The Cyprus Strollers are proud to be announcing their first ever hike in Paphos district. The destination is the very popular Petra tou Romiou site, some 40 km west of Limassol. Our excursion of Sunday 11 December 2016 consists of a linear hike along the coast of Petra tou Romiou, promising several rewards: extended sea views, rich flora, the beauty of the beach and rocks associated with Aphrodite, goddess of love in Greek mythology, and a picnic at the end of the walk.

We set off from the tourist pavilion facing Petra tou Romiou, walk westwards for nearly 2 hours and back. Xenophon is leading this 4-hours hike, which is rated 1 1/2  (easy to medium difficulty), starts at 11:00 am, and will go ahead even in light rain; if you need to, call 97613720. We walk on well-defined paths, in an area characterized by limestone/ chalk. Most of the walk is on level ground, with only modest uphill and downhill parts. There are many trees along our route, mainly acacias, eucalyptus and the occasional olive, pine, cypress. However, do not expect to encounter trees tall and dense enough to provide shade from the sun. There are also lots of shrubs, including sea-squill, asphodel and thyme. Also note a wind jacket is useful at any season.

The trail runs parallel to the sea front and also parallel to B6, the old Limassol – Paphos motorway. There are several points along the route which offer access to the motorway; also, both ends of the trail lie on the B6, and are only a short 3.5 km drive away. The consequence of all this, is that arrangements can be made for Strollers who may wish to walk only part of the hike. This requires the cooperation of all drivers, but importantly an early alert (by end Thursday) from your side, if you desire to benefit from this option.

At the end of the hike, we shall drive to a designated picnic site for a picnic (weather permitting); we walk past the picnic site about 30 min. before reaching the far end of the trail. There are no tavernas in the area, so if we have to resort to a sheltered lunch, we may need to drive back to Limassol.

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 9:30 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. Drive along the Nicosia – Limassol motorway, heading towards Limassol. Upon reaching Limassol, zero your odometer as you pass exit number 28, and continue to drive towards Paphos, on the A6 motorway. At the 35 km reading you exit the motorway on your left, at exit number 41A, following signs to Petra tou Romiou. 400 m later you reach a T-junction; turn left, into B6. 700 m later you reach another T-junction; turn right. At the 39.5 km reading you ignore a right turn, signposted to ‘services-restaurant’. 500 m later you leave B6, turning right towards the tourist pavilion. There is ample parking space at the tourist pavilion. Park your car. We meet here. The trail begins at the far end of the parking space, where you see a wooden sign.

How to get to the walk start, coming from Limassol:

Get to the Limassol – Paphos motorway (A6), in the direction of Paphos. Zero your odometer as you pass exit number 28. At the 35 km reading you exit the motorway on your left, at exit number 41A, following signs to Petra tou Romiou. 400 m later you reach a T-junction; turn left, into B6. 700 m later you reach another T-junction; turn right. At the 39.5 km reading you ignore a right turn, signposted to ‘services-restaurant’. 500 m later you leave B6, turning right towards the tourist pavilion. There is ample parking space at the tourist pavilion. Park your car. We meet here. The trail begins at the far end of the parking space, where you see a wooden sign.

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 picnic site from the walk end: Zero your odometer and turn right into B6, having the sea front on your left hand. At the 2.4 km reading you reach the luxury Aphrodite Hills hotel entrance, on your right. On your left hand side, you observe the picnic area. Drive a further 75 m and you see parking spaces on your left. There are further parking spaces on the right hand side of the road, just before the right turn for Aphrodite Hills.

How to get to the new A6 motorway, for the trip back home, from the picnic site: Zero your odometer at the junction between B6 and the Aphrodite Hills hotel entrance. Drive along B6 towards Limassol, having the sea front on your right hand. At the 0.8 km reading you turn left, to meet A6.

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.