HomeboyMediaNews

Head inland from Cyprus’s hedonistic coastal resorts and you’ll discover a relaxing world of tinkling cowbells, pretty villages and friendly locals

As we pulled up outside our cottage, I could barely believe my eyes. Only 20 minutes after escaping from the clogged seafront at Larnaca, where legions of lobster-pink tourists were marching the streets in search of the cheapest “two-for-one” drinks offers, we had arrived in the tiny village of Tochni. Here was a Cyprus that, until recently, I hadn’t realised still existed. I had been under the impression that the island was all overcrowded beaches and high-rise hotels. Yet this was one of the prettiest villages I had ever seen.

Scattered around the hillside was a higgledy-piggledy collection of stone houses, strung together by one meandering street that wound its way up into the foothills of the Troodos mountains. It is so quiet here that the locals claim they can hear a car coming from three miles away. As we entered the village, a “welcoming committee” of grey-haired Cypriot ladies in black dresses lined the street outside open doorways, sewing lace and swapping stories as they had done for decades. A gentle breeze stroked our skin, bringing with it reminders of the day’s earlier heat; somewhere in the distance we could hear the clanking of a cowbell, the lowing of cattle and the sound of cicadas chirruping in the bushes. This, we would learn, was as noisy as it gets in Tochni.

However, while it might seem like a world away from the package holiday swarms, Tochni is conveniently close to Cyprus’s historical sites and beautiful beaches. Located in between the southern coastal hot spots of Larnaca and Limassol, it is just five minutes away from the A1 motorway; turn left and you head straight to the capital city, Nicosia; turn right and you’ll end up in Coral Bay and Paphos, on the island’s west coast. Despite the fact that not many people seem to know about it, including most of the Cypriots we asked on the way, Tochni has been inhabited for over 1,000 years. For much of that time, life has trickled along at the same pedestrian pace you’ll experience today.

For various reasons, however, the population of the village dropped drastically in recent decades, to the point where Tochni’s community was in danger of disappearing altogether. It began in 1974, when the village’s Turkish residents fled their homes and headed to the north, after the island’s invasion by Turkey. Although many of these houses were subsequently filled by Greek-Cypriot refugees, in the reciprocal exodus to the south, a large number of them are still empty today. The problem of Tochni’s shrinking population was exacerbated by the fact that its younger residents were moving to more urban areas like Larnaca. Those that remained were mostly elderly; Tochni was in danger of dying out. Thankfully this trend is now changing, as a result of one man’s vision.

Sofronis Potamitis, who grew up in the nearby village of Kalavasos, set up a company called Cyprus Villages 10 years ago. It began buying up abandoned cottages in the area, and turning them into traditional-style holiday homes, as part of a government scheme to inject new life into rural Cyprus. Unlike the huge development projects which created many of the resorts that we’re more familiar with in Cyprus, Potamitis aims to give visitors a taste of traditional Cypriot life.

Having been in Tochni only an hour, we made our way along the narrow main street, waving to the lace-making ladies en route, to the post office-cum-general store. While browsing the shelves for some holiday beer, Christos, the store’s owner, presented us with two glasses of fresh lemonade. “How long are you staying?” he asked, with a warm smile. “You’re going to love it here.”

Our cottage was located at the bottom of the village, in a cosy courtyard with a pool. The entrance was via an ancient wooden door, and steps so worn by centuries of feet that they had dimples in the middle. There were three other little houses in the complex, but each one was shrouded by vine leaves and bright pink flowering bushes, so it felt as though we had it all to ourselves. The cottage was simple but homely; a little four-poster bed, lounge, kitchen and bathroom are all you really need for a week of epic book reading, interspersed with dunks in the turquoise pool. There are only two restaurants in Tochni, but the food is magnificent at both.

My favourite was the Tochni Taverna. A steep, winding path takes you up from the market square, past several families of fluffy kittens and ramshackle houses, to a leafy terrace overlooking the streets and surrounding hills. The stifado, melt-in-the-mouth chunks of beef cooked in red wine with onions and cinnamon, is fantastic, and the atmosphere is reminiscent of visiting a friend’s home. However, if you can’t face the climb you could always grab a table at Nostos instead, which is conveniently located at the bottom of the path. The tables outside allow you to witness all the crucial comings and goings in the village either in Christos’s shop, opposite, or the church next door.

While you could easily spend a whole summer here indulging in people-watching and page-turning, there’s a lot to do if you want a more active holiday. As part of the “agro-tourism” programme run by Potamitis, you can spend the day picking your own olives and grapes, or even head up into the hills with a goat-herder who will teach you how to make halloumi cheese. I decided to go cycling. Next to Tochni Taverna is Zypernbike, which runs guided rides around the area. Tochni is surrounded by other picture-postcard villages, and a bike encourages you to get off the main tourist thoroughfares.

My ride began at Zypernbike’s sister centre, which is based at the Aldiana Hotel, near Alaminos, half an hour’s drive from Tochni. Our three-hour jaunt through the heat-haze and dust began on the road towards Mazotos, before our guide led us onto a stony trail that descended into Alaminos itself. From here we followed the undulating landscape as it climbed up to Anafatida.

From then on it was a fairly easy cruise back towards the coast and onto a sandy path, which ran parallel to an inky blue sea frothing with white caps. If riding bikes and herding goats sounds a bit too strenuous, there are plenty of other things to see and do around Tochni. Five minutes’ drive from the top of the village is the Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia, a Unesco World Heritage Site where you’ll find the remains of houses dating back around 9,000 years.

Indeed, the whole of Cyprus is littered with ancient historical sites, from the Baths of Aphrodite in the north-west corner, through the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates on the south-west coast, to the monastery at Ayia Napa in the south-east corner. And, thanks to the dual carriageway running along the south coast, you could even squeeze them all in a day. However, when the temperature is hovering around 40C, it’s all too easy to plonk yourself on the beach instead. Fifteen-minutes’ drive from Tochni is Governor’s Beach, a beautiful stretch of gently shelving sand with gin-clear water.

Hard though it is to believe, time flies when you’re occupied by indolence. After a week of reading The Count of Monte Cristo, and evening strolls along the lanes surrounding Tochni, it was suddenly time to leave. Despite vowing not to tell anyone about my Cypriot secret, I’ve been blabbing about it ever since we got back. Hopefully, though, it will still be as quiet when we return back, soon again.

GETTING THERE > Larnaca is served by Cyprus Airways (www.cyprusairways.com)  and by Eurocypria (www.eurocypria.com) from various regional airports. 

STAYING THERE > Cyprus Villages (www.cyprusvillages.com.cy) offers seven-nights in Tochni from £130 per person. 

FURTHER INFORMATION > Cyprus Tourism Organisation: www.cyprustourism.org