Fish never tasted so good. The BBC World Service report that London is being lashed by November storms with zero visibility in the Home Counties, but here, on the Akamas Peninsula in Cyprus, the view - and the fish - is perfect.
I am dropped off near Lara, a few kilometres down a bumpy track beyond Ayios Georgios. A short walk later, I'm eating swordfish cooked by a 91-year old Cypriot fisherman named Vasilios, sitting at a table overlooking a silent, stony bay. The eggshell-blue tablecloth matches the effervescent, cerulean seawater below. There's no-one around.
Vasilios wears the traditional vraka or baggy breeches. He doesn't speak English but I manage to get by with my limited Greek. He says he has fished off the Akamas and in Khrysoukhou Bay since the age of 15; he even fishes for swordfish out in the blue expanses towards Rhodes, which is 200 miles westwards. Swordfish is a local speciality in this part of Cyprus. But with its sword-like nose, it can be a dangerous fish to have in your nets.
I understood Vasilios' guttural reply when I ask him the distance to the 'other side' of Akamas. Dodeka or twelve in English.
Twelve kilometres of a trail through Cyprus's most Elysian place of beauty. The Akamas peninsula is a small, stark, earthly paradise. Clefts in the ochre hills are choked with strawberry trees, oleanders and myrtle. Juniper and Aleppo pines adorn the hilltops. The entire coastline is dazzling.
The best option is to divide exploration of the area into two days: on day one, see the southern side, starting from Ayios Georgios or Lara. On day two, start from the northern side, at Fontana Amorosa and head south. This ensures you see the best the peninsula has to offer without being too strenuous. Jeep safaris are also available and you could also mountain-bike part of the way or pay a fisherman to sail you up the Cape and drop you off anywhere on the way.
Beyond Lara, a scramble ends up on a plage sauvage of bleached, breadcrumb sand, with the skeletal backbone of Akamas rising to 600 metres beyond. The Green Turtle has frequented these shores for centuries to lay its eggs, mostly in the summer and at night. It's one of their last nesting grounds in the Mediterranean. Turtles require dry sand to lay their eggs on and once the baby turtles hatch, they use the moon to navigate themselves back down into the sea. Any artificial light, from hotels or streetlamps, would disorientate these turtles, but these uninhabited parts make perfect conditions for the hatchlings.
I kicked off my boots, most of my clothes and wallowed in. This set a pattern for the rest of my week, with the Mediterranean a soothing temptress almost every step of the way.
Even in high season, Akamas is deserted. If you consult a map of Cyprus, the Akamas is that tusk-shaped bit on the west coast. The tarmac ends abruptly, there are no hotels, restaurants or tourist paraphernalia out here, just some timeless ingredients for a great walk-about through the wilds: a Hellenistic necropolis lying hidden in a field just before Ayios Georgios and the Avakas Gorge, a canyon running 2km from Toxeftra where vultures used to live.
An ancient Athenian hero of the Trojan War named Akamas gave his name to the peninsula and to the legendary city of Akamantis, a city that has never actually been found. Akamas is the place in Greek legend where the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, and the youth, Adonis, fell in love.
There has been violent controversy to prevent hotel development in the area. Other parts of the island have fine stretches of coast, but none as magnificent as here and it's imperative that the peninsula remains wild and free of concrete to protect the unique flora and fauna. The number of plant species found here runs up to 600, of which 35 are endemic. The variety of fauna is also impressive with 168 bird species, 12 mammals, 20 reptiles and butterfly species. Migrating birds call in here on their long flight to escape the winter in Northern Europe.
Further along, at Agios Konon, a large number of tombs have been unearthed. Perhaps these comprise the lost city of Akamantis?
The path heads northeast, opening up views of Khrysoukhou Bay, and depositing you after a few hours close to the Baths of Aphrodite. The Italian poet, Ariosto, said of this area "Nowhere else in the world have I seen women and virgins so lovely and attractive".
A donkey, nicknamed by locals Speedy Gonzales, contemplates you from his field. Five minutes through flower-carpeted fields and orchards takes you to the Baths themselves. Steps descend to a bay of coloured stones with crystalline waters. Offshore is an island with a cross upon it. This is where Adonis first laid eyes upon Aphrodite who was bathing here in the salty waters.
From here you can hike on the Adonis or Aphrodite trails deeper into the peninsula, back down the coast, or inland into the cool Forest of Pafos. George's Ranch offers horse riding for a day through the forest.
I had opted for an agro-tourism holiday, rather than staying in the beach resorts. Agro-tourism is accommodation in rural villages. It shows respect and sensitivity towards environmental integrity and cultural diversity.
Cyprus won the 1998 international British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award in relation to Agro-Tourism. Of the 120 entries from 43 countries, Cyprus was among the five winners, along with Britain, Australia, Ghana and Trinidad. Since 1998, old village houses have been restored and renovated, offering beautiful retreats.
A hire car is essential. You have the best of both worlds with the beaches and popular sights easily accessible, and the joy of waking up each morning with extraordinary rural scenery just outside your window.
My home for the week is in the village of Kathikas, next to the village square with coffee shops and tavernas. The local people are very friendly and helpful. It feels great to be enjoying a traditional meal in the square, listening to the bouzouki, while the eyebrows of stars flicker in the wine-dark sky.
Christina, the wife of the restaurant owner asks me where I'm going to tomorrow.
"To a place called …er… Stavros tis Psokas" I reply, cautious of this tongue-twister place name. She smiles at my attempt at pronunciation and says "So, you are going to see moufflon then?"
Moufflon look like wild sheep, with light brown hair and the males have long, distinctive curved horns, like those of a ram. The species is the largest mammal on the island and as old as the first inhabitants of Cyprus, dating from Neolithic times. But the moufflon were virtually hunted to extinction in centuries past and are naturally shy, beautiful animals. They are protected now and a captive breeding programme exists in this area to increase their numbers. The moufflon have become the emblem of the national airline, Cyprus Airways.
The moufflon are left to roam wildly at Stavros tis Psokas in surroundings of pine, wild olive and golden oak. Whilst visiting, you can also enjoy two nature trails, one to Tripylos and the other to Zakharou peaks.
The Akamas Peninsula lies between the Baths of Aphrodite in the north (close to Latchi) and Ayios Georgios in the south (8km north of Coral Bay, 28km from Paphos).
Ensure you obtain a good quality map before venturing into the area. They are available from the Cyprus Tourist offices on the island, or many vendors.
Temperatures in Cyprus from November through to February vary. The oven-heat of summer has gone, but temperatures can reach 23°C throughout November. December and January tend to be cooler with an average 16°C, whilst February returns to the low twenties. Days are pleasantly sunny but there can be short showers. Take a pullover or coat for nights. The Troodos Mountains offer skiing on the highest slopes usually from December to February.
Cyprus Agro-Tourism
www.agrotourism.com.cy
Tel 00 357 22 340071
Offers a fine selection of village houses in the villages of Kathikas, Arodes, Pano Kato Akourdalia, Goudi, Kritou Terra or Droushia, all of which are close to the Akamas Peninsula.
Georges Ranch
Tel 00 357 6 621064
Organises horse-riding in the Forest of Pafos, a beautiful area part of the Akamas Peninsula
