Our excursion of Saturday 14 November 2015 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 29 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 at the Kornos picnic site, outside the village of Kornos; this is the place we shall have our picnic at the end of the walk, 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 11 km long, will take about 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 sit down for a picnic at the Kornos picnic site (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 left, following signs to Stavrovouni. At the 26.0 km reading you reach another, major T-junction; turn right, following signs to Stavrovouni. At the 27.8 km reading slow down and look out for a very small church on your right; there is a road sign at this point indicating a right turn leading after 1 km to the Kornos forest station; turn right; the road passes through a very short tunnel and gets to a T-junction; there are white signs at this junction, one of them indicating the way to the picnic site; at the T-junction go straight onto a dirt road, which soon reaches a Y-junction; at this point you see the forest station a few hundred metres ahead and on your right; take the left bend at the Y-junction; the dirt road climbs up a hill and after a few hundred metres reaches the picnic site. Park your car at the picnic site. We meet here. Note, if you have missed the indicated right turn, immediately after you reach a junction, with a left turn signposted ‘Stavrovouni 7 km’.

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://tiny-url.org/RWPji5wr

Google Maps: Here is a map for those coming from the Presidential Palace area to the meeting place for the car trip http://tiny-url.org/hvLSn8Nw

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.