Our walk of Saturday 13 October 2018 takes place at Prodromos village on Troodos mountain. Prodromos is the village with the highest altitude in Cyprus, and our hike starts at 1500 m. We start in front of the summer camp, which is opposite the well-known Louis taverna, on the main road going through the village. The walk starts at 11:00 am. Christos is leading this walk, which will go ahead even in light rain; if you need to, call 99240323. This is a linear walk, which means we return along the same trail we go out. The hike is 11 ½ km long, will take about 3 ½ hours and is rated 2+ (medium difficulty to difficult), on a scale from 1 to 3.

We follow well marked forest paths, beginning with a gentle but continuous climb for the initial one hour; we then go gently downhill for about 10 minutes; the rest of the forward path also involves downhill and uphill sections, for about 20 minutes. The forest is dense with pine trees, golden oaks and other trees. The trail offers panoramic views to the Marathasa valley, with the villages of Pedoulas right below, and the villages of Moutoullas and Kalopanayiotis further afar.

At the end of the walk we shall have lunch at the Louis taverna, just opposite. To facilitate arrangements, for your better service, you are required to pre-register, if you are joining us for lunch. To do so, please sms the walk leader or e-mail Xenophon 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 very large church named tis Theou Sophias (also referred to as Agia Sophia) in Strovolos, which offers ample parking space on its side street. 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, via Kakopetria village, from Nicosia:

Note: the route via Kakopetria village and Agios Nicolaos Stegis is the shortest of the three options available, from Nicosia, and the most picturesque.

From Nicosia take the A9 motorway towards Troodos. The A9 smoothly becomes the B9 highway (towards Troodos), when the motorway ends (near Kokkinotrimithia). On the B9 you drive past the villages of Akaki, then Peristerona and then you reach the village of Astromeritis. At the Astromeritis traffic lights, where most cars turn left towards Troodos, zero your odometer and turn left. After 25 km you pass the entrance to the village of Kakopetria on your left. Zero your odometer and continue to drive along the main road, in the direction of Troodos. At the 1.9 km reading look out for the road sign on your right, directing you to ‘Pedoulas, via Agios Nicolaos Stegis’. Turn right and drive the entire 12 km along this picturesque paved road. At approx. the 14 km reading, this road ends at a T-junction, where it meets the Pedoulas – Prodromos road. Turn left at the T-junction, driving uphill towards Prodromos. You will not get into Prodromos. Our meeting place is just before, on the left-hand side of the main road, some 25 m before the Louis taverna, which you cannot miss, on your right as you drive up. In the event that you have reached the (only) roundabout in Prodromos, you have gone too far: drive back for 200 m, looking out for the summer camp on your right, past the taverna. There is a side road driving up to the summer camp for some 25 m, offering sufficient parking space. We meet here.

How to get to the walk start, via Troodos, from Nicosia:

From Nicosia take the A9 motorway towards Troodos. The A9 smoothly becomes the B9 highway (towards Troodos), when the motorway ends (near Kokkinotrimithia). On the B9 you drive past the villages of Akaki, then Peristerona and then you reach the village of Astromeritis. At the Astromeritis traffic lights, where most cars turn left towards Troodos, turn left. Drive along the main road, until you reach Troodos. From Troodos, follow the road signs towards the village of Prodromos. The distance from Troodos square to the Prodromos roundabout is 8 km. When you reach Prodromos, zero your odometer as you pass the (only) roundabout in Prodromos, and follow the direction towards Pedoulas, looking out for the summer camp on your right. This is just 200 m past the roundabout. You will observe the Louis taverna on your left, some 25 m before the summer camp. There is a side road driving up to the summer camp for some 25 m, offering sufficient parking space. We meet here. Note: the route via Troodos is the longest of the options available, from Nicosia.

How to get to the walk start from Limassol:

Take the main road towards Trimiklini, then Saittas. Get to the principal junction at Saittas, where you have the options of going straight to Platres or left to Pera Pedi, or right to Amiantos. Continue straight to Platres. At the junction of Psilo Dendro (taverna and trout farm on your right) (this is the starting point to Caledonian waterfall) zero your odometer and continue straight, towards Troodos. At the 2.1 km reading you meet a junction with a left turn leading to Trooditissa monastery. Take this left turn, drive past the monastery and all the way until you get to Prodromos village and the only roundabout in Prodromos. Zero your odometer as you pass the roundabout in Prodromos, and follow the direction towards Pedoulas, looking out for the summer camp on your right. This is just 200 m past the roundabout. You will observe the Louis taverna on your left, some 25 m before the summer camp. There is a side road driving up to the summer camp for some 25 m, offering sufficient parking space. We meet here.

How to get to the walk start, via Troodos, from Limassol (a longer route):

Take the main road towards Trimiklini, then Saittas. Get to the principal junction at Saittas, where you have the options of going straight to Platres or left to Pera Pedi, or right to Amiantos. Zero your odometer and turn right. At the 10.9 km reading you reach the principal junction of Karvounas (note, no traffic lights). Do not go straight, downhill (this takes you to Kakopetria). Do not turn right (this takes you to Kyperounda). Zero your odometer, turn left and drive uphill towards Troodos square. At the 8.6 km reading you reach Troodos square and its car park on your left. Do not turn left into the square. Zero your odometer and drive straight ahead, downhill, along the main road, following the road signs towards the village of Prodromos. At the 8 km reading you reach the only roundabout in Prodromos. Zero your odometer as you pass the roundabout in Prodromos, and follow the direction towards Pedoulas, looking out for the summer camp on your right. This is just 200 m past the roundabout. You will observe the Louis taverna on your left, some 25 m before the summer camp. There is a side road driving up to the summer camp for some 25 m, offering sufficient parking space. We meet here.

How to get to the meeting point for the car trip:

From Nicosia get to the junction between Cineplex and Apolloneion Hospital. At the traffic lights where you have the Cineplex on your left hand side and Apolloneion Hospital on your right hand side, zero your odometer and turn left. At the 0.3 km reading you see Lidl supermarket on your right. At the 0.8 km reading you reach traffic lights. Turn left into Elaionon street. Immediately after you observe the very large church of tis Theou Sophias, with its green dome, on your right. Just past the church (1.0 km reading) take the first turning to the right into Kastellas street. This side street offers ample parking space. Park here.

Google Maps: Here is a map taking you from the junction between Cineplex and Apolloneion Hospital to the church of tis Theou Sophias http://tinyurl.com/ll9fefj

Google Maps: Here is a map taking you from the Presidential Palace to the church of tis Theou Sophias https://tinyurl.com/ybnc84q7

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