12th November, 2019
- Day 3: Kabak to a wildcamp half-way between Gey and Bel
- Distance: 18.1km
- Ascent / Descent: 780m / 590m
- Weather: 23 degrees C
- Accommodation: wildcamp
- Total cost for one (Turkish Lira ₺): 2 cokes in Alınca 6, water 4, resupply 12 (water, chocolate, biscuits, cheese & tomato in Gey) = ₺22 (~£3 / €3 / US$4)
We organise for breakfast to be served at 7.30am and are treated to another Turkish feast. Once again, there’s more than enough for the two of us, and we take the leftovers for lunch.
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- A delicious breakfast at our accommodation
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- Sarah having breakfast at Shiva Camp
There are two options to get between Kabak and Alınca: via a steep descent to Kabak beach (and then an ascent) or direct along a mountain ridge. We decide on the latter option.
9:32am – a lovely section of trail
We pass a few areas of scree then climb a rocky path as we contour around the mountain. We’re treated to both mountain and coastal views, it’s beautiful.
9:57am – getting rockier
10:26am – Lycian Way junction – where the beach path joins the direct route
After we merge with the path from the beach, we continue to climb. It’s boiling hot, I can’t imagine doing this in summer, or even October. We also need to make sure of our footing with every step, it’s certainly an ankle twister of a trail.
10:35am
Mountain views
Where is this cafe?
10:52am – enjoying the scenery
It’s olive harvest season
We pass people harvesting the olives. It looks like hot and back-breaking work. One man is up the olive tree, shaking it, and two others are collecting the olives from the ground (without a tarp).
A friendly local offers us olives
11:18am – me, enjoying the views
It’s easy to see how this trail destroys shoes!
We stop in Alınca for a drink and short break at the only place open. There’s a market next door but it’s closed for the season. The owner tells us it should take three hours from here to Gey, then a further three to Bel. We don’t have six hours of daylight left to make it to Bel (sunset is just before 6pm), but that’s ok, that’s why we’ve brought our camping gear.
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- 12:21pm – taking a quick break at Bayram’s Place in Alınca
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- Bayram’s Place in Alınca
Leaving Alınca, we accidently take the newly pebbled road. (We should have realised straight away this wasn’t the ankle-twisting, death-defying Lycian Way we’ve come to know!) We soon get back on trail and are clambering over the rocky goat paths.
1:15pm – Likya Yolu – the local name for Lycian Way
1:44pm – breathtaking coastal views
2:12pm
We reach Gey at 4pm and refill our water at a small cafe/market. We’re not going to make it to Bel so we carry enough water to get us through tonight and tomorrow morning. In our continued research of Turkish cuisine, we buy a selection of chocolate bars and I’m pleased to say that the Turkish chocolate made for me (‘4 Kat’) is delicious!
4pm – In Gey – sorry, it’s just for me!
We’ve seen more goats than people!
Giving way to the locals
4:44pm
A very large olive tree!
We arrive at this perfect view and camp spot and decide it’s too good to pass. Hopefully it’s not going to be windy!
5:20pm – sunset on the Lycian Way
5:50pm – our first night camping
Dinner tonight is tortillas with cheese and tomato followed by Nutella for Sarah and for me – peanut butter, followed by peanut butter and jerky. Hiking does strange things to your appetite! It’s completely dark by 7pm and creepy crawlies start to appear (an earwig-type creature with a scorpion-type sting is the most unnerving). We retreat to our tents and it’s warm inside, actually too warm for me to get into my sleeping bag.
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- Tonight’s starter – peanut butter tortilla
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- and for my main meal – peanut butter and jerky tortilla
Day three is done and I’m feeling tired but great. The trail is certainly challenging. It’s rocky, steep, often narrow and you really have to keep your eyes peeled for the waymarks. I’m glad I’m here with Sarah, obviously for the company but also for the safety aspect; one wrong step and you could be tumbling down a cliff. We’ve been chatting non-stop ever since we met for the first time at Gatwick airport a few days ago, I couldn’t have dreamt it would go so well!
Lycian Way – route information by Komoot – day 3
We’re using Komoot* for navigation and to record our own tracks. Prior to departing the UK we uploaded the GPX tracks to Komoot so we can now use them for navigation (with voice commands). We’re also using Komoot to record our own daily tracks which gives us the above maps, elevation profiles, distance, speed etc. You can find our collection of tracks on the Komoot App by searching ToughGirl for Sarah and followingthearrows for me. Or click the link in the caption on the above map to go straight to the track.
*Komoot premium was gifted and we also received sponsorship for this hike.
To see Sarah’s vlogs of our Lycian Way hike, click here. You can also follow her on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and keep up to date with the Tough Girl podcasts here.
If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I’ll add a FAQ post at the end of the trip.
followingthearrows 
I wonder if you would do the unnerving trail like Lycian Way by yourself if you did not meet someone like Sarah.
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Hi Kanji,
In hindsight I’m certainly glad I didn’t go by myself! I hope my blog makes it very clear that I don’t recommend this trail as a solo hiker, for safety reasons in case of injury.
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