Sports programmes on Cyprus gather around three activities, and all three follow from the island being small and varied: it is an hour from the sea to the mountains, and the season runs almost all year. The first is quad bikes. Routes from Peyia and Coral Bay go to the Baths of Adonis along the dirt tracks of the Akamas peninsula; you take either one quad per person or one for two.

The second is fishing. On Cyprus bass is caught from a boat, an outing usually takes half a day, tackle is provided on the spot, and no experience is asked of the guest: the skipper finds the place himself and shows the technique. The third is the sky: in Larnaca an introductory flying lesson is given with an instructor, where you sit in the left seat and fly part of the way yourself. A separate line is the sailing yacht, taken for a few hours with your own party aboard.

Points to note. A quad needs a category B licence and closed shoes, and the dust on the tracks is such that light clothing is better left at the hotel. Fishing and flights are cancelled on wind — not an excuse but a safety condition, and money is returned on cancellation. In summer everything active is set for the morning: after eleven the temperature in the open goes past thirty-five.