Cyprus - Cyprus Ramblers Club Sunday walk around Symvoulos Dam

Up with the alarm and met Irina at the Amphitheatre parking lot. Picked up 2 other women on our way to the walk starting point, about a half hour West of Pissouri.

About 35 of us mustered in a church parking lot, all complaining about the cold and ribbing the few who had worn shorts. It was about 9 degrees but no wind and no rain. I was glad I had bought my hat and gloves but decided to leave the final layer, my fleece, in the car.

A short walk and we were crossing

the dam.

In the distance, the motorway that we had just driven on.

I can't imagine how this is enforced having just had a conversation about how many of the laws (EU and Cypriot) are not enforced.

The dam was full and the slipway was flowing.

There were stepping stones but they were wobbly and slippery. After crossing I lent the people helping, my walking sticks to aid others.

There were some wet shoes, one slip and full body soaker and the final guy took off his shoes, threw them across and waded.

The spillway created a pretty waterfall.

Then it was a bit of a scramble up hill,

walking high, beside the dam,

to the end

and under the motorway.

From there it was tracks and fields, with the smell of trampled grass,

scattered with

Anemones,

Olive and Carob trees. Irina picked a dried up looking Carob pod off a tree and demonstrated that you can eat them, pod and all (not the seeds). It was sweet, granular and a but chewy bit a good walking snack.

On the top of a hill, an old Threshing Circle. The wheat would be bought up here, the Threshing Sled (shown in a previous post) used to break it up and it would all be tossed in the wind. The grain would drop and the chaff fly away.

We walked through a small

village. I don't know it's name. Then up that hill behind the church

to sit among Neolithic ruins, eat homemade cake (provided by the walk leader) and marvel at the amount of snow now on the Troodos mountains.

After that brief rest we headed back the way we had come. This is a Pine  Processionary nest. It is a moth that builds this nest in Pine trees. When the caterpillars emerge in the spring they go foraging in a line, head to tail, thus the name. They are very destructive to Pine trees, irritating to human skin and can be lethal to dogs and cats.

In a sheltered spot,

nearly below the motorway

was a cluster of orchids ( about a dozen) that I had not seen before.

We didn't go back around the reservoir but cut up a hill before we got to it.

Most of us found the steep hill at the end of a two hour hike, quite a slog.

We were walking up through old terraces that were falling apart and old Olive trees. At the side of the road was this plant

which, from looking it up, I think is a Mandrake, whose fruit is very poisonous.

One last push around this field of Olives and Carobs and we were at the church parking lot.

The walk organizers had it listed as 7 miles, Grade 3 (which means some hills). It felt like more than that, probably because of the hills. Changing views and topography kept it interesting as well as the cake at the half way point.