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The Turkish Lakes are a series of huge shallow lakes trapped between the folds of the northern Taurus mountains and the Sultan mountains. At an average altitude of 1000m, they are surrounded by peaks which rise to 3000m. On their shores are the old Selcuk towns of Beysehir, Egirdir and Burdur, and many small villages and summer pastures overlook their tranquil waters. Often frozen in winter, the lakes are a haven for migrating birds, and the surrounding meadows and marshes support a huge mix or orchids and other wild flowers, as well as apple orchards in abundance.
Best times to visit are in spring/summer from mid-May to end September, when the weather is almost guaranteed perfect and the water is warm enough for swimming. |
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Middle Earth Travel, with Kate Clow,
just finished waymarking Turkey’s second long distance walking route around the Turkish Lake District.
It follows some of the Roman roads used by St Paul on his journey from Perge, on the south coast, to Antioch in Pisidia, near Lake Egirdir.
On the way it takes in the summits of the three major peaks - Davraz, near Egirdir (2560m), Dedegol, near Beysehir (2998m) and Barla, near Egridir, (2799m).
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All the peaks are snow-capped from December to May, and offers some wonderful winter climbing, snowshoeing and, on Davraz, skiing. In summer the snowmelt bulbs are a bright contrast to the green turf, and the peaks are a cool haven from the summer heat. |
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