29th November, 2019
- Day 20: wildcamp before Çamyuva to Göynük
- Distance: 21.3km
- Ascent / Descent: 180m / 170m
- Weather: overcast, 18 degrees
- Accommodation: Altıntaş Pansiyon ₺50pp (including washing)
- Total cost for one (Turkish Lira ₺): resupply in Çamyuva 22.8, accommodation 50, dinner in Göynük 60, resupply in Göynük for next stages 25.8 = ₺158.6 (~£20 / €24 / US$27)
After a wonderful night’s sleep, I have a few Turkish apricots for breakfast then pack up. I’m grateful it didn’t rain overnight and there’s no condensation on the tent. We check the map and it looks like there’s a shortcut up and over a hill to reach the beach in Çamyuva. However there’s a gap in the map with this symbol ≠ which I’ve never seen before. We decide to give it a go as there’s a lengthy detour otherwise.
8:20am – a view of Çamyuva
The path we’re taking over the hill must’ve been an official trail at some point as it’s an obvious trail and there are old waymarks. Thinking we’ve made it, we get to the bottom of the hill on the other side only to find a fence with a locked gate. Still not giving up, we follow the fence as far as we can towards the sea, but soon come up against a sheer rock face (which has also been fenced). It’s now blazingly apparent that the resort on the other side of the fence doesn’t want anyone to pass.
Sheepishly retracing our steps and grumpy that this means we now have to go back up and over the hill, imagine our delight once we reach the locked gate to see a gardener on the other side. He sees us and we shout out ‘Likya Yolu’ (Turkish for Lycian Way). He motions up and over the hill (the way we’ve come) and we shake our heads and point north. He comes closer to the gate, rummages through his back pocket and pulls out a set of keys. Hooray! We thank him and hurriedly walk the way he’s now pointing to get off the property and onto the beach. Don’t follow in our footsteps whatever you do!
An amusement park in Çamyuva that’s seen better days…
Çamyuva is full of resorts (like Tekirova) and is slightly busier with locals but still has a ghost-town feel to it. We’re no longer on the Lycian Way, but are paving our own way to reach Göynük where we’ll rejoin the trail tomorrow to climb up out of the canyon.
10:59am – must remember to bring some home
11:17am – the fresh bread cupboard outside a market
When we reach the D400 we try to find an alternative smaller road (google maps shows there is one which we try but eventually come up against a dead end and have to backtrack!) We see locals walking along the highway and relax a little knowing it’s not so unusual, but also try to walk as fast as possible for the 4km it takes to reach our turn off. I wouldn’t recommend following our footsteps here either!
12:30pm – this is not part of the Lycian Way and it’s easy to see why
It’s early when we reach Göynük but this is as far as we want to walk. We’ll resupply and have a good night’s sleep before tackling a large climb out of the canyon tomorrow. Last night from the comfort of my tent and with phone service, I found a super cheap pension here on google and called ahead to book. On arrival, I check the room to confirm it has:
- hot water
- wifi
- no gaping holes in the walls (mosquitoes)
- toilet paper
- soap
All things that have usually been lacking from previous accommodation. It’s been 10 days since I had a hot shower (longer than I even went on the PCT)! The room ticks all the boxes, plus they give us free access to the washing machine and powder (it helps to smell a little) and we settle in.
1:56pm – our room for the night at Altıntaş Pansiyon in Göynük
After all the chores are done we head out for a filling dinner at a nearby restaurant. The waitress inundates the table with numerous dishes that we haven’t ordered, but end up paying for! (This is the first time I’ve experienced this here and I’m reminded of the small appetiser dishes you receive at restaurants in Portugal – if you don’t eat them, you don’t pay. Maybe it’s similar here, but out of curiosity, we do sample each of them.)
Dinner at a nearby restaurant called Köfteci Ali in Göynük
We’re heading back into the mountains for another 2-3 days so after dinner we stock up at the supermarket with fresh bread, bagels and snacks.
Lycian Way – route information by Komoot – day 20
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.
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