At first all seemed ok. I had driven the track years ago, when the reservoir had been much lower, so knew it was possible. Also, there were plenty of tyre tracks, so I felt ok. I noticed however, that it was quite muddy, so I drove slightly to the right of the main track, through an overgrown area.

This got me close to the stream itself (it is actually called the Stavros tis Psokas River). However, there was a fair amount of water flowing and I didn't feel comfortable attempting it. So I turned round to head back the way I came. I didn't like the thought of driving back over the hidden rocks, so this time thought I would drive the other side of the main track instead. I didn't get far. Very soon, my front wheels were spinning round and round, and the back ones immediately joined in to keep them company. Now, I was driving a Jeep Cherokee, so I figured I would be ok. However, on getting out of the car it was clear that it was now effectively resting on its belly. The wheels weren't getting any grip because the central area underneath the car was preventing them from gaining traction.

Had I planned to do a route like this I would have come a bit more prepared, and packed at least a shovel and a tow rope. But this valley crossing had been done on a whim, as we looked for a suitable place for a picnic. I did however have a small pick-axe, which I have used in the past on similar occasions. I spent the next two hours digging under the car to give it room to manoeuvre. In this time a couple of people drove past nearby, but were unable to help due to a lack of toe-rope.

After a while a chap called Tommy appeared next to us in his own 4x4, and offered to help. Neither of us had a tow rope, so he volunteered to drive to meet his friend - in Peyia - where he collected some suitable tools. This was a profound relief, as my digging had only succeeded in covering me with mud. I had reached the water level of the reservoir, and it was pointless digging any further, as it was all clay. I was amazed that he was willing to drive that distance though, as it was a round trip of over an hour.

Tommy returned with tow rope, and eventually hauled us out, only for the car to sink again. Not to be defeated he left to drive around for a bit on solid road. This was to get the mud off his own wheels. One car stuck is bad enough. Two would be ridiculous!

A while later, Tommy returned, closely followed by a tractor. In the meantime, I had cleared the areas around the wheels from mud. They attached the tow-rope to the tractor, and it had my car out in a jiffy. The tractor escorted us back to the road, and the driver wouldn't take anything by way of thanks. I cannot say how much of a favour I owe him though!

And Tommy's generosity didn't stop there. My car had picked up a puncture in all the kerfuffle, so he drove us back to Polemi. It turns out he knew our neighbours, Paul and Natalie, who run one of the local Supermarkets in the village. Tommy renovates buildings, and is working on a number in Polemi at the moment. Whenever he needs to advertise him he will get free publicity on our website, I can assure him. I cannot thank him enough for his help.

I returned in the morning, to sort out the car, and took some more pictures. There are much, much worse places to get stuck, it has to be said. However, I was very glad to be out of the quagmire. I won't be doing any routes like that again.

This is one of the things I love about Cyprus though. People are so friendly and helpful here. It is a great place to live.