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Make friends in the north
Chris Coplans - Monday, March 5, 2007
The port of Kyrenia in CyprusWhen is a church garden not part of the church? When a UN buffer zone bisects it.

There is a pretty little Catholic church in Nicosia, or Lefkosia as it is also known, that proves the point. For, on this divided island, you can't get into the building from the Turkish side, as the entrance is in Greek Cyprus, but you can't get into the garden from the Greek side as it is in Turkish Cyprus. Confused?

Welcome to a world of Mediterranean-style macho posturing, with a dash of UN incompetence thrown in for good measure.

The Green Line – actually a rather unattractive rusty old fence – was established as a buffer zone by the UN in 1974 after fighting over Cyprus ceased between Turkey and Greece.

North of the line, you're in the country that dare not speak its name – the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – and south of it you're back in what everyone else knows as Cyprus.

Thankfully, since 2003, border restrictions for tourists have been eased, making travel between the two sides as easy as Greek cake, or Turkish delight if you prefer.

Keeping it low-key
Of course, most people are thoroughly uninterested in the political handbagging and head for North Cyprus for a damn good holiday.

The upside for tourists visiting a 'country' only recognised by Turkey is that, unlike the Greek side, the north has been spared the excesses of mass tourism, so you will be unlikely to encounter Premiership footballers, squaddies or the fish'n'chip brigade.

North Cyprus attracts the culture vulture rather than the lager lout. It is a land of small villages, many, such as Bellapais, attractively nestled on the slopes of the Kyrenia Mountains that separate the north coast from the rest of the island.

There are some excellent Roman ruins, Gothic churches, atmospheric castles and one of the Med's finest beaches in Gazimagusa Bay.

I stayed in the delightful resort of Kyrenia (or Girne in Turkish), which has one of the most picturesque small ports in the Mediterranean.

From Kyrenia, it is easy to explore most of North Cyprus on day trips and be back in time for a mouth-watering seafood banquet in one of the many fine harbourside restaurants, such as the superb Canli Balik.

From the five-star Colony Hotel, with its rooftop pool and bar commanding views overlooking the town and harbour, I ventured out into a land of bucolic splendour.

In the north-east corner of the island is the Karpas Peninsula, known locally as the Panhandle. Much of the northern part of the sparsely populated peninsula is without electricity and protected from development.

It is also the only part of North Cyprus where some Greek residents refused to move south of the Green Line, preferring to live in peace with their Turkish neighbours as they had been doing for hundreds of years.

In the most northerly village, Dipkarpaz, a handsome Greek Orthodox church and mosque sit cheek by jowl, as if in defiance of the politicians.

Great escape
The single Panhandle road snakes from the west to the east coast, where donkeys graze on grasslands reminiscent of the Asian steppes.

The road hits the east coast south of Golden Beach, one of the most glorious and unspoilt stretches of sand I've visited.

There is no development other than a few rustic huts that you can rent in summer.

The best of the Roman ruins are at Salamis, which date back to the 11th century BC.

The Roman emperor Constantius II rebuilt the city in the fourth century and its impressive auditorium could once accommodate 15,000 spectators.

The place serves as a timely reminder of what could be achieved when Cyprus was still a united island.