Picnic your way down to the Green Valley Waterfall, Trimiklini...with your dog

On a trip up to the Troodos mountains yesterday we discovered a real hidden gem. We'd been driving for well over an hour, we were four adults and a large dog in a small car, and it was getting hot. So when we saw large signs advertising 'loukoumades' (like a honey soaked mini doughnut) in one of the roadside cafes, we were lured in. This was on the B8 between Laneia and Platres.

Coffee at Green Valley Cafe-Restaurant, Trimiklini

We caused a ruckus as soon as we approached, due to the two small, female terriers that were roaming the cafe. They didn't take too kindly to Sage intruding on their territory. I must admit, the owners didn't do much about the commotion, calling their dogs off quite ineffectually.

Anyway, we did a bit of foot stomping, and a lot of calming words to Sage, and finally got to a table without anyone getting into any fights.

The cafe was a bit of a let-down. They didn't have loukoumades; apparently there were not enough customers to warrant making any. So we just had coffee instead. What they do sell, however, are dozens of jars of the marmalade type sweet - koutaliou, which is delicious with Greek yogurt - in any flavour you could imagine, from apple, rose, sour cherry, to carrot, walnut, pumpkin, bergamot...

But the real point of this post, was to tell you about the fantastic little waterfall that is hidden away below the cafe! 

At first we hesitated a bit, the cafe charges 5E per person (3E concession) to enter the trail down to the falls, but it looked so intriguing from the top of the path that we decided to give it a shot. And I was so glad that we did. In the words of our Swedish guest, it was wonderfully 'quirky'.

At the top of the trail, which is only about 400m in total, there are cages with chickens and a peacock. The chickens seem to be able to get out from the cage, and were wandering about the paths. There were ducks with ducklings a little further down.

The owner cautioned us to keep Sage on her lead as we passed these birds - and it's true she was a little bit too interested and had to be physically restrained at the start.

The owners of the cafe have done a really lovely job on the paths, handrails and signage. They created the whole thing themselves, constructing posts and signs out of re-used wood (I saw an old doorframe at some point), and recycling to make benches and tables. Plants and trees were growing around and over the path, and many had been identified with hand-written signs - olive, caper, fig etc. Some of them we were slightly unsure of, but what do we know?

Every available space had been made into an inviting place to sit and picnic, or play. There were signs at the cafe that you could take your order down with you, which I would definitely do next time.

We got to the waterfall in no time, and the only other visitors there soon left. So we let Sage off her lead to have a game of chase around the empty picnic benches, and run through the stream. 

A warning to those less mobile: the path is fairly uneven and broken up in some places, and there are quite a few steps.

I really recommend this as a place to stop off for an hour or so on a long drive to or from the Troodos mountains. It would be lovely in the height of summer, to go and cool off in the falls, and eat a picnic at one of the shady tables they have provided. Sage loved it, and so did I.

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