It’s the end of another year. And, as is tradition at times like these, before we career into the New Year with plans and goals and the best of intentions, let’s first take a breath and look back at the highlights of the year that’s passed…
This was 2025 in the taglines of our blog: Fethiye, Food, Travel. And some of the bits in between!
Life Event
Yes, the obvious highlight of 2025 has got to be the life event for both of us. We got married!
After over 25 years together, we’re still not in the habit of referring to each other as husband and wife. But we’ll get there one day.
The lovely Cafe Park Teras with its elevated views over the bay in Fethiye was our venue.
Out & About In Fethiye
In the year where the belediye (council) dug up the ground at Çalış Sunday Market, giving us hope of the pledged roof to shelter traders and shoppers from the elements, we’ve naturally done a bit of general mooching about around the area.
Given that we live here and all.
Eating & Drinking
In 2025, the tendrils of the Michelin Guide stretched as far as Fethiye. But the new additions to our list of places to eat and drink in Fethiye don’t feature.
That matters not one jot! We’re talking good, honest Turkish food, here.
These were our three new additions to the list for 2025.
Yeşil Asma Yaprağı along Yerguzlar Caddesi is always busy in the daytime with workers looking for quality, reasonably priced homestyle cooking.
And the same can be said for Seçkin Lokantası opposite Fethiye Otogar.
This was actually re-added to our list after we removed it because we thought it had closed. They’d actually closed for refurbishment and are very much fully reopened!
But of the new additions to our list in 2025, our most visited place has got to be Kanatçı Mert BBQ.
When you just fancy some barbecued chicken wings, this is your place!
Chicken shish and ızgara köfte can also be had.
The Year Of Ölüdeniz
It not being our scene in the summer months, we’ve neglected Ölüdeniz for a few years.
However, 2025 was the reintroduction of Ölüdeniz into our lives, really.
There’s no denying the scenery is simply breathtaking. So we’ve caught the dolmuş over the hill a few times this year. Just to chill and bask in that scenery and to remind ourselves how lucky we are to have it so close by.
A springtime sunny day along Belcekiz Beach and a late autumn afternoon along the lagoon with friends. What’s not to love?
And A Hike
In November, after a long summer of sweltering heat, we decided to go for one of our favourite walks – a hike around the Fethiye peninsula.
We used to do lots of hiking and whilst we do walk all over the place, it was a long time since we’d been out for a day of walking for no reason other than just to enjoy it.
It rekindled the love of walking and hiking around Fethiye and we decided to make the effort to put time aside to do more.
When we went back to the UK for a visit in the first week of December, we bought hiking boots and shoes in the sales at one of the local outdoor stores.
Anyway, as is so often the case with winter travel, we both picked up cold viruses and we’ve been far from 100% since. So my new hiking boots are in the bedroom, yet to be christened!
Hopefully, 2026 will put that right…
2025 Travels
It’s been a busy year. And so, for various reasons, our 2025 travels were quite local. But that doesn’t mean they were any less rewarding.
After all, slow travel is what we love!
Göcek
Göcek is on our doorstep – indeed, a part of the administrative region of Fethiye – and yet it was somewhere we’d never experienced an overnight stay. Just the odd day out.
In May, just after we got married, we put that right.
Very much recommended! And we even got a bit of a hike in, too, before we were defeated by the heatwave that had just arrived.
We also had a trip to Göcek for the Göcek Herb Festival in March. So we’ve now added a guide to Göcek to the blog.
Kaş
Whilst we’ve always loved Kaş, particularly over the last three years or so, it has become a bit of a bolthole for us.
When we lived in the UK, we used to take off up to the Lake District for the weekend. Here, it’s Kaş.
And that means we get to explore more of the little nooks and crannies each time we go. And we try out different bars and restaurants as well as frequenting the old favourites.
Two visits in 2025 – one of them being a short break.
We’ve had our guide to Kaş on the blog for a while. But in 2025, we also added articles about the beachy bays of Limanağzı and Büyük Çakıl Plajı (Big Pebble Beach).
A definite highlight was just running into the sea at Büyük Çakıl Plajı last July after walking over the hill in silly hot temperatures!
Antalya
Our annual trip to Antalya for the Runtalya event was a bit different, this year.
It was the 20th Runtalya Marathon (we did the 10k and half marathon runs) and British distance running legend, Paula Radcliffe, was there to help celebrations along.
We hung around the stage she was on like a couple of groupies. And as she climbed down, she happily posed with us for a big beaming selfie before the run.
A more treasured photo now that she has also been recognised on the New Year’s Honours List.
Thanks for the selfie, Paula Radcliffe OBE!
As foreigners getting married in Fethiye, we also had to do a trip to the British Consulate in Antalya. So as well as running, we also negotiated our way to the consulate and kaymakamlık in the Konyaaltı neighbourhood with various bits of ID and paperwork.
Every bureaucratic trip has a silver lining, though (aside from making it possible for us to get married, that is).
A visit to the Antalya Aquarium and a lovely long walk back to base along Konyaaltı Beach gave us the opportunity to add to our Antalya content with our guide to the Konyaaltı neighbourhood.
UK
The first week of December was an annual trip back to the UK to see friends and family.
Lots of great development going on in our former hometown of Wigan and we couldn’t wait to see how Cotton Works was progressing. Lovely drinks with friends at The Three Mills.
We always time our UK trip, now, so that there’s a free Saturday where we can also take part in a Parkrun.
We were really lucky this time because our friend often does the Ormskirk Parkrun. When we were back, it was Ormskirk’s 500th event.
And we got a shoutout, too, for being the furthest-travelled tourists!
A grand total of three Parkruns, now, for us. Gonna be a while before we get to any milestones!
In The Kitchen
We added a few new Turkish recipes to the blog throughout 2025 and one of them stood out from the rest…
Our Most Viewed Recipe
Of the new recipes that we put together in 2025, your favourite one is also a winter favourite of ours.
Turkish cabbage rolls – etli lahana sarması – topped the recipe charts.
We’ll be making more of those tasty morsels now that the winter weather has hit us.
And We Also Made & Ate…
Etli soğan yahnisi; another proper winter warmer that is also due to be made again early in 2026!
Stick it on the stove or in the oven and forget about it until the meat is soft and tender and the gravy is oozy and comforting.
If you’re looking for a tasty side dish, try this ıspanak graten (Turkish spinach gratin) that we fell in love with when we had it at Yeşil Asma Yaprağı. We now make this often.
And a lovely autumn / winter meze is seasonal celeriac in olive oil and orange juice. A must for us when we see it in the meze display fridges in restaurants.
When the weather heats up, cool yourself off with a homemade Turkish limonata and add yummy sumac onions as a side to your grilled kebabs.
As all eyes turned to yoghurt with our classic Turkish haydari recipe and the wonderfully colourful pembe sultan, we decided to bring everything together with our list of Turkish yoghurt recipes.
A list that will no doubt continue to grow in 2026.
And we’re back to the old faithful spinach again for this great picnic / party / on-the-go food – try our spinach and feta puff pastry pinwheels.
It’s not all Turkish cuisine in our house. We do occasionally stray into the world of international cuisine and over summer when appetites are not the best, Spanish pan con tomate rescues us on a regular basis.
That’s why we decided it needed a place on the blog.
And In Other Highlights…
You know – those monthly news bits not necessarily to do with Fethiye.
2025 United Nations Best Tourism Villages
Sustainability is the name of the game, here. And in 2025, no fewer than four Turkish destinations were named in the United Nations list of World’s Best Tourism Villages.
Close to home, Akyaka and Kale Üçağız made the list.
And further afield, Barbaros in Izmir and Anıtlı in Mardin were given the accolade.
Groundbreaking!
No photos of our own for this highlight because the area is apparently still being landscaped.
However, an amazing achievement by archaeologists at Patara who, over a period of years, have collected the original stones buried under the sand dunes and rebuilt the ancient lighthouse.
It was finally completed in April 2025.
A groundbreaking achievement and we can’t wait to see the 26 metre high structure – but we also want to wait until we visit it properly…
And Our Most Popular Post Of 2025 Is…
We’ve come full circle. Back to Fethiye…
Every year, we delve into the blog stats to find out what our most read article of the year is – and the article must be written in that year.
Anyway, it seems we all love a bit of Paspatur, Fethiye old town!
If you’re exploring the Fethiye area next year, make sure you do some shopping, eating and drinking around the old town.
Dates For Your Diary
And that takes us over the threshold and into 2026.
We’ve already updated our page of Turkish festivals and events with 2026 dates.
And if you fancy taking part in a road or trail run, we’ve also updated our page of Turkish running events. Lots of date changes and new events for 2026!
Thanks so much for reading over the last 12 months, thanks for all your comments and thanks if you follow along with any of our social media.
Lots more to come in 2026! Happy New Year! Yeni yılınız kutlu olsun!