Kyrenia mountains run

A few days in Cyprus, spent mainly on the northern 'Turkish' side. After a night in north Nicosia, I strolled a few hundred metres to catch a convenient dolmus to Girne/Kyrenia. This is not far from Nicosia, and the road heads towards the giant Turkish flags on the hillside facing the city, before going over a pass to descend to this attractive harbour town. I had no car, so planned to run all the way up to St Hilarion then along the Kyrenian ridge by way of last minute training for the Preseli Beast. But I had work appointments to fulfil first, and it didn't really work out that way despite the early start. I jogged through the town, then picked my way gradually up suburban roads extending into the low Kyrenian mountains above the town. This worked to an extent, but I should probably have headed further west before starting the climb, as the tracks I tried to follow all petered out before gaining the top of the ridge. But, at least I got up into the mountains for a bit: interesting birds and great views out over the Med and across the rest of the limestone Kyrenian range. It was a tad too hot for comfort, temperatures building each day, and I was relieved to duck into a cafe when I got back into the fringes of Girne.