Lefke (Lefka)

The turn-off is not well signposted, but nonetheless it's hard to miss. The village, which is an easy 10-minute drive along a fast, straight road, is bizarrely the home of a hardy bunch of British expats. The village derives its name from the Greek word lefka (meaning 'poplar').

There are seemingly more palm trees than poplars these days, and Lefke's position amid riotous greenery and rolling hills gives the place a pleasant, fresh feel. The years of Lefke's isolation on the country's western corner are almost over, with a new border crossing at Zodhia, which can be reached by the road going to Morfou. The vast hinterland of Tylliria and Pafos Forest, which is in reality no more than 2km away, can now be reached faster from here, although the roads are quite windy going through the mountains. There has been some debate about opening a border crossing near Ancient Vouni in the future, which would open up this region even more.