It was the recent visit to Foinikas that piqued my interest. Prior to 2019, the reservoir was very low, and you could drive all over the basin. There was a bridge near the middle. That had been submerged since the great rains of 2018/2019 (and they were pretty magnificent). This was a shame, as the easiest way to get to Foinikas is via the bridge, if conditions permit.

When I made my latest film on Foinikas, I mentioned that the waters weren't that low because the bridge was still unavailable. But I was wrong. A bit of investigation revealed that it was now once again exposed. This had all happened very suddenly. A couple of months ago it was still mostly submerged. So an awful lot of water had been consumed in the summer of 2024.

By the way, if you do come to Foinikas via the Water Treatment Plant, I would take the track that runs parallel to the bridge, rather than cross the bridge itself, as it looks a bit unstable.

So, it is clear that a lot of water has been used this year. More importantly though, we have had very little rain. On the next page we will look at the numerical data. First though, here's another comparison from the top of the dam. This is the view now.

And this is the same location back in 2020/2021. That wasn't the wettest winter we had. No, that honour goes to 2019. But prior to 2019 it had been very, very dry. Remember that shot from 2016? Consequently, a lot of the rainfall would have soaked into the land, and the reservoir would have been topped up from nearly empty. A year later, there was much less topping up required, and a lot more excess water, hence the spectacle we saw.

Now let's turn our attention to Kouris. This is the biggest reservoir in Cyprus (Asprokremmos being the second). You will find this just to the north of Limassol. The abandoned ranch we recently featured is nearby, so all in all it makes a nice outing if you fancy a bit of adventure.