to the church of Agios Georgios Sopotamou. Turn left and park your car. We meet here.

How to get to the meeting point for the car trip, coming from the Hilton hotel area:

Get yourself on Makarios Avenue, heading out of town and set your odometer to zero as you drive past the Nicosia Hilton hotel. At the 0.1 km reading you reach traffic lights (with the Apoel club building on your right), go straight. At the 0.5 km reading you reach another set of traffic lights, go straight. Driving along, you pass a few more traffic lights, staying on this main road (named Leoforos Lemesou/ Limassol Avenue). At the 2.1 km reading, you reach a principal set of traffic lights. Set your odometer to zero again and turn right here. You are now in Leoforos Athalassas, a very busy avenue. At the 0.2 km reading you see a large empty space on your right and the Handicrafts Centre (a single-storey building) on your left. Park in the parking area. We meet here. The Handicrafts Centre is next to the church of St. Barnabas.

How to get to the meeting point for the car trip, coming from the Presidential Palace area:

Get to the round-about next to the Presidential Palace. From downtown Nicosia you reach this along the Kyriakou Matsi avenue or along the D. Severi avenue. Set your odometer to zero on the round-about and drive along the principal road towards Strovolos. At the 0.3 km reading you reach traffic lights. Go straight. At the 0.6 km reading you reach a 2nd set of traffic lights. Set your odometer to zero again and turn left. You are now in Leoforos Athalassas, a very busy avenue full of shops. At the 2.6 km reading you see a large empty space on your left and the Handicrafts Centre (a single-storey building) on your right. Park here.

Google Maps: Here is a map for those coming from the Hilton area to the meeting place for the car trip http://tinyurl.com/phjc6s7

Google Maps: Here is a map for those coming from the Presidential Palace area to the meeting place for the car trip http://tinyurl.com/neo9duy

Disclaimer: If you attend a Cyprus Strollers walk you do so entirely at your own risk. The Cyprus Strollers is a social club and neither the organizers nor the leader of the walk are responsible for the health and safety of those taking part.