S drives us up to St Hilarion Castle ruins high (725 m above sea level). The drive is ear popping but there’s another six hundred or so rough hewn steps to the very top and various stages of castle, the oldest being Byzantine fortifications dating back to the eleventh century. It was used as a watch tower keeping a lookout for pirates as the north shore was subject to Arab raids. We speculate on the system of signal flags that must have been used to warn those in the settlement below. Girne castle is mostly Venetian but incorporates much older fortification.
In later times the castle became a summer palace for royalty. The views are spectacular and the location makes it virtually impregnable. It must always have been extremely difficult to provide goods and building materials and servants. Can imagine the dismay of the eleventh century soldiers on being told that was where they were expected to build a fort.
Then a lovely drive along the mountain road going west from the castle, all cedar and pines scenting the air and the deep blue of the sea far below on our right. And then the pastoral views to the south, out over farmland and off to the Troodos Mountains in the Republic of Cyprus.
Back down to the sea and by then we’re hungry so stop at the Blue Song restaurant on the water’s edge. Very happy to see they have şeftali sausages, very Cypriot - the spelling changes from North to South but the sausages exist nowhere else and are delicious. S orders cheese burek pastries and helim (halloumi in the South) so Jamie gets a fair range of Cypriot tastes.
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