The Xeros Valley
Foinikas
We've written a lot of articles on Foinikas. We've shown you it in Winter, Spring, Summer and the Autumn. We've driven through it, flown the drone over it, and even climbed up the rocks nearby to view it from the top of the valley. So which one should we use to showcase this popular and historical abandoned village, which lies on the banks of the Asprokremmos Reservoir?
Fortunately we have also produced a virtual tour of the area, which includes a summary of all the articles. So to find out more about the village, start here:
Foinikas Hills
Before we progress further up the Xeros Valley, I want to take you to the hills above Foinikas, purely because it is one of my favourite places in Cyprus. If you want to make the journey yourself, you should either prepare for a very bumpy ride, or a long walk. So instead, why not just enjoy our pictures. There are also some nice closeups of the local flora and fauna.
Choletria
No sooner do we tear ourselves away from Foinikas than we meet another abandoned village, up by the river that spans the valley. Old Choletria was a victim of a big earthquake in the Fifties. And after subsequent landslides in the Sixties, the villagers were moved to a new village on more stable ground. These days there are still a few buildings that are inhabited, and if anything the area looks like its population is growing once again.
Sinti Monastery
From the main bridge by Old Choletria, the journey up the Xeros Valley turns into an off-road odyssey. We cover that in some detail with a few articles that will appear later in this series. However, I want to mention individual locations along the way first.
Sinti Monastery is a lovely old place, full of atmosphere. It reminds me of the monastery that features in the old computer game "Clive Barker's Undying". Very few people will know what I am referring to, but I will mention it anyway.
Getting to Sinti Monastey from along the Xeros Valley is fairly straightforward, providing it hasn't been raining a lot. If it has, all bets are off. If however you don't fancy doing any off-roading then you can drive there from Pentalia. There is a map explaining this in the article. It is well worth a read, as the place is fantastic.
The Murals of Agios Nikolaos
After Sinti Monastery we continue up the valley for a short while until we reach what passes for a bridge spanning the Xeros. During the winter rains it is often a washout, but for most of the year it is a fairly sedate ford. Soon we will continue upstream, towards Paphos Forest, but first I want to take you on a slight diversion to see some amazing ancient murals in a lovely old chapel.
To enjoy the murals properly you may want to bring a torch. For a link to the article with more information on the chapel, see the comments.
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Related Blogs:
Cyprus Roadtrips 3 and 4
Finally, after years in the making - thanks to COVID - we are proud to bring you our third and fourth Road Trip eBooks on Cyprus. In these two outings we take you to the North Coast of Paphos and Nicosia, from Polis all the way to Kato Pyrgos. In this article we give you a taste of what you can expect to find along the way.
Is this the Oldest Olive Tree in Cyprus?
We were out exploring in the Akamas the other day, and we came across this lovely old Olive Tree. I can't help wondering how long it has stood here...Related Pages
MapThe Xeros Valley
The Xeros Valley should be the goto destination for anybody who wants to experience off-roading in Cyprus without running the gauntlet of assorted buggies and ATVs you find on the Akamas in mid-summer. This article is a summary of the recent Facebook journey we made up it, from the sea to Paphos Forest.
Good Pages To Visit
FB PagePaphos Life on Facebook
Like us on Facebook and stay notified of new blog posts.
FB PageOur Facebook Chat Group
Paphos Chat has been created for people who like our site and want to chat using Facebook. You can also easily upload photos of any size here. A lot of people are members of the Facebook chat group and the main forum. It's entirely up to you.
ListBlog Locations
Planning a day out? Then use our map of blog locations as a handy guide. Some of the places we visit our closer to each other than you might think, so take a look and start planning your next adventure...
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.
