Akşehir to Ilgin – 29th September
Distance: 43.7 km – Elevation +280 m -260 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 25 degrees
I knew I had a long day ahead of me so I skipped breakfast and was on my way at first light – 6.30 am. I had said my goodbyes last night to Haci and the other members of the staff who had looked after me so well during my stay in Akşehir. Haci said he would ask the restaurant staff to prepare a sandwich to take with me in the morning before I left and sure enough as I was leaving the night receptionist at the hotel asked me to wait and went off in the direction of the kitchen and returned with a well-wrapped large sandwich.
Being Sunday morning the roads out of the city were very quiet and as usual, I met the town dogs on the outskirts but they were well behaved and ignored me as I passed on the other side of the road. The early morning warmth of the sun and the clear blue skies made for an enjoyable start. It was a glorious day for walking with a maximum temperature of 25 deg. Around 9.00 am I came to the Kucuk Asci in Altuntaş, a roadside service area and stopped for breakfast. The breakfast consisted of bacon and eggs, various cheeses, salad and dressings and plenty of fresh bread and ample quantities of tea. I am walking through the plains of the Anatolian plateau and colours of gold and brown were vibrant with the pinkish-grey of the distant mountains as a backdrop.
Close to halfway point of my day’s journey, after a short climb, I took a break in a field beside the road and unwrapped the sandwich prepared by Haci. It was enormous and filled with cold meats, salad and tasty tomatoes. It was too large to eat in one session so it was rewrapped and saved for later consumption. After the midday break, the kilometres and time seemed to disappear quickly as I continued towards Ilgin, taking the occasional rest break in roadside filling stations. I arrived on the outskirts of Ilgin at 6.30 pm just as dusk was arriving, having covered a distance of 43 kilometres. I stayed in the first hotel I came to, the Cesuroğlu Otel. The staff were polite and helpful and it had its own restaurant, where I enjoyed a very good supper. A starter of bananas and honey followed by tender chicken on skewers with salad and other trimmings and finally a plate of fruit including fresh figs, grapes and sliced apple all washed down with a rare glass of beer. My bed tonight was very welcoming after a long but glorious day.
