- MAY 4 - 12 - (BANK HOL) TREK THE LYCIAN WAY, WESTERN HIGHLIGHTS (TURKEY)Dalaman Airport, Dalaman, MU£699.00
Backabush is going back to Turkiye to trek the highlights of the Western Lycian Way!
Cost £699. Number of nights - 8. Maximum group size - 16.
Accommodation in small hotels, guesthouses and homestays. This is an 'Inn to Inn' trekking trip with luggage transfer.
The Lycian way is a long distance trail that spans over 300 miles along Turkey's stunning Turquoise Coast. Our plan is to do the best day hikes on the western half of the trail, along spectacular coastline, between rural towns and villages. We will have the chance to visit ancient Roman ruins, wild swim in secluded coves and enjoy home cooked food at our local guesthouses.
We plan to do six days of hiking along the famous Lycian way through meadow and forest, past the sandy beaches of Kabak and Kalkan Cove through the ruins of Delikkemer and Patara. We will finish our trek in the beach town of Kas, a centre for adventure tourism where we will have a free day to rest & recover or join an excursion such as sea kayaking to the sunken city of Kekova or catch a short ferry to the Greek island of Kastellorizo.
ACCOMMODATIONS
On this trip we will be staying in six different places as we journey along the Lycian Way. Accommodation will be a combination of small hotels, guesthouses and one homestay, for one or two nights each.
We will sleep in shared twin rooms with one night at the homestay where there will be 4 beds in each room.
DIFFICULTY
This trip is best suited to hikers with a good level of fitness, our longest day of hiking will be approximately 9 miles with over 800m of ascent on rough trails. There will also be some shorter days finishing earlier in the afternoon so we can enjoy the beaches and ancient ruins.
We will be supported on our trek by a local organiser who will provide a luggage transfer between accommodations so we can hike each day with just a light daypack.
On this trip we don't have local guides, the trail is well marked and signposted throughout. Detailed route descriptions inculding GPX files to use with navigation apps will be provided but if you are not confident in navigation don't worry, we will always be hiking together as a group and supporting each other throughout the trip.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
- 8 Nights hotel, guesthouse & homestay accommodation in shared rooms.
- All breakfasts, 2 simple packed lunches and 3 evening meals.
- Private airport transfers and transport to/from hikes.
- Luggage transfer between accommodations.
- 6 days of organised hikes (self guided).
- Trip organiser.
- Full financial protection as per the Package Travel Regulations.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?
- Flights to Dalaman Airport (see recommended flights).
- Remaining lunches and dinners.
- Travel insurance.
- Optional excursions in Kas.
RECOMMENDED FLIGHTS
Our airport transfers will be organised to meet these flights, if you choose to book alternative travel you will need to either meet us at Dalaman Airport at 20:45 or make your own way to our first nights accommodation in Kayaköy.
Outbound - Saturday 4 May
easyJet EZY8563
Departs - Gatwick 14:25
Arrives - Dalaman 20:35Return - Sunday 12 May
easyJet EZY8564
Departs - Dalaman 15:00
Arrives - Gatwick 17:25HOW TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRIP
To book onto this trip please email backabushxplorers@yahoo.com and send full payment to the Backabush account. Please use LYCIANWEST as your payment reference.
Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622Your RSVP alone is NOT enough to secure your place, full payment is needed to make a reservation.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We consider safety to be our number one priority and while we never take unnecessary risks, we do recognise that any outdoor activity involves a danger of personal injury or death. Remember that you should be aware of and accept these risks as you are responsible for your own safety and you should not undertake anything beyond your abilities. It is also your responsibility to be correctly equipped for the weather and activity you have chosen to participate in.
- MAY 25 - 31 (SPRING BANK HOLIDAY) - ORKNEYInverness, Inverness£659.00
Backabush is going to Orkney for some Scottish island hopping in the far north!
Cost - £659. Group size - 18. Accommodation - Hostel with twin rooms.
Orkney is an archipelago off the north coast of Scotland, famous for its tall sandstone cliffs, neolithic sites, wildlife, and seemingly endless daylight at midsummer. Come island hopping with us to a place with it's own unique Scottish character. The relatively low level walking on Orkney is in complete contrast to so many of the Scottish hiking trips that we have run in the past, Orkney's rolling hills, meadows, miles of coastline and archaeological sites provide hikers with so much to explore.
Our plan is to drive from Inverness on Saturday May 25th and catch the ferry across to St Margaret's Hope on South Ronaldsay, Orkney. From there our road hops across a few little islands all connected by narrow causeways before reaching Mainland, which is the largest of the islands. We will stay for 6 nights on Mainland in the town of Kirkwall, Orkney's largest settlement, comparatively busy with restaurants, shops, picturesque harbourfront and historic Norse centre.
For our 5 hiking days we will have the chance to explore Mainland Orkney as well as some of the neighbouring isles accessible by short ferry rides. Some of Orkneys walking highlights include:
- Skara Brea & the Western Coastline, one of the best preserved stone age villages in Europe.
- The island of Hoy, with its craggy coast and sea-stack 'The Old Man of Hoy.'
- The island of Westray, 'Queen O' the Isles', RSPB reserve and broad bays of Tuquoy and Mae Sands.
- South Ronaldsay, the Tomb of the Eagles and Windwick Bay.
- Deerness, the eastern tip of Mainland, a beautifully rugged Orkney classic.
ACCOMODATION
We have hostel accommodation with a difference in Orkney. There are shared twin and private room options, bathrooms are shared.Shared twin room £659
TRAVEL TO SCOTLAND
The meeting point will be in Inverness town centre at 10:45am on Saturday 25th May. We will meet in the car park outside the Morrisons Supermarket, which is just next to the train station.We must depart Inverness no later than 11am in order to catch our ferry to Orkney. For this reason we would recommend travelling to Scotland the day before on Friday 24th and staying overnight in Inverness or nearby. There are plenty of hotel, b&b and hostel accommodation options to choose from in Inverness.
DIFFICULTY
Although ascent on this trip will be minimal (Orkney's highest summit is 481m high) this is a wild and remote area with rough trails and some steep routes winding up and down the island coastal cliffs, surefootedness is necessary. On this trip we will need to be fit enough to walk 10 miles a day.WHAT IS INCLUDED:
- 6 nights quality, hostel accommodation (we will sleep in twin share rooms booked exclusively for our group)
- All transport in Scotland and Airport transfers from Inverness.
- Guided hikes. Our leaders are Mountain Leader trained and qualified first-aiders.
- Financial protection in accordance with the Package Travel Law 1992
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:
- Meals - Our accommodation will have self catering facilities and there are many local pubs and restaurant nearby
- Travel to Scotland
- Travel Insurance
HOW TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRIP:
To confirm your place on this trip use internet banking your RSVP is not enough to reserve a space on this trip. Please use ORKNEYMAY as your payment reference. The account details are:
Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622Only payment secures your place. Please email backabushxplorers@yahoo.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you. Thanks. :)
- JULY 13-17 – HUT-TO-HUT TREKKING BULGARIA'S PIRIN MOUNTAINSSofia, Sofia£379.00
Join Backabush on an adventurous 4-day hut-to-hut trek in Bulgaria’s wild and dramatic Pirin mountains!
Nights - 4. Cost - £379. Group size – 16.
This spectacular and challenging trek will take us along wonderful alpine ridges, granite peaks and an abundance of crystal lakes of the stunning Pirin Mountains, the second highest but most impressive and unforgiving mountain range in Bulgaria. Most of the mountain range is designated a national park, listed by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site, and the alpine scenery we will see along the way is breathtaking.
As part of the trek, we will tackle some of the highlights of Bulgarian hiking: the famous Koncheto knife-edge ridge and Mt. Vihren (2914m), the highest and mightiest peak of the Pirins, and second highest in Bulgaria.
We will sleep in scenically situated mountain huts, including the Tevno Ezero Shelter, one of the most remote in the country. These mountain huts provide simple sleeping berths with sheets, blankets and pillows and offer basic, affordable meals and beverages. Staying in these Bulgarian mountain huts will truly add to our mountain experience.
This demanding point-to-point trek requires that you complete all stages on foot, carrying your own luggage, although meals and beverages can be bought affordably in the mountain huts. Generally speaking we recommend this trek only for experienced, intrepid hikers who are happy to stay in rustic accommodation.
The entire route leads along spectacular mountain paths, including some ridges that are quite narrow in parts, requiring a head for heights and good hiking fitness. You will need to be full of energy and determination as we will tackle a lot of uphill hiking and rough terrain over the four days.
This is an excellent trip if you want to be physically challenged while being able to enjoy some fantastic mountain vistas all along the way!
ITINERARY:
Sat 13 July – Arrival in Sofia. Overnight in a hotel in Sofia city centre (twin share rooms).
Sun 14 July – Our private transfer will pick us up in Sofia city centre in the morning and take us to the trailhead from where we will hike to the Yavorov hut (1740m). (7km, 750m ascent)
Mon 15 July – This is the toughest and longest day, but at the same time the most sensational and memorable. We will traverse the spectacular Koncheto karst ridge, followed by a circular climb of Pirin’s highest summit, Vihren (2914m), before descending to Vihren hut. (13.5km, 1300m ascent, 1100m descent)
Tue 16 July – Our path ascends through the Banderishki cirque and its glistering lakes. Next it follows a ridge with amazing views of cirques and dark-blue lakes. Overnight at the Tevno Ezero refuge (2500m). (12km, 900m ascent, 350m dscent).
Wed 17 July – We hike past the beautiful Samodivskite lakes and Popovo lake to the Bezbog Hut. From here we will take the chairlift down to Gotse Delchev and be transferred back to Sofia. (8km, 300m ascent, 550m descent).
This trip can be combined with PEAKS & LAKES OF BULGARIA'S RILA MOUNTAINS - see Meetup comments section below for details.
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
- 1 night hotel accommodation in Sofia - twin (or double) share
- 3 nights’ accommodation in mountain huts - shared multi-bedded rooms
- An itinerary of 4 days of guided trekking
- Transfers as foreseen by the itinerary
- 1 Backabush trip leader and 1 local English-speaking Bulgarian hiking guide
- Financial protection in accordance with the Package Travel Law 1992
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED:
- Food and drinks
- Flights and airport transfers
- Travel insurance
- Chair lift fee (expected to be about 11 EUR)
FLIGHTS:
Sofia is well connected with direct flights from multiple UK airports. Please use Skyscanner or another search engine to find the most suitable flights for you.
You will need to arrive in Sofia on (or before) Sat 13 July. Sofia city centre is easily reachable by public transportation and we will give detailed directions to our hotel.
The trip finishes on Wed 17 Jul. This is our final trekking day and we have an approx. 3,5 hr transfer back to Sofia city centre after our hike. If you wish to fly back on 17 Jul this is only possible if you book the late Ryanair flight FR9962 leaving Sofia at 22:35 (airport drop off possible). Earlier flights are not feasible.
Otherwise you will need to book your own accommodation in Sofia for 17 Jul and can book any return flight on 18 Jul, making your own way to Sofia airport.
HOW TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRIP:
To confirm your place on this trip use online banking. Your RSVP is not enough to reserve a space on this trip. Please use PIRIN as your payment reference. The account details are:
Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622Only payment secures your place. Please email ingridhansen1@gmail.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you. Thanks! :)