This summer I headed back to Turkey for the first time in a few years and, despite this being a holiday rather than a work trip, my trainers came with me. Now most of my posts on Running in Turkey can be adapted for many hotels in the region. This time though, because Club Tuana Fethiye is a bit isolated, the run is perfect if you are staying at this lovely hotel but is a bit out the way if you are staying anywhere else in the Fethiye region.
https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2369882?units=km
Before travelling to Turkey I had done a little bit of looking at the map and seen that there was a small river running alongside the hotel and had assumed I’d have to stay on the hotel side where the roads looked quite difficult to plan. However, as we were driving to the hotel from the airport I spotted a small bridge which changed the plan completely and led to this lovely little loop.
With day time temperatures in the mid 30s, I headed out for the run before 7am which had the added bonus of beautiful views of the sunrise over the mountains. I love this region of Turkey for the scenery but maybe I should have realised nearby mountains may have an impact on the run.
From the hotel I turned right, back up towards the main road and with the river to my left. There isn’t a footpath butbthe road is quiet so I never felt there was any risk. After about 1km the bridge I had spotted came into view and I was across the river.
Now on Google maps it suggests that there is a road right in front of you after crossing but there isn’t! Instead I swung right and followed the road along. As before (and actually for all this run) there was no path but that is quite common here. The road starts to rise and at approx 2km in you have to switch back on yourselves, following up the hill. This was the impact mentioned before!
The road then follows along the side of the mountain/hill as it switches back and forth several times with ups and downs as you go. There are several side roads to properties but as long as you stay to the main road you can’t get lost.
As your watch buzzes for 3km, the hill climbing is done and you have quite a steep downhill before hitting the flat of the valley floor. From here the road takes you to the seafront. This is a public beach and there were several people camping or sleeping in cars as I passed. At the end of the beach it does look like on the map that you can cross the sand and find another small bridge across the river mouth but as I wanted a little more distance, I stuck to the road as it passed through the trees.
At this point you are directly opposite your start/finish but the river is in the way so like at the start, its around 1km up, across the bridge and then back down to finish just shy of 7km. If you want to round up (and assuming that you are staying at Club Tuana) then the best bet is to use the cycle track in the hotel and extend your distance along that.
All in its a great start to a day that was then spent in the sun.
If you have done this route yourself, or have any questions, then please do leave a comment below!
Find all my Runs on the Road here!
