This blog post was published under the 2015 to 2024 Conservative government

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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Turkey

13th April 2016

#AdiosIstanbul 3: favourite longer walks – and happiness

How to be happy?  Someone wrote that it’s all about (i) nature; (ii) other people; and (iii) exercise.

That sounds about right to me.

So what could make you happier than nature walking in a group?

Walking in the woods, West of İstanbul
Walking in the woods, West of İstanbul

My recent blog #AdiosIstanbul 2 mentioned independent hiking group “Hiking Istanbul”.

The aim of the slightly British-flavoured project is to create a network of hikes in the countryside, along the coasts on both sides of the Bosphorus, and on the Princes’ Islands. The hikes are accessible from central Istanbul by public transport and generally take a day to complete.

I’ve been on two of the walks and enjoyed them immensely.  Good company, fresh air, and a way of underlining the importance of the nature that surrounds great cities such as Istanbul, and the need to nurture it.

Going home in the bus at the end of the walk
Going home in the bus at the end of the walk

If hike descriptions like “Alibahadir to Beykoz via Kayanca & the Akbaba Sultan’s tomb” or “Black Sea Cliffs, Anatolian side” sound appealing, this could be the walking group for you.  Clearly a lot of people feel the same way: this year the group has been attracting record numbers.

So if you fancy finding out whether hiking close to Istanbul will make you happy, or just want to join a walk, check out Facebook: Hiking Istanbul, or write to the group at: info@hikingistanbul.org.  They’ll be pleased to hear from you.

PS: as my departure from the fabulous city of Istanbul looms, you can read more blogs about my favourite places and activities under the heading #AdiosIstanbul.

Follow Leigh Turner on Twitter @leighturnerFCO 

About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.

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