Karia Yolu / Carian Trail, Gökova section: Akyaka-Ören, Beçin-Bozalan, Bozalan-Bodrum (20-26/04/2019)

In short: exceedingly varied combination of two (one partial) sections of the Carian Trail, a combination of paths and tracks passing through pine forests, olive groves, little highland villages, impressive coastal cliffs, deserted beaches.

HIKING PLAN
- The 6,5-day hike started with 2,5 days trekking on the eastern half of the Carian Trail's Gökova ("Ceramic Gulf") section, from Akyaka to Ören, which I didn't record (Akyaka is easily reachable from Muğla, with two minibuses an hour). This part (about 50km) involves stunning cliffs of 800 meters high and consequently quite a lot of going up and down. Breathtaking seascapes. Nothing overly strenuous. The waymarking is consistently good.
- From Ören I took a bus to Milas (every half hour in the morning and afternoon, every hour between 11am and 3pm, cf. https://www.mugla.bel.tr/otobussefersaatleri), asked to be dropped in Beçin, and did the southward stretch of the Carian Trail's Hinterland section, thus completing this section which I hiked last year from Milas to Karpuzlu. I never recorded that track, but would passionately recommend it to anyone who is used to camping (very few accomodation options) and has an interest in old stones and antiquity (the trail passes the sites of Labranda, Latmos - two sites, in fact, one hidden - and Alinda, and throws in two Byzantine monasteries and neolithic rock paintings for good measure; it's astoundingly rich).
- Compared to such wealth, which also includes the landscape marvels of Lake Bafa and Latmos mountain, the stretch from Milas southwards is slightly less rich and rewarding; nevertheless thoroughly enjoyable. The ruins of the medieval town of Beçin, 5km south of Milas, are very much worth a visit. Between the villages of Gökçeler and Karacahisar the trail passes the spectacular canyon of Uykular Vadisi, which is not mentioned at all in my English-language guide of the Carian Trail: could this be a recently added alternative? The sometimes slightly overgrown path follows the course of a waterpipe and involves two barefoot crossings of the river. The first one is easy, the second one not so much. Crossing was out of the question at the indicated spot, where the water tumbled 1 meter down, with a strong current (maybe it's possible later in the season?). I tried my luck a few meters more upstream, where the water is calm, but completely underestimated the depth of the water. Trousers off before you enter the stream!
- Between Beçin and Bozalan the waymarking is a bit patchy at times. The stretch between Fesleğen and Bozalan is a joy; beautiful descent to Bozalan.
- The western half of the Gökova section was a bit disappointing at first, with the seaside around Hurma not entirely unspoilt (only small pansiyonlar however, nothing on big resort scale), but from Çakıllıyalı on the trail follows a stunningly isolated, wild shoreline, without villages and almost unaccessible by car. At the ruins of Kissebükü the Bodrum Archaeological Museum is currently excavating the remains of the Roman-Byzantine port of Anastasiopolis.
- After seven days of living as a mountain goat, brace yourself for the arrival in Bodrum. Hell on earth, already in April. I felt smothered in a surge of imminent misanthropy a soon as I set foot in it (but then that might be my particular inclination). Stay in the hills above the city for as long as you can! The views are superb from up there.

PRACTICALITIES
- Don't go without a GPS. On some stretches you won't need it, but on some crucial points you can't rely on the waymarking.
- For anyone familiar with the Turkish countryside, there are disappointingly few "çeşmeler" (public fountains) to be found along this part of the Carian Trail. There are enough villages, however, where you can obtain water, either by asking the inhabitants or by buying it at the "bakkal". Make sure to load up enough water for the stretch between Çakıllıyalı and Çiftlik (the penultimate day if you're hiking the Gökova stretch from east to west), since there is nothing to be found on the trail. I would say 2,5 liters is a somewhat uncomfortable minimum in hot weather for that part.
- You can stock up on food supplies in the small village shops, if you don't mind their limited and largely inadequate offer. I prefer to take as much hikers' food as I can pack (dried fruits, nuts, muesli etc.), but that's an entirely personal preference.
- Flat camping spots are not too hard to find; however, the soil is unvariably very stony, and it might not always be possible to fasten your tent pegs securely in it. Don't wait for the last moment to search for an adequate spot. (On the coast there were some pensions, but I have no idea whether they were working or not, at the end of April.)
- I crossed a few fellow hikers on the eastern part of the Gökova section, but then it was a multi-day public holiday. Seeing the lack of surprise or astonishment of the villagers, in general, I would say the trail is fairly well trodden, but thus far, fortunately, very much unspoilt. Don't undertake this hike if you have no experience with long-distance hiking, with wild camping, with navigation, with carrying weight, with craving to be really disconnected from the world. I for one would be very happy if this didn't become a new Lycian Way, with every village catering for the (relatively) luxurious needs of some (not necessarily) unexperienced hikers (who needs hot showers, wifi, gözleme, three-course meals, swimming pools, cold beers, when it is such an overwhelming joy to dispense with all that for a few days???). (I mean: let there be trails with all the above-mentioned readily dispensable, to everyone his taste and preferences, after all; let just not every trail become like that, for heaven's (and my) sake.)
- Don't hesitate to hike as a woman alone, if this is your wish. Nothing as sad as to see one's freedom crippled by unjustified, socially fuelled fears. This being said, you can count on meeting mostly head-shaking villagers who share the same fears and will not understand why you are doing this alone. Not being able to breach this gulf between two so fundamentally different world and gender visions is of course a bit sad, too.
- Don't forget swimwear - although actually you don't have to bother taking it, there will be nothing but you, the sea, the stones and the sun between Çakıllıyalı and Çiftlik. Even for me, who isn't particularly keen on seabathing, the string of deserted pebble beaches looking out over the Datça peninsula was pure bliss. It must be extremely rewarding for real sea-lovers.
- Reading recommendation: Azra Erhat, Mavi yolculuk; Halikarnas Balıkçısı, Mavi sürgün.
- Check out the website of the Carian Trail for up to date practical information: http://www.cariantrail.com/, http://kariayolu.com/