St Hilarion Castle – for over 1000 years it has sat on a rocky peak of the Kyrenia mountain range, watching over Kyrenia below. Together with Buffavento and Kantara castles, it forms a chain of fortresses, stretching along the mountains, ready to protect the island from invaders. Very Lord of the Rings.
I love all three castles. Kantara for its view and Buffavento for the adventure had getting there. But St Hilarion is my favourite. And possibly my favourite place on the island. Here’s why:
St Hilarion Castle is over 1000 years old. It takes its name from the saint, Hilarion, who lived as a hermit on the mountain. After his death, a church and monastery were built on the site. It is thought that later a castle was built to defend the island during the Arab raids – sometime between the 7th and 10th centuries. St Hilarion Castle was there when Richard the Lionheart arrived in Cyprus in the 12th century.
In the 13th century, the Lusignans redeveloped and strengthened St Hilarion Castle. They also used it as a summer palace. The castle’s location at the top of the mountain offered respite from the intense heat.
The Venetians abandoned the castle in the 15th century to save money on its upkeep and it fell into disrepair. It was only used defensively one more time – during the mid-20th century troubles when the Turkish TMT took control of it.
St Hilarion Castle is the most accessible crusader castle in Northern Cyprus. You take a well-signposted left turn off the main road that runs from Nicosia to Kyrenia. You then snake up through the mountain, past an army camp and there it is in front of you.
St Hilarion is built on a rocky peak overlooking Kyrenia. On a clear day you can see Kyrenia Castle, the harbour and, sometimes, the Turkish coast.
As you climb through the three levels of the castle, the views become more far-reaching. From the Prince John Tower you can see along the length of the mountain range towards Buffavento Castle. From the Queen’s window on the top level, you look out in the opposite direction across Lapithos.
Keep an eye on the weather and visit the castle earlier in the day. Clouds can cover the castle rapidly. There’s something quite magical about being in a castle in the clouds, but if it’s your first visit, it would be a shame to miss the views.
A word of caution: if you suffer from vertigo (or the Mummy-Wobbles, like me), you might want to take a Valium. Which brings me neatly on to my next point.
Ah, the fear! Our first visit to St Hilarion Castle is unforgettable for one main reason: the Mummy-Wobbles. The Mummy-Wobbles is my fear of Goobie falling. I didn’t even know it was a thing until visiting this castle. I have experienced it in other places on the island since. Symptoms vary from dizziness, wobbly legs and a sudden inability to move, to squawking at Matt ‘Have you got him?!!!’ every minute and general wailing. The reason? This:
And this:
Sheer drops surround most of the castle and there are plenty of places inside for four-year-olds to fall to their deaths too.
These are the safety railings. There’s nothing safe about them.
Let me take you on a tour of the castle during an attack of Mummy-Wobbles. It starts with these incredibly narrow steps near the church on the second level. The other side of these steps is a sheer drop and Certain Death.
And then there are these stairs in the Royal Apartments. These stairs bring on a full attack. They come out at the top of a round tower with a wall so low that any four-year-old could easily scale it. A sheer drop and Certain Death waits the other side.
The steps up to the top level of the castle are surprisingly okay for Mummy-Wobbles. The views are stunning but there isn’t a sheer drop. You’d have a few moments to catch your child before he rolls off the mountain.
When you reach the top level, you have the option of turning left to climb some steps up to the Prince John Tower. Anyone with Mummy-Wobbles, be warned. At the top of these steps you cross a big rocky pinnacle. It’s all slippery smooth rock, which is next to a sheer drop and Certain Death. I have to crawl over it. I can’t even watch Goobie do it as I get dizzy.
A narrow path with drops on both sides takes you to the Prince John Tower. One side of the tower is missing. There’s no safety railing. A sheer drop and Certain Death awaits. Ask Prince John’s bodyguards (see below).
Then there’s the finale – the highest point of St Hilarion Castle. You get there by climbing some ridiculously narrow, uneven steps that wind round the rocky peak. It’s on these steps that I can get ‘stuck’, wailing ‘I’m going to fall!!’ when I’m clearly not.
At the top of those steps, you get to another narrow path with a sheer drop on one side. There used to be a prayer tree up there, clearly for countless mothers praying their children won’t fall to their deaths.
This path leads to the final horror – a wooden platform jutting out the side of the mountain and a sign congratulating you on reaching the top. Alive. Sheer drop and Certain Death on three sides. And you have to pray that a sudden earthquake – or wood worm – doesn’t cause the platform to fall. By this point on our first visit, I was crawling on my hands and knees, too dizzy to stand. Matt had to take Goobie back down otherwise I’d still be up there, paralysed by the Mummy-Wobbles.
So why do the Mummy-Wobbles make St Hilarion my favourite castle? Because on subsequent visits the paralysing fear has weakened and turned into a bit of an adrenaline rush. This adds to the excitement of visiting the castle. Also, Goobie is older now and not at risk of throwing himself over a poxy railing. Though he likes to pretend he’s about to. ‘Have you got him?’ he squawks, leaning over the edge. The arse.
My imagination goes into overdrive when I visit St Hilarion Castle. As I look up at the castle from the car park, I see something from a fairy tale. The way its three levels almost seem part of the mountain, narrowing at the very top. Then there are the turrets, archways and walkways. The countless rooms. The curved staircases, the beautiful Queen’s Window.
There are myths of hidden treasure and tales of treachery. During the Lusignan period, Queen Eleanor tricked Prince John into thinking his bodyguards were plotting against him. Prince John threw them to their deaths from his tower.
From the belvedere next to the great hall, you can look out over the old jousting ground and imagine knights on horses and tournaments.
And my favourite part of the castle – the secret garden. That’s just what I call it. After a climb up countless steps to the third level, you step through an archway into a beautiful garden-like area, enclosed on all sides by the mountain and the castle walls. During my attack of Mummy-Wobbles, I’d expected terrifying sheer drops when I reached this level but instead I found a sanctuary to ease my shattered nerves. There are towers up here, kitchens, a cistern and the beautiful Lusignan Royal Apartments.
It’s no wonder there are stories that Walt Disney used St Hilarion Castle as inspiration for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
After all the climbing in the heat, I love stopping at the great hall for a glass of homemade lemonade. Sit on a bench on the balcony and enjoy the incredible view.
We have been to St Hilarion Castle countless times – each time special for different reasons. We have brought our parents here, aunts, uncles. Keen to show off our favourite place in our wonderful island home. We’ve explored the castle with best friends, our children running on ahead, giving us heart attacks. Friends who have now left Cyprus, who we miss terribly. Our memories all the more special for the time we spent with them.
I’ve climbed St Hilarion’s many steps while growing a baby. Barely managing it to the top when I was 10 weeks’ pregnant and in the throes of morning sickness. Then again at 36 weeks, pounding up every step, determined to get Herc to turn from his breech position and avoid having a C-section.
And then our latest visit, still growing a baby, but this time Herc is in a sling feeding as we once again walk through the beautiful castle.
What’s next? The return of the Mummy-Wobbles for sure. Herc will soon grow into a toddler, eager to walk for himself, climb railings and fall off mountains. Argh!
But what’s certain is that we will keep returning to St Hilarion Castle, keep bringing visitors, keep creating new memories of my favourite place on the island.
Sean Cooney says: Hi Julia, enjoy your posts, I visit Cyprus every year wit intention of visiting these beautiful castles, but I never make it due to car issues. What do you think is the best way to go over to the North. I always have a hire car in South, they don’t like/want you to take it over. I was thinking of leaving my hire car in car park in Nicosia, walking over and then hire a car from Nth Nicosia. Do you have any thoughts on best option. Cheers, Sean Sydney, Aus
farflungfamily says: Hi Sean, I’m pleased you enjoyed the post. You can take hire cars to the North but it depends on the rental company you use. I’ve heard that some of the big rental companies do allow it. I’d advise that you message a few of the main companies to check before hiring. You have to buy car insurance at the border. We usually cross at the Nicosia border and there’s a little booth next to the booths where they check your passports. You can purchase insurance for a day or a few months or a year, whichever suits your needs. I’m sorry I can’t offer advice based on personal experience – I take my own car and have always found crossing the border straightforward. I don’t know the situation about hiring cars from the North, though I’d imagine the rental companies aren’t in the very centre of Nicosia where the pedestrian border is, so you might have a bit of a walk. Don’t be put off though, it is definitely possible and will be well worth it. The castles are beautiful, as is all of Northern Cyprus. All the best. Julia
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