From Vretsia to Kelefos Bridge
Typical Tracks
The locals have done well in improving the quality of the roads in the forest. This one is a fairly typical indication of how smooth most of them are now. In winter time, you need to be a lot more careful however, as mud-filled pot holes will soon appear.
Typical Scenery
It is very tempting when you round a bend to want to get out and photograph the scenery. The photos very rarely do the scene justice though. Nothing beats actually being there and experiencing it first hand.
A Modern Bridge
This bridge is fairly new. When you get here, you have effectively arrived at Roudia Bridge, so continue for about 50 metres, then take the right hand turn and come back on yourself. You will find plenty of space to park.
Incidentally, if you are wondering why the picture looks a bit "fish-eye" it is because it is a still from the GoPro I had stuck to the window. If you are interested in Dashcams, there are currently two threads on them in the General section of the forum.
Roudia Bridge!
Roudia Bridge will get it's own blog, so I will say no more about it for now.
Take the Low Road
Once you are done exploring Roudia Bridge, rejoin the main route to Pera Vasa. Fairly soon you will come to this junction. Up until a few years ago, we would always go right here. We even saw a couple of Muoflons up there once. However, a couple of years ago, they plonked a ranch there, so this is now a no-go area. So make sure you take the left hand lane.
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Related Blogs:
Abandoned Villages - Vretsia
Cyprus has more than it's fair share of abandoned villages. The troubles caused the displacement of both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.The environment itself has caused other villages to be abandoned for reasons of safety. Whatever the reason, the abandonment caused emotional pain and suffering to the affected people. So is it right to right a series of blog articles on them? I thought about this for a while, but decided that yes it was. Cyprus is a land built on antiquities, and these villages are just the latest example. I had no problem blogging about a Necropolis after all. However, some of these villages, and especially Ventris, do still get visits from the displaced families. So if you do decide to visit these places on the strength of these articles, please bear that in mind, and treat them with respect. The urban exploring motto "take only pictures, leave only footprints..." nicely sums it up.
Vretsia Tavern
We recently did a blog on the abandoned village Vretsia. Until recently, a tavern still operated there. Unfortunately, last summer it appears to have burnt down. It is now a very eerie place to visit...
Roudia Bridge
Now that we have covered the route from Vretsia to Kelefos, let's return to the subject of Venetian Bridges. This time, we will feature Roudia Bridge. For years this eluded us, as we drove past it without realising it was there. With the help of the previous blog, you should now be able to locate it and know where to park the car. So let's take a look at the bridge itself...
Kelefos Bridge
Kelefos Bridge is probably the most well-known of all the Venetian Bridges in Cyprus, for good reasons. It features on the UK TV holiday adverts for Cyprus, showing a couple cycling over it on an afternoon ride. In reality, you won't find any cyclists here, but you will find a bridge full of charm, and surrounding countryside to match...
Chantara Falls
This waterfall, tucked in the woods behind the mountain village of Foini, has long been a favourite of ours. You can either pay it a quick visit, and have a paddle in the lower falls, or, if you are a bit more adventurous, you can climb the steps to the upper falls, and take a dip. The really adventurous can go beyond that, and have a stream-hopping adventure through the ancient woodland...
Playing With The Vretsia Donkeys
We meet any number of animals when we are out on our travels. On the last bank holiday, we thought we would pay some of them another visit, so we packed a picnic and headed off to Vretsia, to say hello to the donkeys...Related Pages
360 PanoramaRoudia Nature Trail
Roudia Bridge also has a small nature trail which starts on it's top. If you follow it through the rocks you can see fine examples of pillow lava, and interesting crystals. Not to mention some stunning views at the top.
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.
