Salamis and Famagusta

Posted on March 1, 2026 by Clunegapyears

28.02.26

We left our Kyrenia apartment of four nights and drove to a mountain village, which was described as pretty. Pretty dead! A closed church. No open cafe, but a supermarket. Didn’t buy 70cl of Gordons as have sufficient, but tempting at €11.

*Spotted these, I would have liked to add to my bone collection*

The whole of the north and east coasts are being ruined. Mass tasteless construction. Huge hotel / spa / casino /golf courses. High rises and ‘community lifestyle’ holiday villages. Apparently, the Russians and folk from the Middle East are invading / investing. Could hardly spot the rugged coastline. Once the flat land is full, they will start on the foothills.

The economy is closely linked to Turkey and bouyed up by Ankara. When we in Turkey last summer / Autumn, we knew the economy had got significantly weaker. Inflation ’25 was 30% in Turkey. In TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus), inflation was 40%. To put that into perspective, the next closest high inflation was Romania at 8%. By absolute contrast, the Republic of Cyprus was the lowest of the Europe tables at 0.1%. I wonder how the construction companies are budgeting! Let alone families.

We enjoyed Salamis … dates back well before the Romans -C11 BC. But most of what you can see is Roman. It was shifting sands and in 1878 the British decided to forest the area … but the huge site was discovered. Several major excavations since, but we felt there is a lot more to reveal.

*Huge site, so it became a 4.7km walk with interesting way points*

*Amphitheatre: J refused to test the acoustics …*

*Basilica of Campanopetra C5 and a major pilgrimage site. At 152m, it is the longest religious complex in Cyprus*

We checked into our modern hotel in Famagusta … 9th floor . After J’s nanny nap we drove the 3.5km to Famagusta Walled City. The main road was all newish bars, cafes and tech shops.

The C15-16 Venetian walls (built over C13 ones) enclose Gothic, Venetian and Ottoman buildings. Sadly, all but the Lala Mustapha Pasha mosque, formerly the gothic St Nicholas Cathedral, is the only one with a roof. In fact, it is the only one that isn’t a complete ruin. You can see how splendid the structures must have been. But it is sad so little of them is still standing. Little information on the boards either. And the lanes housed tat shops, eateries and some houses… all concrete construction and somewhat shabby. Perhaps had the sun been shining, it would have looked better.

*The Venetian Palac*e: *little remains of the walls behind and it now houses a carpark*

*The Lala Mustapha Pasha mosque. Really is Christian gothic architecture with a minaret stuck on*

*Othello Tower, so named as Shakespeare based his play here. Spotted a Desdemona restaurant.*

*Not a huge choice of non fast food eateries open, so we ate Turkish. Nice to finally have sumac on onions, as didn’t get it once on our 3 month ’25 trip*

Kyrenia

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Clunegapyears

27.02.26

The Turkish name is Girne. Planned to be a slow day with lunch. A bit slower than expected. Kyrenia is pretty with some narrow streets and the harbour. A great castle with museums. But nowt else there.
It was blowing a hooley too.

*The chapel was accessed through a long tunnel*

*Thought J, who weighs the same as a leaf, was going to be blown off the rampar*ts

The castle museums were dusty and very old fashioned … a few Crusader costumes and finds from a Bronze age village. But a 2300 year old shipwreck was truly fascinating. Only discovered and raised in mid 1960’s. It had sailed from Kos and Rhodes, before sinking near Kyrenia with its cargo of amphora, almonds, fishing weights etc

*Unusual construction: the outside was then internally braced*

*A late Bronze age anchor that had been repurposed from a Syrian stone with hierglyph*s *of a hymn*

Lunch at Nima was very good other than a trout pout lady who talked loudly on her phone … constantly. Good value at £102 with the tip, but only 1 glass of wine for J.

Little evidence of many Northern Cypriots observing Ramadam.

And West

Posted on February 27, 2026 by Clunegapyears

26.02.26

We drove to our furthest destination… Blue House Museum. A former kitsch home of someone who MAY have been running guns during the fight against the British. It is in a military zone you normally have to show ID. Told at the well guarded gate, that it is closed for renovation. Advised not even to pause to re-route as cameras were on us!

Views over Goleti Reservoir. Built in 1989 and since expanded. Decided not to walk around it, as it looked scenically samey.

Sina Monastery ruin gave us a leg stretch as access was along a rough track. Believed to be of French origin, but a ruin already by 1882 when Lord Kitchener surveyed Cyprus. Thieves have taken anything of worth, but it still reveals what a significant place it must once have been.

*Finally seen a few ancient olive trees*

*That is Turkey mainland approx 60km. Could see snow on the mountains.*

Back down on the coast, we had a further walk along the Lapta Coastal Walkway; brain child of the local mayor.

*You can get fined one month’s wages if you talk too loudly!*

*Few sandy beaches in the north …locals used to collect salt from the rock pools*

Next stop was Karmi / Keraman. Formerly Greek Cypriot. Abandoned in 1974. The local mayor promoted redevelopment to preserve it’s pretty architecture. So no hot water tanks on roofs etc. Apparently residents are predominantly British and German ex Pats. It was pretty, but twee. I said to J that it is the sort of place where the village elders keep everyone in check. We then saw the Village Committee building! Good coffee and cake though.

We were too late to go into St Hilarion Castle … by 30 mins. But picked up 2 French students (Erasmus in Istanbul) and dropped them at Bellapais Abbey. They compared the poor quality of teaching with their French Universities. But with little contact time, they are exploring as much as they can.

*The coast either side of Kyrenia in the north, is ribbon development*

Castle & Abbey Views

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Clunegapyears

25.02.26

Buffavento Castle

We drove 6km along a single lane track to the parking. Fortunately, we didn’t see another car, soul or livestock. The castle was special as on different levels, all with different views.

*Monument to a Boeing 727 that crashed in February 1988. Fortunately only 15 on board. No survivors.*

*We headed up to the castle, just visible on the skyline*

*After the climb, we we relieved the castle w*as *open*

*Amazing views from different levels of the castle*

Bellapais Abbey

A short drive onto Bellapais Abbey. We came in the back way through narrow twisty roads. Not for the first time in N Cyprus have we been glad we are not in Jez the motorhome.

The Abbey, was not free for J, but at about €1 each and another €1 to park, it was hardly a rip off. Obviously a tourist spot … there were quite a few visitors.

*Refectory now concert venue*, *but you’d need warm layers as it was cold*

We didn’t treat ourselves to coffee by the Abbey, but drove in search of proper Turkish Chai. We passed the smart English School of Kyrenia … annual fees a snip compared to UK fees at £11,000 p.a. for years 10 & 11.

*Local cafe to our apartment… but Liptons. So disappointed*

Back at the apt, we slowly froze. The air con unit which should heat, just didn’t. On for 10 seconds, then off for 60. I messaged our host, whilst wrapped in a blanket. Before the aircon had time to complete a cycle, there was a knock at the door. Our host and English speaking grand daughter delivered an electric heater. The grand daughter attends the English School of Kyrenia.

Wine & Whisky

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Clunegapyears

24.02.26

Not the best plan to do a wine tasting at 10.00 a.m., but hadn’t been able book Sunday, or Monday as a public holiday. Healthy samples too … J stepped up.

We leaned more about the July ’25 fire. Our host pointed out where the fire was halted on the perimeter of the village. Her family lost vineyard buildings and 2/3 of their vines. The Cypriot government only financially assisted if 3/4 lost. Some EU money, but 7 years before the vineyards are productive. This small family vineyard supplied wine for charcuterie producers, wine paste coated almonds (same as seen in Georgia) and a delicious grape and sesame marmalade. Unfortunately the small jars were over 100ml so we couldn’t buy any to bring home.

*Clay plithoi from 18?? Still used for the charcuterie wine*

*The grand daughter read chemistry at Uni, then a post grad on wine in Athens. She also dances and rides a motorbike.*

A drive over the mountains to Nicosia. We did a self guided walking tour in the Greek side. Nothing special, but pleasant enough.

*Liberty monument: two resistance fighters are pulling on prison chains to release* *men women and children*

*Famagusta Gate: part of the Venetian wall defenses. Wide enough for two vehicles to pass*

*Interesting mix of architecture*, *and yellow post boxes*

*And saw the pedestrian border crossing*

Then off through the vehicle crossing for us. Supper easy and quick. I was asked at the Greek side, if we had visited the occupied terrotory before? A reminder that Turkey is the only country to recognise Northern Cyprus. We bought Tr insurance for the car €35. No customs checks … mindful of our wine confiscation from Georgia to Turkey, we had decanted 1.5 litres of gin into our drinking water bottles!

Northern Cyprus does not feel like Turkey. Half the hoardings along the motorway advertised whiskey, campari and raki. We looked hard to find a lady in a head scarf. And the supermarket had a full aisle of booze.

Had bought an esim, which was so rubbish we couldn’t navigate to our accommodation. We ended up connecting to a hotel and screen shotting the map. Stressful. So unpacked … including un-decanting the gin … cheers.

Clune Gap Years

A journal and reflections of our motorhome travels