Half a Day on Giresun Island

The only settled island on the eastern Black Sea lies a kilometre and a half off Giresun and, seen from shore, looks like the town's backdrop. Approaching it you realise the scale is smaller than you expected but the traces on it older.

Getting there: boats leave from Giresun harbour and departures depend on the season and, more than that, on the state of the sea. Trips are cancelled in rough weather, so keep the plan flexible. The crossing takes about twenty minutes.

The visit: on the island are the remains of a temple dated to the Hellenistic period, traces of a monastery and a solitary standing rock. As a protected natural site there is no development; the walk is entirely on foot and takes about an hour. The point is not to hurry: looking back at Giresun from the rocks, watching the gulls and listening to the wind is the visit itself. During the Aksu festival on the twentieth of May, circling the island is a local tradition and the water fills with boats.

Eating: there is nothing on the island, so bring food and water. Back at the harbour the fish restaurants serve fresh anchovy and whiting in season.

Tips: ask at the harbour in the morning about conditions, as the wind rises in the afternoon. There is little shade, so a hat helps. Climbing the castle before you sail makes the scale of the trip easier to grasp.