‘In Need of Green’ – yet the feature photo is blue. Ha Ha! I really associate Cyprus with the colour blue. Though recently I’ve been missing the colour green. One of the things I most love about England is its green countryside. Cyprus can be beautifully green too, but in summer the green turns brown. Our garden doesn’t have a single blade of grass in it. So this weekend we headed into the mountains to enjoy the greenery of the Myllomeris Waterfall and Nature Trail.
The Myllomeris Waterfall and Nature Trail can be found south of Platres village, 1050m high in the Troodos mountains. Platres is surrounded by dense forest; lush green trees stretching in every direction. We parked in the car park next to the Tourist Office and walked downhill to the start of the nature trail, just off the main road. The temperature in the mountains was five degrees cooler than the coast. Ah, the relief! We grabbed ice creams to eat as we descended a steep path into a narrow valley beneath the village.
At the bottom of the valley was a picturesque bridge crossing the Krios River. As it’s summer we didn’t expect a gushing torrent and we didn’t get one. Instead, small rivulets of water flowed between boulders, collecting in pools and spilling over in little waterfalls.
The Myllomeris Nature Trail followed the river as it curved through the valley. The valley was filled with ancient trees, their gnarled roots spilling over the ground and down the river bank. The loose stones on the track made it slippery in places and there were a few sheer drops into the river, but apart from that, the nature trail is brilliant for children. A great place to climb, scrabble over boulders, paddle and explore.
The valley ends at the top of a gorge and the trail parts company with the river and continues up a hill and over the other side. There’s a great view at the top and a well-positioned bench for a rest. Steps took us down the hill and ended at the Myllomeris Waterfall car park. The car park broke the spell slightly as I thought the waterfall could only be reached by the nature trail.
We followed the signs and a flight of steep steps took us into a gorge. We rounded a corner and in a concealed nook was the Millomeris Waterfall.
The water drops 15m from the valley above that the nature trail had taken us through. It’s one of the highest waterfalls in Cyprus. The water falls into a pretty little pool – it was far smaller than the Adonis Falls but the water was just as cool. We were hot and sticky after our walk and standing beneath the waterfall felt divine.
I’m not a professional photographer but I use my camera A LOT and I often see shots I want in my head and then try to create them. When I saw the Myllomeris Waterfall, a photo of me standing under it like an Herbal Essences ad popped into my head. I briefed Matt on what I wanted and went into the pool trying – and failing – to look natural. Pretending that I run my fingers through my hair under waterfalls every day. Then this gorgeous woman went in, unashamedly posing for her friend’s camera. She had bronzed skin, beautiful curves and the most amazing red hair that fell down her back to her waist. Her red hair against the grey rocks and green water was visually stunning. The perfect photo. I actually could have laughed if I hadn’t been about to vomit with envy.
The water was too cold for Goobie so he had fun climbing over the massive tree roots and finding ‘fairy chairs’ to sit on. After the solitude of the Myllomeris Nature Trail, the crowd of fellow visitors (who’d come by car) was disconcerting in such a small space and ruined the atmosphere a bit – but we were visiting it during the peak season so we were never going to have it to ourselves.
After a snack, we headed back the way we’d come. I prefer circular trails where you don’t have to retrace your steps, but Goobie’s game of Hide and Seek en-route kept things fun. It involved:
Visiting the Myllomeris Waterfalls and Nature Trail was a fun, peaceful three hours. It sated our need for green and provided relief from the heat – before we returned to our hot coastal home in the blue.
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