Friday 20 May Kaplica to Dipkarpaz (Ayios Philon) 40 miles

The call to prayer from the nearby mosque in the village of Kaplica happens at 4:30 a.m. and it's very loud. Obviously a tape recording rather than an actual muezzin up the minaret as it ends very abruptly. Later we hear what we now know are black francolin, related to the pheasant, making their distinctive call from the nearby wheat field. We change our arrangements slightly so that we will have longer in Famagusta, which takes a while, and we eventually head off at about 10:30. Beautiful scenery, perfect quiet roads and flat, no headwind, sun shining...perfect. We even stop for a skinny dip at a sandy cove. There are new shiny mosques right next to what look to be abandoned Greek Orthodox churches, though some apparently have one or two services a year for the Greek Cypriots who still live here and didn't locate to the South in 1974. We see our first wild donkey in a field of wheat. There are some long stretches of 10% gradients and even to get to Dipkarpaz involves a final climb before a long downhill descent to Ayios Phillon, where we are staying. The aptly named Oasis is in the most beautiful setting, right next to the sea and the remains of a 10th century church. Apparently there was an ancient city here called Karpasia, founded by King Pygmalion of Cyprus. Around the headland a short walk takes us to a lovely sandy beach, where we rest our cycle weary bodies!