Archimandrita Bridge
There are a number of Venetian Bridges dotted around Cyprus, dating from the middle ages. We've already visited some of the most popular one (Kelefos, Roudia and Skarfos etc) but while we were researching the village of Archimandrita, we heard reference of a nearby Venetian Bridge that had previously escaped our radar. So naturally we had to find it...
Well Hidden
The first thing we should say is that it took us quite a while to locate where the bridge actually was. We figured that it was in the valley to the East of Archimandrita, so started hunting for it at the abandoned village of Kato Archimandrita. On the opposite side of the river (dried up) that runs through it, is an old trail that heads towards the newer village. We travelled down that for a while but it peters out in the middle of a wood.
The Right Track
So we tried approaching Archimandrita and, instead of turning right at the water tank, taking the next turning. This presents a whole host of possible bridge locations, and we used a process of elimination. Eventually we found the bridge, fairly close to Kato Archimandrita. Now that we know where it is, it turns out it is easy to get to from the Kato Archimandrita track. There is a link to a map at the foot of this blog that shows you where it is.
Flood Control
Don't worry, this isn't the bridge. This is next to it, where we parked the car. This scene must look somewhat different in the winter time, during the rains. It would be worth a trip in February to see what this looks like. I imagine it will be a bit harder to reach, as the roads get quite treacherous in the rain.
The Bridge!
And here is the bridge. You cannot see much of it from here due to the undergrowth.
You can see why this bridge would be difficult to spot from a distance.