After a very rainy week, we set off on Saturday for a daytrip to Geyikbayiri and the ruins of Trebenna. Geyikbayiri is the first or last stage of the Lycian Way (depending on where you start) and a very famous climbing spot – but we’ll come back to it later.
We set off early in the day and visited the ruins of Trebenna first. The city was probably founded in Classical times as an outpost of Termessos. It has an inscription recognizing Hadrian as a god, erected when he visited the province (123 AD). The hilltop site has an early Byzantine wall, an early Byzantine basilica and a great view over the Antalya plain. For more information about the site, you can read more about it in the book “The Lycian Way” by Kate Clow.
After taking some pictures and checking the state of the site, we walked along the Lycian Way to the outskirts of Geyikbayiri. We came out exactly outside the climbing area. The weather was great, mild but sunny and saw a lot of people climbing. There are around 400 bolted routes, mostly grade 6 and 7 (European grades) but the area is constantly being expanded, so you can find suitable routes for everyone. The main season is from autumm to spring (the summer being too hot to climb outside) There are also several bouldering routes in Feslekan Yaylası, which is a few km above Geyikbayiri. We visited some acommodation and checked the information for our iPhone application. For an always expanding list of acommodation, check the Culture Routes Society in Turkey website.
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