Cyprus E4 European Long Distance Walk: Part 3 Machairas, Delikipos and Stavrovouni forests

This track follows the E4 European Long Distance Walk across Cyprus as walked by myself in 2019. I have split the total route into four, this section covers the Machairas, Delikipos and Stavrovouni forests, from the village of Lazania to the Stavrovouni monastery. For my complete trek on the E4 read my book "Six Pairs of Boots: Spain to Cyprus on the E4 Trail" by John Pucknell available from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, the Bookdepository.com, lehmanns.de, bookspot.nl, and other good online bookstores.

Leaving Lazania with its old houses and streets, the path goes down to the bottom of a valley and then up the other side to the Machairas monastery. The subsequent path heads towards a radar "golf ball" over some rocky ground, before turning off down to the Kionia picnic site. A scenic path follows down a gorge and then along a ridge to the Profitis Ilias picnic site with its adjoining monastery, no longer in use. Continuing along the trail, the E4 touches the edge of Lythrodontas; I diverted to visit the centre of this village for a coffee and to pick up supplies.

A little way after the village I took an E4 option that climbs up to a summit giving excellent views. The E4 route I had obtained from my research was then disrupted by some earth moving operations close to a military area. I followed an alternative track which is recorded in this GPS trail which led me into an area where they were exercising with large miltary vehicles. While I was not stopped by the soldiers (I was careful not to photograph anything), a subsequent sign indicated that parts of the E4 had been diverted. I have used waymarks to show where I believe the diversion to be. Ploughed fields and the villages of Delikipos and Kornos followed before I climbed through scrub to the Stavrovouni monastery.

More details can be found in my blog https://johnpone4cyprus.blogspot.com/2019/10/cyprus-e4-panagia-picnic-site-to-profit.html . The preceding GPS track across the Trodos mountains can be found here https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/cyprus-e4-european-long-distance-walk-part-2-across-the-troodos-mountains-42654554 . The final part of the E4's route across Cyprus can be found at https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/cyprus-e4-european-long-distance-walk-part-4-stavrovouni-monastery-to-larnaca-airport-42734314 .