In the evening, the three of us went for a dinner to Fatma's - Kate's friend's neighbour, where me and Oskar helped with some small houseworks. Even though Turkish hospitality knows no limits, it's nice to be able to return the favour, even by such little help.

 

When we got back, we started getting ready for bed. Kate told me:

 

- You can sleep on the sofa, but if you prefer to go up onto the roof terrace, under the stars, there are stairs right behind the parrots.

 

I didn't think for a second! The nights here are incredibly warm, the concept of rain outside the winter months is basically unknown. I took the mattress from Kate and ran upstairs.

 

Before 6 am I was awakened by the long-winded singing of the imam coming from the local minaret. I managed to nap a bit more, but after a while the parrots started their conversations, making me burst out laughing.

Visiting Kate Clow - the creator of Turkish trekking
(Turkey, September 2022)

- When I came here in 1989, there was no concept of trekking in Turkey. There were no trails, nothing - tells me Kate Clow, whom I can call without exaggeration the mother-founder of this form of activity in Asia Minor.

 

Everyone here knows her. On the beach in Kabak, I put the book with her name on the table, and the waiter immediately announced cheerfully:

 

- Kate Clow. I know Kate Clow!

 

Today, whenever I mentioned that I was Kate's guest, you could immediately feel the respect the locals have for her. It is hardly surprising. The Lycian Way trail, which I am currently traversing, and the route of St. Paul, she created herself and takes care of their maintenance to this day. These are two of the most popular Turkish trails. Were it not for the fact that pedestrian traffic was created here on a visible scale, many local villages would probably be totally depopulated. Today, the inhabitants offer the walkers accommodation and meals, which allows them to improve their budgets.

 

Kate's invitation came somewhat spontaneously. I was at the office of her association in Antalya to buy books when she called Hüseyin, who told her that there is this one fellow who is setting off tomorrow. So Kate said to tell me that as soon as I was in her village, I was to report, and if I wanted to, there would be no problem with accommodation either.

I wasn't sure if I would stay for the night because I was expecting to reach Sidyma around noon, but the stretch from Alınca was so beautiful and photogenic that I got there slowly only around 3:30 pm. Kate herself had returned not long ago, as she had gone to pick up young Oskar from Dresden, who had come to Turkey to look after her modest house (mainly watering the garden and feeding the talkative parrots) for her upcoming two-week trip to Greece. Oskar's mother worked with Kate on one of the projects, hence their acquaintance.

 

Kate comes from the London area. She's lived there in different places, but she doesn't feel particularly close to any of them. She says she's always thought she wasn't right for England in general. So in 1989 she left for Turkey. As she says, for a longer vacation, do some mountain treks a bit and so on. She ended up here - in western Antalya, at the Teke Peninsula, ancient Lykia. She immediately sensed the huge untapped potential for trekking in this region and began to make plans. These turned into concrete actions, numerous requests to the Turkish government for support of her projects, and finally, in 1999, the first walkers set off along the newly opened Likya Yolu route. Then, 5 years later, the trail of St. Paul commenced. After that, taught by Kate's example, subsequent routes have already been created by the Turks themselves. Although, it is worth adding, Kate is also Turkish. She has been a citizen of this country for 20 years and speaks the language fluently.

Back

- Merhaba, merhaba (tur. hello).

 

- I love you.

 

- Fatma, Fatma.

 

- Very good.

 

I was no longer able to sleep. I got up for breakfast. Shortly afterwards, Oskar and I set off for the hill overlooking Kate's house, where a castle had stood in Greek times. Slightly improvising, we went down to the foot of the mountain, after which we had to say goodbye. Oskar returned to Sidyma, and I moved on, in search of further adventures!

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