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Published: October 15th 2013
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With the sun shining brightly and the waves caressing the sand we started Monday with a short trot up the beach to get internet and Skype Birthday Daughter Zoe. We flashed the sunny view at her but for some reason she didn’t seem impressed!
Woolly says – I did ask her what the weather was like in Aberystwyth but apparently she hadn’t opened her curtains yet, lazy girl I’ve been up for hours…..apparently! Heading back to camp we collected Ollie from his slumbers under the tree and set off down the D400 whilst looking for the signposts for Alara. We seem to have lost James our sat nav and it seemed very quiet without his Auzzie twang to lead the way.
We need to look into the sat nav situation but todays jaunt was easy to find along a few back roads. Our first find of the day was another Inn or Carvanesia similar to the one we had seen in Sultanhani but this one would have provided winter quarters only. We decided to have a quick look at this impressive building that was originally built in 1231 and completely refurbished in 2011.
Woolly says – The gateway looked incredible and the written script above was in very good repair, probably from the work done two years previously. Inside the layout was similar but a lot smaller than Sultanhani with lots of huge domed rooms and arches where the traders and camels from the Silk Road would have rested.
Having taken a few pictures we drove on round the corner and pulled up at what looked like a restaurant with no way through. Further inspection showed a footpath so donning our boots we set off. From the road this castle perched in three sections to the top of a high tower of rock. Built in the 11th Century it's main function was to protect the Inn set well below it in the valley. It didn’t look accessible but it was worth a walk to find out.
Woolly says – we met a German man along the path coming towards us, shaking his head he said it didn’t seem passable but we pressed on until we arrived at someone’s garden! Not wanting to trespass we gave up and I suggested a drink on the river instead, but
it was not to be for quite a long time!
Just as we reached the road again the German man and his group were being led by a plump Turkish woman who was quite vocal in her commands and sign language to follow her. The man told us that there was a way through so we joined the procession.
Woolly says – the Turkish lady was quite scary and kept shouting out things, it might have been information but it was hard to tell. We went through the garden and out the other side spying some old foundations and an ancient oven, Jo took a quick snap as we scurried after the group. Through the undergrowth we went and started to scale rocks, the goats trying to get through didn’t look impressed with us being in their way. We seemed to be climbing more and more before the lady suddenly stopped and put out her hand, that looked like a clear message to even me.
Ian handed over 4 TL (approximately £1.20 GBP) along with the other group and the lady pointed upwards. She seemed pleased with the Lira and kept
saying Turkish things to us. It didn’t matter how many times I shouted “ANLAMADIM” she kept going. I think she got fed up after a while, she just shrugged at us and waddled off back way we had come.
I think we all looked mildly perplexed at this development but for some stupid reason we carried on.
Woolly says – I still thought the riverside drink was a goer
We followed behind the group ahead until they gave up and indicated they were going back…..
Woolly says – I thought the children not managing was a lame excuse…….
Pick the stupid ones from the numbers left!
Woolly says – ……I begged them to take me as well but they wished us luck and were gone. On and up we went, Jo trembled at the thought of scaling the crumbling fortress wall but took it like a ……
It wasn’t the best moment with a nice rocky slide down below. We found ourselves at the bottom of some very dark steps, impossible to count and visibility was going to be
a challenge
Woolly says – ………I voted very vocally for the Riverside drink…….
We climbed through the darkness and I spent half of the assault course worrying about how I was ever going to get down. After what seemed years of my life flashing in front of me we saw a small glimmer of light and ploughed on.
Woolly says – …..I knew I……I mean we could do it. Our heads popped out into a guard room and as we scrambled the last yard or so we found sunlight again and the remains of the once Byzantine age castle &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&. We picked our way over rubble and peered cautiously down, I shut my eyes tight and waited for us to descend to the river below as the walls shattered beneath us and we fell…..
It wasn’t quite that bad and much of the wall and some of the turret structures were standing up reasonably well. Peering around Ian decided to scale the rock face to get a better view of the Keep and investigate the possibly of getting to the second level of the fortifications
Woolly says – ……Is he MAD?! Why….I mean, why would he want to do that? I’m sure there must be a charity to rescue Mammoths! “What a shame” I said to Ian when he returned and told us it was doubtful. Having completed what we could of the one side we continued our ascent to the …….
We took a few rocky steps to another turret but could see know way to go higher, so if we can’t go up we have to go …..
Woolly says - ….to the bottom , the steps and crevices seemed to stretch into infinity but it did look lighter than when we climbed up. I knew it would be easy…….
It seemed easier on the way down and as we made our way back towards Ollie and a well-earned drink we congratulated ourselves, we thought we would be doing this on an October Monday?
Woolly says – I thought we did really well and as we sat on our mini pontoon on the river sipping our cold drinks (that I’d voted for from the start I might add!), we watched the
fish and crabs living there life on the bottom, so very different to my own. But then, who wants to be wet all the time?? Just so you know, Ian says he’s going back to climb to top of this castle. You see? The man has gone crazy!! Ambulance??
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