9th. Oct. Selimiye to Selale to Hisaronu to Datca. Trail 14k. 4hrs 40mins. ~1500ft vertical. Total nearer 22k by foot and an 8 hour day.

Wonders, the dolmus arrived dead on time, 10am and took me to the start of the hike at Selale. While there was some flowing water, the stream looked pretty tired and the trees dusty so I did not linger. 

I was soon walking down a pleasant shady country lane enjoying a peaceful cool morning. 

After 1/2 an hour there was a little detour to see a nice tomb, 

Inside tomb

then back to the road and on into the village of Turgot. Pausing before entering the village I noticed that I had missed a large loop of the trail up to Hydas. Ah well, I didn’t feel much like a 2 hr scramble away, beside I now had a chance of completing the stage if I wanted too.  So on thru the village where two mobile veg and fruit shops were doing good business from the back of their vans. Back on trail again and on to the next village. The village lane ended up back at the main road and then took the direct route over a ridge while the main road had to go a long way round. A nice trail up the ridge. 

Not too steep under sweet smelling pine trees, then down the other side, rejoin the main road for the rest of the way into Orthaniye and its bay. 

Interesting sand spit had Sunday trippers exploring it.

Stopped for a light lunch and research, stay or try and finish the section. No sign of the suggested accomodation, besides its only 12.45, so let’s move on. Two hundred meters on I pass the accomodation. Looks nice but decision is made.

More road walking, which turns into lane, then a track and then a path leading up into the pines again. At a major bee keeping clearence I met a forestry road which takes me to the crest. It is on this section I get a text from Altay saying he will be in Dayca tonight if we want to meet up. I would like to so now have a timeline to worry about. From the end of the trail it is about 3 k to the main Marmaris to Datch road, busses go every hour ? , trip takes about an hour, then I have to find the campsite he says he is at! Doable but no daudling. Ok on to the crest and  up into the ruins of Kastabos. 

Over some nice supporting walls into a complete jumble of fallen blocks – earthquake? Blocks are impressively smooth. None of the promised view, all the surrounding vegetation has grown too tall. There is the possibility of clambering up a rock to see over the veg but not being Colin I decide against it. Ok now how to get back to modern civilization. I can not find another trail out of the ruins so finally decide I have to go back the way I came. Smart aren’t I.  Sure enough I find a lower branch to the trail descending, as advertised, through an olive grove. The olive grove hides the remains of a theatre its rows of seats just making themselves visible in the low scrub.

Then on down again. No forestry track this time but an overgrown path which occasionally disappears into the very scratchy undergrowth. Still I manage to keep refunding it and make my way fairly rapidly back down the hill. I eventually rejoin the forestry road. It is lined with bee hives. 

I get stung in short order, and spend the rest of the descent giving them as wide a birth as possible.

Suddenly it is over and I am on a main road I the back of the village. A 3k hike to the main road is fairly rapidly dispatched, stopping only to buy and consume a litre of peach juice at the only market open along the way. On reaching the main road I am told a bus will be along in 10 minutes and sure enough it appears as forecast. 1 hr air conditioned bus trip to Datca ensues.

Altays instructions on how to find this place “climbing Datca camping” are somewhat vague and it is not showing up on any Google search so I take his other advice and take a taxi from the bus terminal. Only problem, they don’t know where it is either! I give would be helpful taxi driver Altays phone number, instructions are translated and off we go into the wilderness. And here I am, in a campsite 2 k down the trail. Not so bad, they are permanent yurt style tents with wooden floors and beds with mattresses. There is a communal cooking area and toilets and showers. 

Also there is an attached house with pool where Altay and girl friend are staying for a week ( I need not have hurried). Shower. Long chat. They feed me. Then bed. Whew.