A one-click website has been set up for the Culture Routes Society to bring together the 16 waymarked long-distance walks in Turkey. Trailmakers, tour operators, accommodation providers and other necessary information are available for an adventure through some of the country’s most beautiful and historic countryside. Each trail is supported by a guidebook, map, downloadable GPS points and updated information. An iPhone application is on its way.
The not-for-profit Culture Routes Society, Kültür Rotalari Derneği (KRD) in Turkish, has an office in Antalya and has a stated aim of working to protect the trails and provide an income for villages en route. A village school on the St Paul trail, for example, is currently being made into a hostel.
Starting with the Lycian Way, paved by Kate Clow in 1999, these trails can now be found from one end of the country to the other. Primarily for walkers, they also map out routes for horse riders and cyclists. The coastal Lycian Way will shortly be complemented by the Carian Trail around Marmaris and Bodrum. Bikers are invited to try the Yanice Forest and Hittite Trails, while horse riders can follow in cavalry traditions along the Evliya Çelibi Way. Other paths that follow in ancient footsteps are the St Paul Trail, the Abraham Path and the Sultan’s Trail that heads for the Gates of Vienna.
The Kure, Kaçkar and Sarıkamış mountains are conquered and there is a Gastronomy Route around Çorum and the Kızılmak (Red River) valley east of Ankara. There are networks of day walks, too.
All the details are on the website: www.cultureroutesinturkey.com