This is simply an outrageously stunning hike, that starts at the Bellapais Abbey close to Kyrenia, and ends at Buffavento Castle, one of North Cyprus’ most treasured castles. A challenging but hugely rewarding hiking trail ideal for the more experienced or adventurous hiker, but still very achievable for most hiking novices.

The trail passes through beautiful forests with their Cyprus trees, rocky terrain and steep inclines as it leads up into the Kyrenia mountains, but the views from the top are well worth the effort. Once at the peak of the castle, you’ll be rewarded with breathtaking views of the Kyrenia coastline and surrounding mountains. 

This route forms part of the Besparmak Mountain Trail, also known as the Kyrenia Mountain Trail, covering 260km set in 18 stages.

Distance

7 miles / 11 km A to B

Time

3.5hrs -4 hrs approx. A to B

Difficulty

Easy to moderately challenging

Directions

You can download my AllTrails Map route here

Facilities

Toilets – none on the route itself. Only facilities will be in Bellapais at the start

Parking – There are a couple of car parks in the centre of Bellapais. But do check before you go to make sure they are open, as the main one is manned, so it won’t be open if you are planning on starting at dawn! There is however roadside parking a little further up the track that heads out of Bellapais. Be very careful, as the road leads steeply uphill on zig-zag bends.

Bellapais Abbey parking What3Words https://what3words.com/divulges.ritzy.quail

Roadside parking – Somewhere near this point you should be able to park What3Words https://what3words.com/chooses.rearming.surviving

Hiking gear and supplies

Hiking gear

If you’re going in the warmer months, which would be a typical time to go, then wear…

• A light, breathable top

• Shorts or leggings

• Trail shoes or good trainers

• Cap/hat and sunglasses

Supplies

• A minimum of 3 litres of water p/p (don’t take any less!)

• Food and snacks (lunch, protein bars, gels, salty snacks etc.)

• Sun screen

• Insect repellent

• First aid kit

• Phone and charger (phone signal is very weak throughout, and almost non-existent at Buffavento Castle). Make sure you give full details of your hiking plan/route to a family member or friend in case of an emergency

• Headtorch (if starting before dawn)

• Map (printed or downloaded onto your phone)

• What3Words app downloaded onto your phone (for emergencies)

Highlights

Bellapais Abbey

Situated in the village of Bellapais in Northern Cyprus. Also known as the Abbey of Peace, the Abbey dates back to the late 12th century, and was built by Augustinian monks. It played a significant role in the Island’s religious and cultural history.

It’s architecture is a mix of Gothic and Romanesque styles, which showcases intricate details and elegant design. With the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1571, Bellapais Abbey underwent changes. It was eventually abandoned, and fell into decline.

Despite centuries of neglect, the Abbey remains a well-preserved historical site that attracts many visitors, due to its picturesque setting, architectural beauty, and stunning views.

It’s the perfect place to start this trail, and indeed to finish at. There are some fine restaurants in Bellapais, where you can dine whilst watching the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea after your hike!

Buffavento Castle

Buffavento Castle, otherwise known as ‘Defier of the Winds’, stands at 940 metres, and overlooks the Mesarya Plains. Situated strategically between St. Hilarion Castle to the West, and Kantara Castle to the East, it forms a protective axis in the Kyrenia mountains.

Originally built in the Byzantine period, it served as a defensive stronghold against Arab raids in the 11th Century. It’s also been home to Richard the Lionheart after he seized it in 1191.

To reach the castle requires a steep climb of approx.. 600 steps, which are accessed from a ‘’car park’’ below (I use the speech marks as it’s not really a car park. There is a memorial there adjacent to a lone olive tree to the crew of an aircraft that perished in a mountaintop crash in 1988.

In reaching the pinnacle of the castle, you are rewarded with outstanding panoramic views.

Landscape

All along the trail you pass through a diverse landscape that showcases the natural beauty of the Kyrenia Mountain range. From the pine forests, which are characteristic of the mountainous regions in Cyprus, to the wildflowers and range of Mediterranean flora, where you may spot aromatic herbs such as thyme and sage, there is a natural, and untouched beauty about the trail, which adds to the overall experience.

Introduction

A few years ago I had planned a family holiday to North Cyrpus. Like on most holidays, I was keen to explore if there was somewhere exciting I could hike. So before I went, I did my usual bit of research into the area I was staying. 

I was delighted to discover that the villa we would be staying at was very close to the Kyrenia Mountain range! Awesome! So I began to take a closer look at what my options were.

I could see from the map that our villa was situated near the foot of the mountains close to the sea. From here it was just a relatively short drive to Bellapais, which aside from being somewhere we could all explore as a family, it was also the ideal place to climb up into the Besparmak Mountain Trail. 

But finding a route to download before I went was a bigger challenge. After a lot of searching I stumbled across a basic description of a route from Bellapais to Buffavento Castle. I had a plan and an outline of where I was going. 

So, skip forward to being on holiday and my two lads, Jack and Harrison said they were up for joining me. Great! You might have heard me talk about them in a previous blog – Helvellyn Via Striding Edge. 

I worked out that to do this hike (there and back) would take us approximately 6-7 hours (it was only during my hike that I had underestimated just how long it would really take!). Either way, due to Summer temperatures in Northern Cyprus reaching high 30s, we would need to make a very early start. When I told them they would have to wake up around 4.30am, you should have seen their faces! But to their credit, they were still up for it. 

What followed was a real adventure!

So, here’s the story of our hike from Bellapais to Buffavento Castle

BELLAPAIS MONASTERY TO BUFFAVENTO CASTLE

Start

4.30am and it’s time to wake up the boys, load up our supplies and head off… 

We arrived in Bellapais at 5am. As it was too early to park by the Abbey, we headed onto Yar Sokak, where the road zig zags as it winds its way uphill. We found the perfect place to leave the car, by a small section of grass next to the road. 

There’s an information post marking the start of the Bellapais Trail close by. Torches on we head off.

The first section takes us on the road, which is quite steep, so we take it steady. After passing one turn off, we come to another that’s clearly marked, and take a left onto a track. 

First light of dawn is just starting to appear now, so our torches aren’t needed any more. The track is easy going, and already we are starting to get some amazing views of the Abbey far below, and after a little further climb Kyrenia, which is silhouetted by the sun beginning to rise on the horizon.

It’s 6am as we’re now walking on a dusty track that begins to climb further as it weaves its way in between the Cyprus trees of the forest. It’s an absolutely stunning landscape, rich with a variety of shrubs, clinging to the rocky terrain. Our spirits are high now as the sun beats a comfortable warmth down on us. Jack and Harrison are having fun, singing (well kind of…Jack is tone deaf!).

So far the trail has been kind. It’s really quite an easy going track, and very simple to follow. Eventually there’s a break in the trail where we follow the route marker, and as it’s now starting to heat up, we welcome some much needed shade. Time for a break and a chance to refuel. We’re in no rush, and we sit for a while.

Continuing on, you can start to see Buffavento Castle perched high up in the distance. It still looks like a fair way to go, and I’m beginning to think of the final ascent we will need to make once we near that section of mountain! For now I keep my thoughts to myself.

I’m also conscious of our water supplies, as although we started out with 3 litres each, we’re all taking on board quite a bit of water as the temperature nears 30 degrees, despite it only being 8am! I decide to also keep those thoughts to myself for now, but it’s in the back of my mind.

The path takes us on a steady climb, as we near around 2,000ft elevation. We snake around a few bends, and from my calculations taken from the basic route I’ve downloaded, we should be taking a left turn. However, there doesn’t appear to be a path if we head that way. It’s a rocky hillside, quite steep and heads into a section of forest.

We looked at our options to make sure. If we avoid that route, our path continued on uphill and I’m thinking we could probably join back into the route a little further on. So, we ignore the advice in the route and keep going straight on uphill. As we got to the top of what was a steep climb, in now searing heat, we realised we should have taken the route down below, as there didn’t appear to be a way to get back on track.

So, with a big sigh, back down we went, and ventured into the unknown. Despite the directions I had downloaded, I still wasn’t convinced. We weaved in between rocks and bush, slowly traversing the slope. Out of nowhere it seemed, we stumbled across a boulder with a familiar Bellapais Trail marker painted on it. Hallelujah! Ye of little faith!

So we had our path laid out before us once more, via painted circular markers here and there. We were now in thick forest, and the shade was very welcome! We took the opportunity to take another rest. That last section had taken a lot of energy out of us. But we were back on the trail, and Buffavento Castle was drawing nearer.

Eventually we broke through the cover of the forest, and onto an exposed ledge on the Northern side of the Kyrenia Mountains. A huge expanse of flat land stretched out, eventually towards Nicosia and the border between North and South Cyprus.

We continued to follow the marked stones, which led through shrubs and pine trees, and up and over some large boulders. 15-20 minutes later we were through the boulder strewn path, which led down onto the Buffavento Castle Road, and to the car park at the foot of the Castle!

As I highlighted earlier, it’s not much of a car park. In an open space stood a solitary olive tree. To the side is a trilingual marble memorial to the victims of a Turkish Airlines plane who perished in a crash in 1988.

To the other side we could see one face of the Castle wall, built deep into the mountain peak. The climb looks daunting! Fortunately there are steep but gradual steps that lead all the way up – around 600 of them! It was time to take another break before making our way. The climb to the top would take around 30 mins or so.

As you climb the stairs, the beauty and history of the Castle unfolds before your eyes. Shortly after entering one of the first passage ways into the Castle, there is a viewing point, offering a stunning vista of the Kyrenia Mountain range, back in the direction we had hiked through. It really was an epic view!

Beyond, we passed through more open passageways, where there are vacant cell like chambers, where we could peek through the iron doors. Just beyond that we reached the summit!

We were extremely hot and tired from our exertions, but the views from here were just incredible. We were now facing the Southern side of the Island, with the ridge of the mountains stretching on in the distance, and the Mediterranean Sea far beyond the valleys below.

Whilst the boys rested I took the chance to explore a little further, before we would make our way back down towards the car park. Although the boys were tired and quite keen to head back, I was keen to take in as much as I could of this place. It was so beautiful.

Our adventure was not quite over…

It was now 10.30am. It had taken us 5 hours to get here! We had made several stops along the way, which had added some considerable amount of time to our trek here. The boys looked like they’d had enough. There was also the question of our water supply, or rather, lack of water supply! I had managed to retain some, but in reality there was not enough water left for the three of us to safely hike back to Bellapais. 

It was then I was pleased that my Brother-in-Law James had offered to come and get us if this type of situation happened. Despite a very weak phone signal, we managed to explain where we were, and made a plan to meet him (and my wife Marissa) at the car park. It shouldn’t take them more than 20-30 minutes from the villa to get there.

So, we made our way back down the 600 steps – slowly! We took shelter under the olive tree whilst we waited. We waited and waited. But no car came. Our phone signal had also disappeared. So we had no idea where they were. 30 minutes turned to an hour.

I was about to take the decision to walk down to the Buffavento Castle Road in the direction from where I knew they would be coming from. Eventually the road would also lead to a restaurant (I had done my homework). But the boys weren’t up for walking any further. Plus our water supply had now long gone. So we waited.

Then we saw the car. Phew! As soon as they stopped I could tell something was wrong. The road leading up to where we were, was extremely narrow, with no barriers to the steep valley below. James and Marissa were white! They actually looked more shattered than the three of us who’d been hiking for the past 5 hours! James had taken the wise decision to take it very slowly up the mountain road, which explained the delay. 

The five of us now heading back down the road I could feel exactly what fear they had faced! It was quite terrifying. The only thought we all had was ‘what if another car comes along?’. Fortunately for us we didn’t have to answer that question. We made if safely back down the mountain road, eventually! 

Although I felt a little disappointment at not being able to hike back to Bellapais and visit the Abbey, sitting in our swimming pool 30 minutes later, I was delighted! As were Jack and Harrison!

We made up for it however. Later that evening we all took a drive back to Bellapais, and as the sun began to set, the Abbey looked simply stunning!

Summary

The hike from Bellapais to Buffavento Castle is a beautiful trail, and for the most part easy going (if you have the right directions, stamina for the Castle stairs, and plenty of water!).

For the three of us, what a truly memorable experience. I hope to go back there one day, and explore more of the Kyrenia Mountains and Besparmak trail.

Thanks for reading

Happy Hiking!

Marc

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