So here we are again, in a second lockdown. Allowed out twice a day for essential shopping and exercise. We live in the Limassol district and have sought out remote trails in the countryside for family walks. Our favourite so far has been the Genesis Aphrodite’s trail on the clifftops of Pissouri, which we found thanks to our new love of geocaching.
The Genesis Aphrodite’s trail is a linear 4.5km walk from 28 Octovriou Street in Pissouri to the dog beach near Aphrodite’s Rock. There and back is 9km across hills – too far for three-year-old Herc. So we walked half of it then continued on a circular trail around a gorgeous plateau. 5km in total. There were eight geocaches to find on this trail which kept everyone interested.
We parked at 28 Octovriou Street and followed the track up and across a hilltop plateau. We passed a few docile horses roaming freely next to a goat farm.
The western side of the plateau ended abruptly at a stunning vista. A valley twisted towards the sea, criss-crossed with tracks inviting us to explore them. In the distance the Mediterranean was a line of deep blue running behind the hills.
The trail led southwards across the plateau and Goobie and Herc ran ahead, kicking stones like they were footballs. If only we’d brought a ball, I thought. And there in a bush to my side I spotted a bashed-up football! We named it Bork – the ball we were taking for a walk.
Goobie searched for geocaches as we walked, finding little containers under rocks, in ruins and beneath benches. We signed the log paper inside to show we’d found them and replaced the cache in exactly the same spot.
The trail twisted around the side of the plateau and opened onto a GORGEOUS landscape. In front of us was another plateau, connected to the one we were on by a land bridge. On both sides of the bridge the land fell away into deep valleys.
We crossed the land bridge and walked onto the next plateau. This was where we deviated from the Genesis Aphrodite’s trail – we followed a circular trail around the top of the plateau instead of continuing down towards the dog beach.
In the distance a taller plateau beckoned us on. Another time.
There were a few larger ruins on this plateau; rocks pilled one on top of the other without mortar holding them together. Doorways were built from large planks of wood. They were unlike the ancient ruins we’ve seen elsewhere on the island, leading me to think that they were old farm buildings built to house livestock.
The southern side of the circular trail reached the edge of white cliffs that overlooked a balmy, sun-kissed sea. We found a grassy patch and sat down on boulders for a snack and a drink. Apart from our wrestling children, it was a place of utter tranquility, the sea totally still beneath us.
The east of the circular trail held a very special surprise. Exquisite views of Cape Aspro; the cliffs gleaming Persil-white in the sun. Lilliputian goats were dark silhouettes on the outcrops around it.
As we completed the circular trail, Herc and Goobie spotted some climbable carob trees in the centre of the plateau, their trunks twisted with age. Matt and I followed them, walking through hundreds of purple and pink anemones.
We sat in the shade of the tree and drank tea while Goobie and Herc played in the branches above.
We retraced our route across the land bridge, up onto the neighbouring plateau and down the track to the car. By this time the trail was becoming surprisingly busy with other families enjoying similar walks. Despite this, the trail was so open that social distancing wasn’t a problem.
One day we will return, climb Mystic Hill and continue along the Genesis Aphrodite’s trail to the dog beach – where another geocache is waiting to be found. But for now, walking in the sunshine across Pissouri’s beautiful clifftops provided the perfect tonic to a chaotic, pandemic-ridden world. Filling us up with optimism, joy and a deep, deep gratitude for this island, our home.
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