Sunday 22 May Golden Beach and end of Karpaz peninsula

We head off an up to Dipkarpaz, which is still home apparently to a community of Greek Cypriots, and then down a long section of new road which meets the old potholed and bone shaking road that takes us to the end of the finger of this island that points towards Turkey and Syria. Farmers are making hay whilst the sun shines and the corn fields are being cut by combine harvesters. The francolin are calling to us as we bump along the 15 or so miles to the end of the peninsula . I'd like to have a francolin ring tone on my mobile phone. There are plenty of wild donkeys which block the road, expecting to be fed. St Andreas monestry, where the road ends, is a pilgrimage site for presumably Greek Orthodox, and we see a group with candles as votive offerings to Saint Andrew, probably hoping that they will be cured of some ailment, like the partially sighted sea captain who originally brought St Andrew to these shores and whose sight was restored by the Saint. Golden Sands beach is a beautiful stretch of sand, which we visit for a few hours before making the bone jarring trip back to Ayios Philos. We watch the sun set  towards the Turkish mainland, and drink our now favourite Turkish white wine,Cankaya.