As I said previously, when wet, gypsum in soil can take on the appearance of ice. It is impossible to get a grip. I had no end of trouble reversing out of the pool. Even in 4 wheel drive mode, there was constant wheelspin and the car lurched from side to side all the time. You can see from this picture how much my jeep had thrashed about in the undergrowth while trying to get out. I knew that there was a small plateau just behind me. I could turn round there, but getting to it was nigh on impossible. The engine even overheated at one point, which was when I took this picture. I was giving it time to cool off. I couldn't phone my wife, as my phone was just about out of juice, and she wouldn't have been able to help anyway. I waited for a while for the engine to cool a bit, then had another go. I eventually slid enough to make it to the plateau, and turned around. Even then, I had a bit of a struggle retreating up the hill.

If it hadn't been for all the grass growing on the track, I doubt I could have gotten the car out of there. It was such a relief to re-emerge on the Kathikas to Stroumbi road. I remembered an important rule on this trip though, and won't be doing any more exploring down roads without fully checking where they end up!

I had encountered the road surface before, on a hill overlooking the Ezousa Valley. In that instance there was no grass, and I was unable to go up the hill. Instead I had to follow the track down, in reverse. I think that trip haunts my wife to this day. She was outside the car, guiding me over the gulleys in the middle of the washed out road. At one point my car was balanced on three wheels, swaying from side to side. She leaned in and got her phone. She was afraid the car would go over the cliff and wanted it in case she had to phone for help.

At least in my latest adventure there was no cliff to worry about.

When dilemmas like that occur, I don't tend to take too many pictures, or do any filming. I am too busy concentrating on getting out. So here are a few extra pictures I took the other day from one of the viewpoints on the Kathikas to Peyia road.

This erosion always fascinates me. You would think it would be almost fluid in nature, but if you examine those lines up close, they are actually fairly solid. You can compare pictures taken years apart and they will look identical.

It is a very pretty time of year to explore Cyprus. I will return to that gorge later in the year for closer look, but I won't be going all the way down that particular road again.