Paddling all the way to paradise in Fethiye
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Jane Tuna
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 19, 2009 09:57
FETHİYE -An English expatriate in Fethiye is happy to share his love for Fethiye and offers kayaking sessions on the blue seas. Dean Livesey says that this is the very best way to see the Turkish coasts from a different perspective
Sevencapes is a young and vibrant company that has taken the best ingredients from the Turkish environment, adding the energy and inspiration of a couple and sprinkling the delightful result with some sparkling jewels of nature.
"For anyone who wants to see the Turkish coast from a different perspective, sea kayaking below the towering cliffs to the south of Fethiye and Olüdeniz and camping on this unspoiled area’s hidden beaches may be just the way to do it," said Dean Livesey, who is happy to share his love of the area.
Sevencapes has taken all the best aspects of Turkey’s southwest coastline, adding to them the innate enthusiasm of the two founders and then refining them into a series of adventurous holidays for those who want something different.
Dean and Ayşe Livesey are a dynamic couple with a mass of skills between them, which have been used to good effect, first in Kaş and now in the Fethiye area. Born in Leicestershire in the England, Dean first arrived in Istanbul with a Eurorail ticket back in 1988.
Cultural wealth
Attracted by the cultural wealth of the city, he spent some weeks exploring the area before travelling south, as far as Olympos and Çiralı before the lure of the culture and beauty of the scenery finally caught him in its magic spell and he decided to make Turkey his home.
Previously a marine engineer, the five years he spent in the Royal Navy and later with the merchant navy gave him the skills that would later become a rich source of inspiration, especially when it came to building the first trees houses in Olympos and later setting up a sea kayaking company to facilitate visiting the extraordinary sunken town of Kekova.
He is a British Canoe Union-trained kayak coach, an athletic mountain guide who has also written several books and guides. As if that wasn’t enough, he is responsible for all of Sevencapes’ outdoor pursuits. Dean is a man who constantly extends his horizons both physically and intellectually.
He is complemented by his Ankara-born-and-educated wife, Ayşe, who is a professional guide, responsible for taking cultural expeditions all over Turkey. She is also very knowledgeable about local wildlife and nature, which adds another dimension to her tours. Put this together with her exquisite cooking skills and between them the couple have a diversity of expertise that many much larger companies lack. Their ability to enthuse their customers is certainly down to their own intrinsic love of what they are fortunate enough to do for a living.
Different levels
Sevencapes’ kayaking trips can accommodate different levels of competence and although it must be assumed fitness is a defining factor, there are beginners’ courses for those with more eagerness than skill. "For sure" Dean explains, "these kayaks are not child’s play. They balance on the water cutting it like a knife through butter and require ability in the way that splashing about in a toy canoe does not." His is appropriately named Red Ferrari.
"We have only simple requirements: dry clothes, a toothbrush, sleeping bags, tents, etc., together with food and vital equipment, which are packed into dry-sealed areas in the front and back of the kayaks," he said. They are fitted with comfortable seats to support and protect the back while paddling. Some of the kayaks are single-seaters and some have twin seats.
Dean found some wild, deserted places to camp and cook meals, enabling his guests to better appreciate the night skies, phosphorescence in the warm Mediterranean waters and a way of live that they would otherwise be unable to experience. His eyes sparkled as he described the thrill of being on the water. But if kayaking isn’t enough, Dean takes groups trekking in the mountains behind this awe inspiring coastline and visits villages and historical ruins off the beaten track.
Dean, Ayşe and the Sevencapes team have developed a unique kind of tourism that is not only sensitive to the environment, leaving nothing more than a few footprints in the sand, but also respectful of other tourists’ desire for peace, quiet and the need for tranquillity. For anyone who would like further information on kayaking holidays please visit: www.sevencapes.com or telephone Dean Livesey at 0537 403 3779.
"For anyone who wants to see the Turkish coast from a different perspective, sea kayaking below the towering cliffs to the south of Fethiye and Olüdeniz and camping on this unspoiled area’s hidden beaches may be just the way to do it," said Dean Livesey, who is happy to share his love of the area.
Sevencapes has taken all the best aspects of Turkey’s southwest coastline, adding to them the innate enthusiasm of the two founders and then refining them into a series of adventurous holidays for those who want something different.
Dean and Ayşe Livesey are a dynamic couple with a mass of skills between them, which have been used to good effect, first in Kaş and now in the Fethiye area. Born in Leicestershire in the England, Dean first arrived in Istanbul with a Eurorail ticket back in 1988.
Cultural wealth
Attracted by the cultural wealth of the city, he spent some weeks exploring the area before travelling south, as far as Olympos and Çiralı before the lure of the culture and beauty of the scenery finally caught him in its magic spell and he decided to make Turkey his home.
Previously a marine engineer, the five years he spent in the Royal Navy and later with the merchant navy gave him the skills that would later become a rich source of inspiration, especially when it came to building the first trees houses in Olympos and later setting up a sea kayaking company to facilitate visiting the extraordinary sunken town of Kekova.
He is a British Canoe Union-trained kayak coach, an athletic mountain guide who has also written several books and guides. As if that wasn’t enough, he is responsible for all of Sevencapes’ outdoor pursuits. Dean is a man who constantly extends his horizons both physically and intellectually.
He is complemented by his Ankara-born-and-educated wife, Ayşe, who is a professional guide, responsible for taking cultural expeditions all over Turkey. She is also very knowledgeable about local wildlife and nature, which adds another dimension to her tours. Put this together with her exquisite cooking skills and between them the couple have a diversity of expertise that many much larger companies lack. Their ability to enthuse their customers is certainly down to their own intrinsic love of what they are fortunate enough to do for a living.
Different levels
Sevencapes’ kayaking trips can accommodate different levels of competence and although it must be assumed fitness is a defining factor, there are beginners’ courses for those with more eagerness than skill. "For sure" Dean explains, "these kayaks are not child’s play. They balance on the water cutting it like a knife through butter and require ability in the way that splashing about in a toy canoe does not." His is appropriately named Red Ferrari.
"We have only simple requirements: dry clothes, a toothbrush, sleeping bags, tents, etc., together with food and vital equipment, which are packed into dry-sealed areas in the front and back of the kayaks," he said. They are fitted with comfortable seats to support and protect the back while paddling. Some of the kayaks are single-seaters and some have twin seats.
Dean found some wild, deserted places to camp and cook meals, enabling his guests to better appreciate the night skies, phosphorescence in the warm Mediterranean waters and a way of live that they would otherwise be unable to experience. His eyes sparkled as he described the thrill of being on the water. But if kayaking isn’t enough, Dean takes groups trekking in the mountains behind this awe inspiring coastline and visits villages and historical ruins off the beaten track.
Dean, Ayşe and the Sevencapes team have developed a unique kind of tourism that is not only sensitive to the environment, leaving nothing more than a few footprints in the sand, but also respectful of other tourists’ desire for peace, quiet and the need for tranquillity. For anyone who would like further information on kayaking holidays please visit: www.sevencapes.com or telephone Dean Livesey at 0537 403 3779.