Paphos Life Road Trip #1

This building I am not sure about. It might not be abandoned, but the garden has certainly seen better days. However, I won’t be attempting to get inside, as it may still be lived in. Bear in mind also, that some properties may only be inhabited at certain times of year, during the hunting season, for instance.
Oh one other thing, when driving through Statos, stick to the main road. If you want to explore a side road, park and walk. A lot of the tracks deteriorate quite quickly, or send you down farm tracks you might not be able to get back up again in your car. So park in one of the numerous laybys instead.

For Sale

This house actually has a For Sale sign on it. I think it may have been forgotten about now though, but I am not going to take any chances.
Ruins

These ones, however, are obviously abandoned, so feel free to explore them at your leisure. I do recommend long trousers and a decent pair of walking boots though. There is always a risk of snakes in Cyprus, but more importantly than that, some of the vegetation will attack on sight. Long trousers will save many scratches, so bring a pair with you, and change into them if you want to get really adventurous.
Take Care...

Be careful when you explore though. Some of the buildings are unstable now, and you wouldn’t want to nut yourself by dislodging one of those rocks. Also, Statos is built into the side of a hill – hence the fear of landslides I guess – and the floors in the buildings by the side of the road on your right may well have floors below them. At least one house has a gaping hole in the floor which would catch you unawares if you dashed into it. Explore at your own risk!
Church Vista

While you explore you may have noticed a church spire. There is actually a church in the village, which is still used occasionally. You will have fun trying to find it though. You need to find a turning to your right (do not drive down it) that looks like this. You then walk down this road which veers right. Somebody may well have parked a van here. Don’t worry about that. Just keep to the road and you will soon arrive at the church.
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Abandoned Villages - Agios Fotios
Given that I wrote a blog about Statos last week, it would be unfair of me not to cover its close neighbour, Agios Fotios. Their histories are intertwined, as they were both abandoned for the same reason. Indeed, they merged to form a new, single town, called Statos Agios - Fotios. So what was left behind...
Cyprus Road Trip #2: Paphos - Coast to Coast
It's time for another road trip! This time we are going Coast to Coast, from Paphos, to Agios Georgios, and across the island to Latsi and the Baths of Aphrodite. We are also stopping at lots of fun locations on the way, so buckle your seatbelts and let's get started!
From Pentalia to Polemi
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Statos is unusual, as abandoned villages go. People deserted it not because of inter-communal fighting, but because of the threat of landslides. And then, no sooner had they emptied, some of the abandoned buildings were repopulated. Were villagers returning, or had outsiders moved in, prepared to take the risk of landslide?
Letymbou
Over the last few months, we have blogged about a number of abandoned villages in the Paphos region. As the summer holidays are approaching we thought it would be nice to change the focus to the non-abandoned villages. First up is Letymbou. We chose this first because on a recent forum discussion somebody mentioned that Letymbou was famous for having TEN churches. We felt that needed investigation, as we had only ever seen two on our travels.
Stroumpi Murals
If you drive along the B7 from Paphos to Polis, you will eventually hit Stroumpi. It is about midway between the two towns, and nestled on the Paphos Hills. If you look to your right as you ascend the hill, you will notice some lovely murals adorning the walls. In due course, I will write a blog on the whole of Stroumpi, but today, I just want to concentrate on these murals...Good Pages To Visit

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eBookCyprus Road Trip 01: the Kathikas - Panagia Loop
Let me take you on a journey around the region of Paphos, Cyprus. Starting at Paphos itself, we travel to Akoursos, then Kathikas, Kritou Terra and Simou. We continue past Lasa and Kannaviou, before taking in the delights of Panagia. Getting a bit more adventurous, we visit the abandoned villages of Statos and Agios Fotios, before passing through Choulou, Letymbou and Polemi, and rejoining the main Paphos - Polis road.
The route is suitable for all types of vehicle, and requires no off-roading. The guide contains about 130 photographs including shots of all the road signs you need to pay attention to, as well as some of the highlights you may experience along the way.
There are also several maps which will help you keep your bearings.
You can do this journey in a day, or you can break it up into chunks. You can also do it in reverse, to get some completely different views. It is entirely up to you.
