Getting there: From the end of the Opus road (or from Gumusluk fishing village) take the Bodrum dolmus to Derekoy. Get off the dolmus at the museum ‘Collectibles’ at the end of Derekoy village. (a 10 – 15 minute journey)

I find the village of Derekoy fascinating for at least two reasons : the museum ‘Collectibles’ and the gourd lighting shop ‘Le Kabbak’.

‘Collectibles’ is the modern, architectually-designed home of the now retired director of the Maritime Museum in Bodrum. This quirky building, with its winding staircase up to several levels, has an ecclectic mix of old Turkish items such as lamps, jewellery and weights. Light floods in from the large floor to ceiling stained glass window: pale blue segments intermingle with colourful tropical fish.

The gourd lighting shop ‘Le Kabbak’ – a few paces closer to the village than the museum – has a beautiful array of lamps. As you approach you will hear the owner at work, making tiny holes in the gourds and then inserting coloured glass into each one for a unique effect. Have a look round and ask to go into the inner workshop to see some of the gourds lit up. Also for sale are a wide variety of stylish old pots and flagons, seemingly carelessly strewn about by the wall outside. (If you’re passing through Derekoy after dark the whole place looks like something out of a fairy tale.)

The Walk

Distance : about 2 miles each way (*for longer walk – see below)

Time : allow 2 hours.

Remember : water, sun hat, long trousers, walking shoes (picnic?)

Grade : easy

Suggestion : do this walk on a Tuesday when there is a small market in Derekoy so you can buy a few items for a picnic on the way.

The walk starts opposite the museum ‘Collectibles’ and a stall selling more gourd lighting and souvenirs. Take the small tarmac road ‘Kavakderesi Cad’, leading slightly uphill. (CAD is short for Cadesi = Road)

Follow this road as it winds into the countryside. After about 10 or 15 minutes the tarmac runs out, but keep straight on and from this point make sure the stream is always on your right.

You continue on this wide path, crossing a few streams on your way and after about 20 to 30 minutes you will be rewarded with a great view of the ‘big cheese’ : a cleft of rock which looks like a wedge of cheese, ahead of you. We returned to Derekoy soon after this point and took the dolmus back to the Opus turning. (However, if you want a longer walk* try the Sunflower ‘Bodrum to Marmaris’ walk no. 8 : Ortakent, Yaka, Derekoy page 99. There is a copy of the book on the shelf in the living room at the villa.)

Bodrum is the largest town on the peninsula and is about 25 minute drive or 35 minute dolmus ride* from our villa in Gumusluk. Bustling and colourful, Bodrum is renowned for its shops, bars, restaurants and nightlife as well as its impressive marina and the town’s undoubted focal point, the beautiful St Peter’s Castle.

*(half hourly service until at least midnight)

For shopping the main bazaar lies in the pedestrian precinct, at the foot of the castle. Little shops of every sort abound in all the narrow streets; many sell leather goods, pottery and carpets. You have to bargain in Turkey (all in good humour) – take off about a third of the price they say or plead poverty: it’s all a game! On Tuesdays there is a massive fabrics and clothing market beside the bus station and on Thursdays and Fridays there is a food market here.

St Peter’s Castle

Built in the fourteenth century it has served as a military garrison, a compound enclosing a tiny village, and even as a fortress prison. Today it houses a world class museum of nautical archaeology.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 9am–12noon and 2pm–5pm

(Caria Princess Exhibit + Glass Shipwreck Exhibit open Tues to Fri 10am–12 noon and 2pm-4pm)

The Mausoleum Museum

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Mausoleum is the tomb of King Mausolus, dating back to around 350 BC. However, after surviving many centuries the Mausoleum was demolished by an earthquake in 1304 and the Knights of Saint John later used the site as a quarry to rebuild the castle. The area where the structure of the Mausoleum once stood has now become an open-air museum but little remains apart from the foundations.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 9am–12noon and 1pm–5pm

Day trip to Kos

Ferries run daily from Bodrum to the Greek island of Kos, crossings taking an hour (or only half an hour on the hydrofoil). Trips to places further afield include Marmaris, Didim and Rhodes.

The Ancient Theatre

Located on the main Bodrum road (on the left as you approach from Gumusluk) is the well preserved Roman Amphitheatre with great views of the castle and the town. Concerts are performed here in the summer.

Open daily 8.30am – 5pm

Myndos Gate and Ottoman Tower

A relic from King Mausolus’s time, the most significant remaining part of the original city wall. Located on the west side of Bodrum, this was one of two entrances to ancient Halicarnassus. The gate is named after the town it faces – Myndos, the present day Gumusluk.

Open 24 hours. Visit in the evening when the ruins are illuminated.

The Zeki Muren Museum

19, Zeki Muren Caddessi

Zeki Muren was a legendary Turkish vocalist and came to Bodrum when he retired. You can visit the late singer’s home and listen to his recordings of traditional Turkish music.

Open daily 8.30am–12 noon and 1pm–5pm

Live Music

The classy ‘Yacht Club’ along the marina has some excellent live bands performing during the summer months and is definitely worth a visit. Entry is usually free but drinks will be expensive.

The Ephesus site is quite extensive and has its own car park. The latest addition is the excavation of a group of town house near the library. You have to pay an additional entrance fee to see this new excavation – but it’s well worth it.

It is quite possible to arrange a coach trip from Bodrum (they will even offer to collect your from Gumusluk). Often these trips involve a night’s stay in a 4 star hotel (please note they are very small stars) and a stop at the other main tourist site in the area – Pumukkale. One of our first guests at Gumusluk villa took one of these trips; they had to be up at 6am in the morning. At least they thought they would arrive at Ephesus before the coach loads of other tourists; they had not considered the necessity of visiting the Gold Centre or was it the Carpet Village? (Perhaps that was on the return journey?). They arrived at Ephesus at midday in the heat of the day with all the other coaches…

Yet a trip to Ephesus is easily organised by yourself; either by hire car or by using one of the many coaches that leave to Selcuk from the coach station (next to the Dolmus station) in Bodrum. When we first visited Gumusluk 20 years ago we made the journey by coach and stayed over night in Selcuk, taking a taxi to Ephesus early in the morning – avoiding the crowds and the mid day heat

If you are planning the trip yourself, then we would recommend that you stay in a quaint little village called Sirence in the hills above Selcuk. It is very picturesque and has much more charm than Selcuk. We can recommend a boutique hotel in Sirence (http://www.nisanyan.com/); it has main bedrooms at or near the hotel and a wonderful a la carte restaurant (not too expensive). Alternatively it has village rooms for those on a budget; you can still book a meal and walk up to their restaurant in the evening.

In fact if the villa is not available for all the time you require, you might consider a couple of days at Sirence / Ephesus and then moving on to Gumusluk; Ephesus is only an hours drive from Bodrum / Milas airport.

The market is held just a few minutes’ walk* along the Bodrum road from the fishing village. It’s laid out in a ‘T’ shape with tents shading the stalls alongside the edge of a couple of fields. Everyone is friendly and there’s the usual banter as the stall holders ply their wares. One of our favourite stalls is at the far right of the ‘T’, selling fresh ‘Gözleme’ or Turkish pancakes with a variety of fillings including aubergine, cheese, meat, spinach and potato. With some fresh salad they make a great lunch. Another popular stall is one with a vast array of herbs and brightly coloured spices and stallholders who can answer any questions you care to ask. We rarely come away empty handed!

Try to master a couple of phrase before you go to the market :

Merhaba Hello

Ne kadar lütfen? How much is that please?

…and a few numbers so you understand the reply:

1 bir (beer) yarim (yareem) half

2 iki

3 üç (ewch)

4 dört (durt)

5 bes (besh)

Tesekkür ederim (tesha cure edarim) Thank you

If you’re feeling hungry after all your shopping, pop into ‘Gönüçelen’ bar just up the hill from the market towards the fishing village. It’s run by our neighbours at Opus, Ken and Jim and a Turkish friend and they serve an excellent ‘Irish Breakfast’ which you can enjoy from their roof terrace bar with its stunning views.

* Alternatively it’s a pleasant 30-40 minute stroll from our villa through country lanes. Turn left out of the gate at the top of the Opus site and right at the brow of the hill. Gumusluk (inland) village and its mosque are clearly visible in the valley below and the path winds gently down towards it. Turn right when you reach the road and head for the mosque. The market is held close by. You can get a lift back by taking the ‘train’ pulled by a tractor. These ‘trains’ are provided free by Gumusluk council and are a fun way to travel. The one going in the Gumuskaya (rather than Turgutreis) direction will drop you off at the Opus turn off at the top of the donkey track.

Distance

Time : allow 2 and a half hours.

Remember : water, sun hat, long trousers,socks, walking shoes.(picnic?)

Grade : Walk is easy although slightly overgrown and stony in places on the path back from Sandima.

By Car : Drive to the end of the road from Opus Village and turn right at the T junction towards Yalikavak. Continue (15 minutes) to the centre of the town and park in the car park on the right a few yards after the dolmus station.

By Dolmus: Take the Yalikavak dolmus from Gumusluk fishing village (or the end of the road to Opus village) to the dolmus station in Yalikavak in front of Yalikavak Belediyesi (town hall).

Suggest you do this walk on a Thursday when it is market day in Yalikavak. You can then visit the market and buy a few items for a picnic. The walk starts just by the market.

Start the walk at the car park (next to the market) next along from the dolmus station, with Yalikavak Belediyesi (town hall) facing you (opposite Yali Electric). Walk towards the town hall, then keep it on your left and an Internet café on your right. At blue signpost at crossroads, keep straight ahead on a modern paved road, signposted ‘Sandima’. Houses and orange groves line the road. Soon there is a dry riverbed / ditch on your left. Continue straight ahead uphill.

After 10 to 15 minutes, when the paved track turns left (signposted Alda Everi), keep straight ahead up an unmade road. There is a water cistern to you left in a dip. After another 5 to 10 minutes you pass eucalyptus trees and a drinking trough on your left and after another 200 yards a large open area appears to the left of the path and there is a large white drinking fountain. You have reached Sandima.

Take time to explore the village of Sandima by continuing straight ahead at the water fountain.

To return to Yalikavak take the path downhill by the drinking fountain, with the graveyard on your right. The path is clear but rocky in places and winds downhill towards Yalikavak. You cross the dry riverbed to the other side of the gorge. The path follows the gorge downhill (gorge now on your left), becoming a sunken track with cobbled stones. After a big rock / boulder keep a wall to your left and the path is again sunken and cobbled with a wall to each side. Next to an old well, either continue on the sunken path or go into a field and keep to the right edge, beside the sunken path, rejoining the path at a gate after 200 yards, just before a stone outhouse. You soon pass under a water pipe and there is a wall of a new development to your right. Keep left. Just before you reach the river (see it 5 yards ahead) turn left and climb over a wall. Then follow the path to your right.

In 4 minutes climb over scrub barrier, continue downhill following the gorge to the right of a new development. At the end of a development the road bends left. Ignore this and continue straight ahead down a dusty track towards Yalikavak. (dry riverbed on right and wire fences to each side) Dry riverbed crosses to your left in 150 yards. Go through more new developments until you reach a T-junction. Turn right and you are back on the road you started on. In a few minutes you will reach the car park.

When they built the site where Gumusluk Villa stands, not only did they pay attention to landscaping, leaving a number of mediterranean oaks and olive trees to enhance the environment, they also incorporated an amphitheatre. In the centre of the development a number of trees have been left standing and an amphitheatre has been constructed amidst them. Small pathways, planted on all sides with small succulent plants, displaying a carpet of gold and purple flowers in the spring and summer, lead towards the central mosaic. On summer evenings guests stroll over to the amphitheatre with their drinks to sit and watch the sun go down.

There are some large blue glasses provided at the villa. After making ready for the evening meal, I recommend filling these (although not completely – they take half a bottle each) with some rosé wine and walk the few yards to sip your aperitif and enjoy the sunset.

You start your journey from the end of line of restaurants a little further around the harbour from the brown tables of the Çay Bar (next to the jetty). There’s a white marble plinth and carving which look towards the small islet, which forms the left shoulder into the bay.

The water is shallow, only riding up to the knees at its deepest point. The walk can be a little uncomfortable without appropriate footwear; the pebbles are troublesome underfoot. For those who are staying at Gumusluk Villa there are a couple of pairs of ‘jelly’ shoes (sizes 6 and 8) which you can use; they are stored in or by the hall cupboard – although they do have a seasonal tendency to migrate into the utility / washing machine room.

Next to the pebbled underwater trail, on your left as you wade out, you can clearly see the smooth surface of an ancient road. This once led from the fortified island to one of the gates of Myndos (the ancient city which stood on this site some two thousand years ago). Do not be tempted to try and walk along this road – it is very slippery.

There are good views and spectacular sunsets from the lookout point at the top of the island. You can also see some of the ruins of ancient fortifications, both on the island and in the sea beside it.

As for the rabbits, there are a number of them of various shapes, colours and sizes; from large mottled brown to scruffy albino white. Generally the rabbits hide from the tourists during the day; but they can be seen at sunset when the visitors are few.

The Turkish, as you probably know, have a tradition of tea (çay) drinking. This tradition is not only observed by the hospitality of being offered the beverage at various shops and businesses, but also by the preservation of unpretentious tea bars/ cafés ( usually with brown chairs and tables) where you can sit and order a small glass of çay for 0.50TL each.

One of the Çay Bars in Gumusluk fishing village sits next to the harbour where everyone, from locals to tourists, can sit and watch the world go by; try it yourself – the Gumusluk Çay Bar pictured also serves Apple (Elma) Tea for the same price, if you find Turkish tea rather strong.

Distance

Grade : Walk is easy apart from a 10-15 minute section (stony and often overgrown) as you approach Karakaya and the scramble up to the windmill.

Turn right out of the villa, pass the amphitheatre on your left and follow the road round to the right, past the pool and the site office. At the top of the slope is a black wrought iron gate. Go through the gate and turn left onto a dirt road. Keep right uphill. The road swings left behind new developments and you have good views out to sea of the Greek islands.

(For panoramic views of the islands, Gumusluk inland village and surrounding countryside with old windmills on the horizon, scramble up the highest mound to your left. Brilliant at sunset!)

Over the brow of the hill the road swings right inland in front of a tall wall of a development with a blue waterslide and tennis court. Continue along the now (mainly) tree-lined road as it meanders and takes you downhill.

At a junction just before a large water trough on the left, turn left. Trees overhang the path after a few yards. There is a view of an old windmill over to your right. (You can visit it later in the walk.) When you reach a makeshift broken wooden gate, turn right over a stream bed onto a small track. The next 10 – 15 minutes of the walk is stony underfoot and is on a largely disused ancient track, much overgrown and rock strewn in parts. However, keep the stone wall topped with barbed wire to your left and follow the sunken track uphill between two walls. After 10 minutes a house appears on your left behind the stone wall and you reach a track beside the entrance to the property.

 Follow this good path a few yards uphill to join another track. You will turn right here to continue the walk, but first turn left for spectacular views of the bay and islands after 50 yards. Retrace your steps and continue up the concrete slope to the ancient village of Karakaya.

This path skirts the village, so return to it after you have explored the village. (Many houses are in ruins but several have been renovated and are used mainly as holiday homes.) The path brings you out at a parking area and a road. Follow the main road ahead of you lined with telegraph poles on the right. Don’t forget to glance behind you as you walk for some of the best views of Karakaya. There is also a water tap along the road if you need to replenish your water bottles. After 5 minutes you reach the (lime green) electricity substation.

From the substation you can visit the ancient and almost derelict windmill you saw earlier. Allow 10 minutes each way. Go through a gap in the fence to the right of the substation, next to an electricity pylon. Climb uphill towards the next pylon and then continue forward. The windmill appears after another few minutes.

To continue the walk keep the substation on your right and go down a wide screed path, parallel with the road but soon turning right. Enjoy great views as you walk. The path descends for 10 or 15 minutes and as it starts to ascend slightly you pass a new pool centred development with a dozen or so villas on your right. (Gümüs Evleri) The track becomes a paved road and at a junction turn left. When you meet the ‘main’ road turn right beside the veterinary clinic (Veteriner Klinigi Özge). After a couple of hundred yards turn right after a bus shelter on your right, onto a track signposted ‘Avukat Evyilmaz’. (Or for shops, a café and the bakers in Gumusluk inland village continue along the road for a few hundred yards, then retrace your steps.) NB the café on the right is ‘men only’ and no alcohol is served. However they are very friendly and when we went there not realising it was men only, they served us and even popped over the road to get us a beer!

At the water cistern (large, white, dome-shaped) turn right and follow the path back to our villa. (25 minutes) Look out for views of the windmills and Karakaya over to the right on your way. After a large water trough on your right (10-15 minutes) you will meet the path you took on the way to Karakaya. Keep left here and continue on the main path. The blue water slide soon becomes visible to your right. As you reach this complex you can take a left turn to cut off the corner, going past an attractive landscaped villa with pool to your left. At the top of the track turn left and Opus village is on your right.

We have attempted to show this walk on google maps; click this link to Karakaya Circular Walk to view.

We were greeted by a Scottish lady who led us into a beautiful, marble-floored room, the size of a ballroom. While she explained the procedure to us we were served with iced homemade lemonade.

We deposited our valuables in a locker and were taken to changing rooms where we put on swimwear and helped ourselves to large fluffy towels. Then it was off to the hamam – a high domed room where everything was marble: flooring, seating around the edge and a large slab in the centre. Dotted around the perimeter were basins, each with hot and cold water taps and a ladle beside. We were each assigned to a basin and instructed to pour the water over our bodies every few minutes, adjusting the temperature as we wished.

It wasn’t as hot as a steam room: indeed it was clear, not steamy, in the hamam. After about half an hour of sitting and splashing, including a ten-minute interlude to a massive jacuzzi in an adjacent room, we were deemed ready for the serious matter of washing.

We must have sweated considerably, because the first procedure was to be body brushed with a loafer type implement; to remove all the dead skin that had seeped out of our pores. Our guide had told us we’d be amazed at the change in the colour of the loafer after we’d been brushed down. She wasn’t kidding!

Then it was back to our basins to ladle more water over ourselves before our ‘washer’ came to collect us and put us on the slab for a proper wash. He or she took a soapy mesh sponge the size of a palates’ bouncing ball and rolled it up and down legs, arms and body. Then we were turned over on the slab for more of the same till we were engulfed in one massive soapsud. Final water ladling followed and we emerged from the hamam to collect our fluffy towels. Invigorated by the experience, we were ready for a long cool drink as we relaxed on comfy sofas by the bar.

Lots of other services are available such as massages, aromatherapy, manicures, pedicures etc. We tried a full body massage after the Turkish bath, which was a relaxing experience and not too expensive.