Hi Busy retired, we're off tomorruw night so can you Pm me in a couple of weeks anf I'll let you know more when we return!

I'm pretty sure that even though you're limited you would still want to visit and could just pace yourself and miss a few bits.

Like I remember Attagul saying you can miss out Ilhara hike and stay on the bus to the village where you have lunch,Bel.... (can't remember how to spell it!) and just explore it a bit.

But I have one idea that might be just the thing for you! We have hired a horse and cart for the day, that will take you round lots of the area - off the road without the walking! Take a look at Kirkit Voyage website - Cappadocia horseriding section.

There are also jeep safaris which get you off the road and into the valleys - that would work, too!

Thanks Heidi, Tonight a horse and cart seems just about the pace I am up to. When you are there look around and see how much you can see without walking very much would you? I am worried that we have waited too long to visit this area and will be disappointed by my physical limitations.

I'll definitely bear it in mind! I do actually have some problems, not as limiting as you, with my back and balance - so I do give some thought to such things.

Our biggest worry this visit is actually how limited we will be by the heat - in a Scottish summer anything near 20 degrees is considered tropical and this last week or so we're lucky to have been above 15 degrees. So I think we will not be able to walk nearly as much as we would at home. Don't fancy spending too much time in a vehicle because it is quite an "outdoorsy" place - so the horse and cart seems a good , lazy compromise! Looking forward to lying back with my straw hat and picnic, while enjoying the scenery!

There is plenty to see in the area just from the road and with just a short walk is possible to see spectacular views and get up close to the rock formations. It is possible to climb onto and into some of the rocks but it actually adds very little to the overall experience. Exploring the underground cities would be difficult for the less mobile but you may still be able just to venture a short distance inside one of the tunnels.

Cappadocia is quite a long way from the main tourist centres but if you can get there it is a part of Turkey well worth seeing.

I think a lot of Cappadocia can be appreciated from the car. The changing landscapes is what was most beautiful to me. Different rock formations when you turn a corner. The Goreme Open Air Museum is designed for easier movement than the less curated/raw areas such as Zelve or Selime. I think you could plan to do the inside of some caves in Goreme. They have wooden platforms and smooth surfaces inside. The pathways around the caves are paving stones if I remember correctly. A few steps here and there. Not sure there were railings though--Turkey not big on railings or warning signs where there are giant holes in the ground. Make sure to pay extra to see the frescoes that have been preserved.

I'm not sure I would do an underground city AT ALL if I wasn't steady on my feet. It was very steep and claustrophobic.

You probably would want to skip Ilhara Valley as well. It's not hiking per se. Quite flat once you walk down the stairs into the valley. But not smooth, full of tree roots and possible places to trip etc...And it might be far to drive just to look at it from the top.

Certainly a hot air balloon ride would give you an amazing Cappadocia experience without any hiking. Can you stand for the length of the balloon trip?

I think three days in Cappadocia driving with a nice telephoto lens on your camera, and the balloon ride would give you a unique experience without hiking.

BR: Cappadocia is a very nice place for hiking. I think if you're going to see the sceneries from the roadside alone, your experience will be compromised.

I imagine a horsebacking riding tour will be close to the hiking experinece, maybe even better, as you can cover greater distance in shorter time and the horse will do all the climbing for you. I saw people doing that in Cavusin. You can google for "Cavusin horseback riding" to get some idea.

When we were at the bottom of the Ihara Valley, we saw a couple on donkeys with a guide.

On our Rose Valley hike, we also saw people on ATV (with guide).

You can look into the above options.

There's plenty to see and do without having to walk very far if you don't want to and I think that a lot of the subjects have been covered here already.

Obviously you should forget about places like the underground cities, but it's quite easy, for instance, to visit the Ilhara valley without walking down the hundreds of steps at the start and then hiking the valley itself.

As far as the balloon trip is concerned, Kapadokya Balloons say that they can cater for people who need to be seated for the trip.

Thanks for finding the horse and cart tour, Heidotheroad (and have a great holiday!) it sounds like a perfect way for you BR to experience some of the sights of Cappadocia - and their website says it is EUR 50 per cart (up to 3 people) so that is good value too for a day out. As others have said, the scenery is just all around you - and an awful lot of interesting formations can be seen just along the roads. Obviously it would be a delight to get in and hike amongst them - but if you are unable to do that, you will still have a lot to see and enjoy.

Why don't you ask your son in law what he thinks - after all he must know you and just what physically you can manage, and recently spent time and did a tour in Cappadocia - so does he think it is worthwhile your going?

Thank you for all of your observations. I believe we will keep it on the itinerary, and I will no doubt be back for additional assistance as our travel dates draw closer.

I do realize, attagul, that I did have a family member recently in Cappadocia. He is a brilliant young man, but does not see the world through my eyes. He hiked all day with his group, and was fairly confident that I would miss much more than I would be able to see. I have no idea where he went in Cappadocia, and neither does he. He was with a Turkish co-worker who put them in his car and off they went. All he knows is that it was between 30 and 40 miles away from Kayseri. He has absolutely no sense of direction, and would be completely unable to locate it again.

Ironically, he still cannot believe that we love Turkey as much as we do. He loved the Turkish people, but the cigarette smell in his hotel room made him really unhappy. He is much more tolerant of that than we normally are, but it must have been overpowering because he complained about it whenever we talked with him. We rarely noticed cigarette smoke in Istanbul, and never in our hotel. I hope we will be similarly lucky in our other travels in Turkey. We certainly will not be staying at the Hilton in Kayseri.

Haha, no BR the Hilton in Kayseri doesn't seem to have much going for it, does it! Smelly rooms and extortionate laundry prices! Anyway, you don't want to stay as far out of Cappadocia main region as Kayseri. I would recommend Goreme as being a good base, right in the heart of the wierd geographical formations - there are even "fairy chimneys" in the centre of town!