The falls are approximately 1600m above sea level and the trail is roughly 5km from start to finish. With recent heavy snow fall at the top of mount Olympus I was hoping for some decent snow melt making the falls quite impressive.

As previously said the walk is relatively family friendly (Some crossing of streams and over wet rocks.) so I took my wife and son with me to check out the waterfall as the last time we went during the summer it was more of a dribble than a fall! Plus our new Berghaus BIOFLEX pack had arrived the day before so it was perfect timing to try it out.

The start of the trail is at the Trout farm. There is a prominent concrete track running up the Mountain to the left hand side of the farm. Just follow that until you reach the trail. The path on the trail is well walked so even during winter when snow melt and rain have forced rocks and boulders onto the path it is still easily followed without the need of a map. (For the first kilometre or so a galvanised steel water pipe parallels the track so as long as you can see the pipeline, you are going the right way.)

The path upto the falls snakes its way up the mountain crossing the same stream all the way up. Decent boots are required and I regret not taking my Berghaus Yeti Attak gaiters as I slipped off a rock and into the stream when carrying Tom across resulting in a wet foot!

Three quarters of the way up the trail a wooden rest shelter has been constructed so if the weather closes in or the suns rays are too strong you can grab a bit of respite from the elements. It was good to stop and sort Toms boots and socks out and grab a quick brew and take in some of the scenery.

Not far after the rest shelter and you are at the falls. Because of the recent rain and snow melt they were quite impressive to watch. (Not on a Niagara scale though!)

I did contemplate deploying some swimming trunks and getting in for a quick dip but I bottled it and on reflection that water was absolutely Baltic so the right decision was made!

The trip back down is via the same route. By this point my son was tired out (I was impressed that he completed the two ish kilometre walk uphill in quite cold temperatures without complaining so it wasn’t a surprise when he asked to be carried back down.)  When you get back to the car park there is a great little restaurant attached to the Trout farm. They serve good food with some fantastic freshly caught trout and more importantly, a very welcome cold beer!

On the route back home there are ‘loads’ of wineries to visit, some offering free tasting so it really is well worth a visit. Looking at this photo of my wife Toni slipping on a rock, you would probably think we stopped in to them on the way there!!!!!

Paul is a British solider based in Cyprus and spends a lot of time in the Troodus mountain range so he was a perfect candidate for our first theme of multi-day backpacking. Here Paul blogs about his first adventure as a Berghaus guest blogger:

The Akamas peninsular located to the north west of Paphos, Cyprus. It offers some fantastic beach views and coastline walks along the beach as well as the Gorge. The Gorge itself has a small car park accessed by a track leading off from the beach road.

The gorge is a natural horse shoe shape and approximately 7km from start to finish and as a bonus you finish the walk exactly where you started.

Initially you follow a prominent graveled track/ Nature trail in a clockwise direction. This track handrails a stream into the start of the gorge. The sides of the gorge are sheer rock that has been carved away by many thousands of years of erosion from the water. Eventually the gravel track ends and you have to carry on walking through the stream. A good set of Berghaus boots are recommended especially during the winter as the water is flowing quite quickly and the rocks can be quite tricky!

Carry on following the stream throughout the gorge, the ground is rising but is not too difficult and the views are definitely worth it. During a previous visit with my son during the summer we saw a large blunt nose viper sunning itself on a hollowed rock shelf, I am not a massive fan of snakes so that part of the walk was covered at warp speed! The first half of the horse shoe is a relatively easy walk and would be suitable for older children.

Once you have reached the half way point you come across a plateau of grass land and is an ideal spot to take a break. As you can see on the map a road takes you pretty much back to the car park and would be ideal again if you had children with you as the second part of the gorge is where things get a bit more interesting!

The second half of the gorge again cut down into the rock has some mini water falls and obstacles that you have to traverse. Some of the plunge pools are deep enough to jump into and others have had rope safety lines drilled into the rock face to make the obstacles easier to navigate. It is great fun during the winter jumping off the mini waterfalls into the plunge pools to cool off a bit. You will definitely get wet so anything in your day sack / bergan needs to be fully waterproofed and it is worth noting that once you have descended past the initial waterfalls it can be difficult to go back the way you came.

This is my friend descending into the water on a rope that had been pre drilled into the rock. The water was freezing cold at this point!

The culmination of the walk brings you back out of the gorge a short distance from the car park and into the warm sunshine! There is a water fountain and picnic area located at the car park but more importantly there is a fantastic restaurant serving cold beer and great food just along the track heading back onto the coastal road. Definitely worth having at least a beer there as the views out to sea are fantastic!

Hope you enjoyed the read and have a good one if you visit Akamas gorge. Hopefully my next trip will be up in the Troodos mountains carrying the new Berghaus BIOFLEX pack!

If you’re interested in becoming an Everyday Adventurer and blogging to the world, as well as getting your hands on some great Berghaus kit and a digital camera, you can find out more at www.berghaus.com/everydayadventurers