The No Straws Walkers are all set to start their 124 mile walk to help raise awareness of the plastic pollution in North Cyprus on Tuesday 30th October.
Gary Abbott, team leader and organiser for the walk, contacted the No Straws North Cyprus Facebook page creators to suggest the walkers wear the No Straws logo on their shirts to encourage more people to follow the page and take action about the rubbish around the island.
Five walkers – Gary Abbott, Mark Ryan, Steve Hopkins, John Yourston and Barry Heap –make their way up to the Karpaz on Monday, spending the night at the Sea Bird Motel, before starting their Cape to Cape walk from Zafer Burnu on the Tuesday morning.
“On the first day we plan to walk 27.5 miles to the Malibu Beach hotel in Yeni Erenkoy,” explains Gary. “The accommodation on route is all booked. our training walks are all completed now, we have a few blister injuries, but other than that, we’re ready for the off!”
On Wednesday the walkers will walk 30 miles to Tatlisu and then be transported back to the Kaplica Hotel for the night, then set off again on Thursday with the destination being Five Fingers Restaurant. Friday will see the group reach Kozankoy, a mere 21 miles, then the final push will be on Saturday, when they reach the lighthouse at Sadrazamkoy.
“We are hoping people will join us for the last part of the walk,” said Gary. “We will be celebrating at the lighthouse with a few drinks!”
Once the walk has been completed, there are plans for some celebrations at one of the bars in the Karsiyaka/Lapta area, the venue is still to be confirmed.
“Followers of the walkers can get updates on our No Straws North Cyprus Facebook page,” said Vashti Surya Harrell, one of the page’s founders. “We will be speaking to Gary each evening to find out how that day has gone and we will post it on the page, so everyone can see how they are progressing.
Information relating to the final day’s walking will also be posted on the No Straws North Cyprus page so that people wishing to join in the last section know where to find the walkers and cheer them on to their final destination.
“We would like to thank Gary and all the walkers for their desire to use their walk to help raise awareness of our group and also the problem of plastic pollution here in Cyprus,” said Peter Harrell.
Editors Note: Please see what some of the No Straw walkers had to say in the CyprusScene video.
