Olives and the Gulf from Ayvalık to Cunda
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The gulf of Ayvalık is a region built on olives, and this route shows it from four angles: stone lanes among the oil presses, an island joined by a causeway, a hill that sees the whole gulf, and finally the plain's trading centre. Forty kilometres in all and a full day. Keep the order; Şeytan Sofrası should fall at sunset, which is why it sits third.
Route Stops
Ayvalık.
Cobbled lanes, stone fronted houses and old oil presses among them. A Greek speaking population lived here until 1923; some churches were converted to mosques while the street fabric remained as it was.
Cunda Island.
The island reached by causeway. The church of Taksiyarhis has been restored as a museum, its wooden ceiling and icons dating from before the exchange. The island is small and its lanes are walked.
Devil's Table.
~30 min hereClimb the hill to the south and wait for sunset. The gulf, the Ayvalık islands and Lesbos opposite appear together. A paved road reaches the top, so no walking is needed.
Edremit.
East along the gulf to the centre of the plain. The region's olive trade gathers here with the Kaz mountains rising behind; the right place to start from if you are carrying on the next day.
