These are the people who have made a valuable contribution to our guide books and apps
Kate Clow
Kate Clow lived in the UK until 1989, when she took a job selling computer systems in Istanbul. In 1992, she moved to Antalya and started freelance work. This gave her scope to explore ancient roads, which form networks linking the centres of ancient civilasitions of Turkey. Convinced that Turkey needed long distance walking routes, she connected a series of old roads to make Turkey’ first long distance walking path, the Lycian Way. This route was opened in 1999 and followed in 2004 by the St.Paul Trail, in 2008 by the Kaçkar routes and in 2011, assisting Caroline Finkel, by the Evliya Çelebi Way.
Kate Clow lived in the UK until 1989, when she took a job selling computer systems in Istanbul. In 1992, she moved to Antalya and started freelance work. This gave her scope to explore ancient roads, which form networks linking the centres of ancient civilasitions of Turkey. Convinced that Turkey needed long distance walking routes, she connected a series of old roads to make Turkey’ first long distance walking path, the Lycian Way. This route was opened in 1999 and followed in 2004 by the St.Paul Trail, in 2008 by the Kaçkar routes and in 2011, assinsting Caroline Finkel, by the Evliya Çelebi Way.
Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner is a lifelong naturalist, birder and botanist who has travelled extensively around Turkey and leads several specialist botanical and wildlife tours each year within the country ( and many more overseas). With his wife Başak, he is preparing books on the flora of southwest Turkey and a large photographic work on ‘The Flowers of the Silk Road & Shangri-La’ which includes many of Turkey’s fines flowers. They live with their little son Merlin – two sons in the beautiful Taurus Mountains near Antalya, close to some of the finest flora in the country.
Caroline Finkel
Caroline Finkel grew up on a farm in Scotland and left her native highlands for Turkey about 25 years ago. Her doctoral thesis was on the logistics of the Ottoman army around 1600, and she has also written books on Turkish historical earthquakes and a standard work on Ottoman history. She is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh. After 40 years with her feet firmly on the ground Caroline rode without mishap on the exploratory expedition for the Evliya Çelebi Way in 2009-demonstrating that the route is for everyone. She looks forward to following Evliya on further of his journeys.
Holger de Bruin and Marietta van Attekum
Marietta van Attekum studied psychology, anthropology and Modern Greek. She is founder and director of the Via Egnatia Foundation(2007) Holger de Bruin(1950) is a musician and musicologist. As a couple Mariatte and Holger share a love for the Balkans, its inhabitants and its cultures. They are enthusiastic hikers and in 2009 and 2010 they – together with a group of staunch VEF supporters-walked all the way from Durres to Istanbul, along the route of the ancient Via Egnatia, and travelled several times back and forth. They organised many events for the VEF and participated actively in all of them. Marietta wrote the historical, practical and cultural sections of this book. Holger provided the route descriptions and prepared the digital maps, combining his general technical skills with his knowledge of GPS and his understanding of different landscapes.
Ersin Demirel
Traveler, writer, photographer. He has 28 books about walking routes and tourism. At the same time, he prepares freelance topics for Atlas, Magma, Skylife, Anadolujet etc. magazines. He is a local walking guide on cultural routes. To date, he has visited 88 countries.
Altay Özcan
Altay graduated from Hacettepe University in American Culture and Literature department and since then has been providing professional guidance in various sports branches (canyoning, sea canoeing, trekking and trail running) since 2004. His photographs have been published in magazines, newspapers and guidebooks, #Macerarehberi shows itself. Living in his camping van, Altay is responsible for all the maintenance of the route as a Project Officer.
Yunus Özdemir
Yunus graduated from Akdeniz University Classical Archeology in 2005 and has been a professional guidance since 2003. Combining vast knowledge of archeology with a passion for guiding, Yunus has guided visitors from many countries around the world. After his tours on the Lycian Way, he created and realized the idea of a long-distance walking route in the Caria region. He lives in Cappadocia with his wife Bilsen and his children Uluç and Ege.