Our excursion of Saturday 7 January 2017 is a must attend for sea lovers; it takes us to the seaside east of Larnaca and the entire walk is along the coastline. The path is linear, just over 2 hours long and is on totally flat ground; hence the degree of difficulty is 1 (easy). We set off at Oroklini, reach Dhekelia and then walk back along the same path. We shall walk on a variety of surfaces, including sand, pebbles, wood, cement and soil. There should be many seagulls to feast our eyes on (if not our ears), and if you care to carry some bread, you will see them get even closer to you.
The walk starts at 10:45 am. Xenophon is leading this walk, which will go ahead even in light rain; if you need to, call 97613720. You are strongly advised to carry a wind jacket.
After the walk we shall drive to the Monte Carlo seafood restaurant, for a set meal. Monte Carlo lies on the Larnaca seafront, some 50 m after Larnaca castle. Best way to access it is drive through Phinikoudes. Once past the Castle, and past the restaurant, follow the signs to a free municipal parking area, in a side street to the right, some 200 m further on. To facilitate arrangements, for your better service, you are required to pre-register, if you are joining us for lunch. To do so, please e-mail the walk leader by end Thursday. No need to register if you are not dining.
You have the choice of meeting the group at the walk 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, coming from Nicosia:
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 Larnaca. At the 34.6 km reading, you reach a major roundabout. Ignore the 3rd exit to the right, which leads to the airport. Ignore the 2nd exit, going straight, towards Larnaca city. Zero your odometer and turn left, towards Dhekelia and Agia Napa. Continue on this main motorway (A3). At the 8.5 km reading take the exit to the left (number 58), leading to Oroklini. At the 8.7 km reading you reach a junction, where you must turn left, following signs to the beach (at 2 km), to Nicosia (at 46 km) and to Larnaca (at 7 km). At the 9.6 km reading you pass a bridge, with Oroklini lake on both your left and your right, full of water in January. At the 10.7 km reading you reach a T-junction, with traffic lights; in front, you have the sea. Turn left, on the B3 road and drive at a modest speed, looking out for the Lenios hotel sign on your right. Note: the hotel was undergoing renovation in Dec. 2016 and it may or may not bear signage. At the 11.2 km reading you reach Lenios hotel on your right; carefully turn right, into the hotel parking area. 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.
How to get to the walk start, coming from Larnaca:
Get to the principal junction (with traffic lights) between Archbishop Makarios Avenue and Grigoris Afxentiou Avenue; you have the main police station and the main post office at this junction. Zero your odometer and drive eastwards along Archbishop Makarios Avenue, heading towards Dhekelia (on the B3 road). At the 5.5 km reading you reach traffic lights, with a fire brigade station on your left; go straight, drive at a modest speed, looking out for the Lenios hotel sign on your right. Note: the hotel was undergoing renovation in Dec. 2016 and it may or may not bear signage. At the 5.9 km reading you reach Lenios hotel on your right; carefully turn right, into the hotel parking area. Park your car. We meet 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.
The Cyprus Strollers 