Aegean Coast And Lakes Ride

Day 1
Fethiye is an attractive coastal city known for its beautiful bay and as the site of the ancient city of Telmesos, one of the most important cities of Lycia.

Day 2
From Fethiye we transfer by vehicle to Tuzla Beli, at an altitude of approx. 1440 m. The start of the ride is largely downhill until we reach Kirazli Yayli, a farming area. Our morning ride is approx. 21 km, and we take lunch at the trout farm at Cameli where we will see our meal in its natural environment. After lunch we cycle mostly downhill and flat roads to Gölhisar Lake, altitude approx. 990m. Transfer to Açipayam (approx 50km). Total riding approx 66km.

Day 3
Transfer to the shores of Salda Lake from where we cycle to caravanserai in Cardak, passing the dam and Kuragöl Lake. We then have the opportunity to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site, Pamukkale - 'Cotton Castle'. People have flocked here to bathe in the hot springs for centuries and benefit from their healing properties. The ancient Greek city of Hieropolis was built here for this purpose. An impressive natural phenomenon, the white outcrop of travertine stands 160m high, with water cascading down the natural terraces of carbonate minerals.
Total riding for the day is approx. 57 km. Overnight hotel.

Day 4
Transfer by vehicle to Bozdag village. This is our longest transfer, and takes approximately 3.5 hours. From here we take a climb of approx. 5 km from where it's downhill to Gölcuk Lake for a lunch of Turkish pancakes (Gozleme) (alt. 1,050m). After lunch we carry on downhill all the way to Tire to meet our transfer to Selcuk. Total riding for the day is approx. 70 km. Overnight hotel.

Day 5
In the morning there is a visit to the famous site of Ephesus (entrance payable locally) - at its zenith in the 2nd Century, it had a population of 300,000 and was dedicated to the goddess Artemis. Her temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world until an arsonist destroyed it. Unfortunately, excavations at the temple have been prevented by the high local water table. The New Testament gives a stirring account of St. Paul's attempt to preach Christianity in the theatre here, which seats around 24,000 people and is situated at the head of a main street of Ephesus, known as the 'Arcadian'. This 550m long and 11m wide street of marble was built in about 400 BC, in honour of Emperor Arcadius, with a colonnade of shops on either side. It is possible to organise a guide for this for a small fee. We then have a 35 minute transfer by vehicle to Söke where we start our day's ride. The undulating journey to Lake Bafa is on a generally good asphalt road. There are some uphill stretches which do not exceed 5km. Total riding for the day is approx 60km. Overnight pension.

Day 6
We begin with a transfer (2hrs) to Ula, from where we ride to Koyegiz Lake, the route being mixed up and down hill through shaded pine forests, including our biggest climb of 7km, and lunch in a village house. We finish at Sultaniye and may have time for swimming in the Lake, before boarding the boat with our bikes and heading down the Dalyan River to the town of Dalyan. A final ride takes us the last short distance to our hotel. Total riding for the day is approx. 57km. Overnight hotel.

Day 7
Dalyan is perhaps best known for its archaeological remains, such as the ancient city of Kaunos and for Iztuzu Beach, an area protected at certain times of year as it is a breeding ground for loggerhead turtles. Today is free for time on the beach, a Turkish bath, taking a boat ride or just relaxing by the pool. Overnight hotel.

Day 8
Transfer to Dalaman, fly to London