The Lycian Way is a coastal walk and mild temperatures mean it can be walked throughout the winter months. But beware - ground over 1000m can be snow-covered from early January to end April! Mid-July – early-September is too hot for comfort. The St Paul Trail runs mainly above 1000m altitude; some snow falls from mid-December on most of the route, but melts again by mid-May. Winters are also stormy from mid-November – mid-January and again in late-March and April, but summer temperatures never rise too high.

Best times to walk the Lycian Way
February – mid-March. Usually a clear spell with snow over 1000m and spring flowers at sea level.
Early May – mid-July. Clear weather, the migration by transhumant shepherds with their flocks and plenty of flowers. Warm enough to swim.
September – mid-November. Clear weather, occasional thunderstorms. Good swimming, autumn flowers in the mountains.

Best times to walk the St Paul Trail
Mid-February – mid-March. Usually a clear spell with snow on the peaks. Ideal for winter mountaineering –experienced climbers with GPS only.
Early-May – mid-June. Occasional rain showers, but good spring flowers. Traces of snow on the mountains.
Mid-June – end-October. Warm and clear. The shepherds are in their summer tents on the yaylas. Swimming in lakes and rivers.
Mid-November – mid-February is the rainy season. Thunderstorms are common on the peaks.

Which section should I walk?
We prefer not to answer this question. Firstly, if I always answer the same way it concentrates walkers in one area of the routes. Secondly, it is difficult for us to know how fit you are or what your interests are? Thirdly, it all depends on the season. Finally, the book contains all the information for you to choose yourself!

In general, the Lycian Way starts easy and gets harder. The St Paul Trail's eastern branch down the Koprulu Canyon is harder than the west branch. But the section over the Yazili Canyon (Candir - Sutculer) is also hard. Although we do have our own favourite sections of each route, we prefer to keep that information to ourselves!

Is it safe to walk alone?
Yes, of course. There is one section on the Lycian Way (the lighthouse) and two on the St Paul Trail (Candir Canyon and The Sipahiler Canyon) where I don't think inexperienced walkers should walk alone. This is because if you get lost or hurt yourself you may be stranded with no water (or too much water!) and with no villagers around.

Will I get lost?
Undoubtedly. That's part of the pleasure of the walk. Plan your walk, read the book and look at the map and take your time. If you suddenly find yourself without waymarks, check the book, retrace your steps to the last mark and look in a 100m radius. If you don't find a mark, consider how it could have been destroyed. You'll soon sort yourself out. Then place a cairn to help the next victim!

Weather Forecast:
A short term weather forecast is available from wunderground.com.

Emergencies:

Take the following information with you:
AKUT (rescue organisation based Antalya) Yilmaz Sevgul (532) 256 4437, (242) 316 3270. Can organise full scale rescue operations; cooperates with Jandarma.
Dr Ali Benli, excellent emergency doctor, speaks English, based Kumluca hospital or Cirali, has ambulance. (532) 282 8800 or (242) 825 7119.
Sutculer jandarma are well-informed about the route and will help with emergencies.
Take the address of your consulate in Antalya.


FORUM
For more information before you walk, look at the FORUM. You can post messages and receive advice from other walkers, meet a walking companion, or report on areas of the trail. It’s better to post on the forum than e-mail us, because we may be away, or not have the latest information.

GPS Information:
GPS points are available in the book for the entire St Paul Trail and for some sections of the Lycian Way. The available GPS files are in the Books and Maps section. If you can add any more GPS points for the Lycian Way, please send the files to us. Thanks to Ueli and all who contributed.

Getting in Touch
Some people e-mail us before or after they walk. Some just knock on our door. Some send photos –we show some of these on the gallery page. We really appreciate hearing from you. You may not get a reply for some time; often we're out trekking too! We use your information to compile the update reports for each trail.