Adam McCulloch, The Guardian, July 29, 2015
Bicycle hire in Dalyan is great value at around 10TL (£2.50) for the day. But where should visitors go? The famous Iztuzu beach is only nine miles away but with a monster hill to climb in 35C. And visiting the Lycian ruins at Kaunos means hauling your bike onto a small rowing boat to cross the Dalyan river: not much fun.
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The tiny Yaliçapkini (Kingfisher) restaurant, two miles from the tequila bars and fake football-shirt shops of downtown Dalyan, and set among giant reeds, is the answer. Follow the “scenic route” and the sound of traffic and voices recedes as you enter pomegranate and lemon orchards dotted with beehives. After 15 minutes’ cycling the orchards give way to marsh and reedbeds. The only sounds are the breeze in the reeds and alarmed terrapins flopping into the water as you pass. Storks, kingfishers, herons are abundant, as are turtles, water snakes (I saw three), wild flowers and butterflies.
The family-run thatched restaurant is at one with the landscape and offers a friendly welcome to overheated cyclists. The menu is simple but delightful: local sea bream (£6), calamari, prawns and crab (just £3) with salads in a pomegranate/olive oil dressing alongside superb meze. Take in the natural bliss around you then slowly pedal back to Dalyan, with a slightly smug smile on your face.
• Yaliçapkini, off Turtle Beach Road, Dalyan, +90 541 282 938 (no website)
This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk
This article was written by Adam McCulloch from The Guardian and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
