Chunuk Bair                                                          Conkbayiri

Chunuk Bair is the second-highest hill of the Sari Bair range, which from north to south is composed of Kocaçimentepe (or Hill 971, its height in feet), The Q Hills, Battleship Hill and Baby 700, after which it runs out in a number of lower ridges.

Although the capture of Kocaçimentepe was one of the main objectives of the 25th April landings it was never so important during the campaign as was Chunuk Bair, which dominated the entire Anzac area. During the August offensive, the Anzac Forces tried to capture its summit while the British were making their landing at Suvla. After 5 days of hard fighting, the attack proved a failure, in so far that the hill remained in Turkish hands.

Access : Reaching Chunuk Bair by car is no problem at all. Depending on your adventurous spirit (or historical interest) however, different more strenuous approaches are possible.

1. The easy way : to Chunuk Bair by sealed road.

From anywhere on the Peninsula, follow the roadsigns that direct you to the Anzac area. Just after you have passed Gaba Tepe (where the museum is), there is a bifurcation : take the right hand side road. There are new roadsign that clearly tell you the way. This road follows the crest of Pine Ridge and takes you via Lone Pine and Johnston's Jolly, on the 400 Plateau, to Steele's, Courtney's and Quinn's Post. Not far behind the latter, a roads branches off at the left hand side to the Nek, but keep going straight on, where the road you are on climbs Baby 700, then Battleship Hill and finally takes you to the summit of Chunuk Bair, where the big monuments are clearly visible.

Park your car somewhere at the side of the road under the trees. Depending on what you want to see, you can either go on on foot to have a look at the monuments a bit further down the road, or try to have a look at the landscape crossed by the Allied troops in august 1915. To accomplish this, there are two actions to take :

a. Walk under the trees, past a few stalls where souvenirs are sold, until you reach a rebuilt Turkish trench. Follow the trench to the right, until you find a spot where you can jump across it. Do so and then continue further to the right. Before long, you'll be treated to a panoramic view of the entire landscape crossed by the Allied troops during their August attack. To the left you can see the beach from where they started, to the north, in the middle you look down on the Farm and to the north you can see the entire Suvla sector.

The trench, looking towards Suvla, with the Farm in the middle of the picture.

b. Return on your steps, jump the trench again and go back some 50 m the way you came by car. You'll find a relatively wide unsealed road there, steeply going down the hill. This is Rhododendron Ridge, on which some of the fiercest fighting took place in the August days of 1915. From where you stand, it is perfectly possible to walk downhill to the Apex, the first nick in the road you pass. Careful though : recently some old mineshafts at the side of the road have come to light as a result of bad weather. Watch your step. When you have seen enough, return to the summit and appreciate how steep the last 50 m of your ascent are.

       Rhododendron Spur. The Apex is behind the bend in the road to the left.                             Careful here : old tunnels.

2. The adventurous way (1) : in the steps of the August 1915 columns.

This option is certainly more difficult, but on the other hand it follows quite accurately the route taken by the units involved in the offensive, and is therefore more rewarding from a historical viewpoint. Before you start however, read what follows :

This trip is without doubt one of the most difficult enterprises you can undertake on the Peninsula. Before you embark on it, a few things must be made perfectly clear.

- This is wild country and you will meet no-one on your trip. Never try this alone. Never.

- If you are not fit, forget it : this is about 7 km uphil and the ascent gets steeper when you are getting more tired.

- Take your precautions : sturdy boots, jeans, a shirt with long sleeves (against the sun as well as thorns) and some kind of head-cover are indispensible.

- In summer, if you are a bit clever, start early enough. Aften 11 o' clock the heat starts getting oppressive on the hillflanks.

- This is hot country in summer : take twice as much water with you as you think is necessary. Coke (with the sugar and cofeine in it) may help you through, but on the other hand will make you thirsty again. Warm coke does not refresh you best.

- Try to keep to the itinerary : you cannot go wrong very much if you remember the right direction is uphill, but straying from your path and getting lost in some smaller gullies; covered in prickly shrub, will multiply your difficulties dramatically.

- Do not rely on your cellular phone : it does not work in the gullies. You only have coverage on the summit of Chunuk Bair proper, not during your climb.

- Plan the outcome of your trip in advance : the climb from the sea to the summit of Chunuk Bair is some 7 km, but if you have to get back to your car afterwards, you'll have to do the same distance again. Having a car waiting for you on top of the hill is a luxury.

Trip :         from North Beach to the summit of Chunuk Bair.

Length :     7 km (one way).

Duration :  better part of a day.

Your first task is to locate your starting point : drive to Anzac Cove, past the Sphinx and continue along North Beach. This is the route taken by the troops of the attacking force on the evening of 6th August. When you drive past Walker's Ridge, you cross the northern frontline of the Anzac bridgehead at that moment.

The next landmark you will pass, are the CWGC-cottages, with behind them, the place where new replacement gravestones are made. Just inland is No 1 Outpost, a small hillock, with at its right hand side the Camel Hump, a somewhat higher hill, which is easily recognized because of its peculiar form.

Behind the cottages, you will notice a wide valley. This is the Sazli Beit Dere, the itinerary of the Right Column of 6th August. Here you will find a white stone hut on a small low hillock : it is on the exact spot of the infamous 1915 Fisherman's Hut, from where on 25th April a devastating fire was opened on the landing boats making for North Beach.

Once past the hut, a bit further, you will see No 2 and No 3 Outposts, with behind them, another flat stretch of land, the mouth of the Chailak Dere.

You are coming near to your starting point for the trip : on the right, there is an unsealed road that runs straight inland. Park your car, get your equipment and take this road, which is used by local farmers to get to their fields on their tractors. Walking is easy, although the state of the road may vary depending on (past) bad weather. Do not try this by car, as it deteriorates the further you go.

What you are doing now, is in fact following a road that was constructed during the campaign by the New-Zealanders to bring supplies to the frontline on the slopes of Chunuk Bair and to evacuate casualties to the hospitals situated near Walker's Ridge, a bit more to the south.

Follow the road as it winds its way inland, harly climbing towards the Sari Bair Ridge which you now can clearly see in front of you. The first important landmark you come across now is the Tabletop at the right hand side of your path, unmistakeable because of its flat summit. During the August attack, colums of the attacking force passed it left and right, but keep to your road, as there isn't another one worthy of that name the other side of the hill.

Looking back at the road you take (right) from the foot of Chunuk Bair

Once past the Tabletop, you will notice that the road starts gradually climbing more steeply, and that it is less frequently used by local farmers, who only have their fields on the lowest slopes. At a number of places, the sandy surface changes into loose boulders, which make walking more difficult, but keep to what is unmistakably the old road.

This is how your trip would have looked on an old map : you are now near the HQ of the NZ.Inf.Bde.

After a long stretch uphill, when you start wondering when and where there will be an end to all this, you finally arrive at some signs of 'civilisation' again : you reach a small flat plateau, with a cemetery on it. You have reached the Farm. Here Baldwin's last reserve units were massacred, which meant the end of the August attacks. This is a convenient spot to take a rest and have a quiet look at the cemetery, as the steepest part of your climb is still ahead : as you can see through the trees, the summit of Chunuk Bair is still high above you.

Looking down on the Farm from the summit of Chunuk Bair : to appreciate your effort, look at the steep dip behind the small plateau. The road you came is in the middle at the top of the picture.

To carry on for the last part of your trip, walk past the entry of the cemetery. You will find two paths you can choose from : a narrow one, going straight on and a wider one going to the right. You can use either one to reach the summit of Chunuk Bair.

The wider path to the right rounds the hill and finally brings you to the foot of Rhododendron Spur from where your final ascent will start. If you opt for this approach, you will be able to appreciate the length of the ridge and the difficulties met by the troops who had to fight their way uphill. While climbing the spur, on a decent sand road, you will come past the infamous Apex and the Pinnacle, now two rises in the road, but in 1915 the scene of desperate fighting.

The narrow path leads you under the trees and gradually climbs towards the summit of Chunuk Bair. This route is shorter that the other one, and the trees will offer some welcome shade in summer, but at the same time it is considerably steeper. Eventually, it brings you to Rhododendron Spur, some 100 m from the summit.

Whichever path you followed, you are now close to the end of your trip, but as often is the case, the last part may here as well be the hardest. The last 100 m are really steep, in summer the road is covered in loose sand and you are not so fresh anymore.

When you finally reach the summit, your reward is a stall where a local tradesman will sell you fresh soft drinks. It's the right time to sit down at the side of the Turkish trench, where you have a breathtaking panoramic view over the rough country you passed through. And perhaps it is also the right time to consider how it must have been in 1915, to do this at night, heavily packed, weakened by dysentery and months of monotonous food, with only one canteen of water and under fire.

Getting back :

If you have a car waiting for you on the summit of Chunuk Bar, there is no problem. If you made an advance agreement with a friend to come and collect you, you can now use your cellular phone again to warn him you have arrived.

If you are on foot, and your vehicle is still waiting for you at North Beach, there's a bit of extra walking ahead. In fact you have two options, one of which is not so interesting.

Going back by sealed road :

This choice will take you down the lenght of 2nd Ridge. Walking is easy, especially as you will constantly be going downhill till you reach the sea, but the main disadvantage is the distance. Whereas your walk itself was some 6 km long, the way back to your car is about the double.

Your walk will take you past Baby 700, the outposts towards the 400 Plateau. It's a good idea here to leave the sealed road here at Lone Pine and follow the path that takes you to the sea via Shell Green Cemetery, as this is the shortest decent route. Once you reach the coastal road, turn right and follow it past Anzac Cove, the way you came before you started walking.

Going back the way you came :

Here you have two options as well : you can either return on your steps and go back the exact way you came, which is pretty straightforward, but also a bit boring, or follow a slightly alternative route. Let's concentrate on the latter.

When you have recuperated sufficiently from your efforts, leave the summit of Chunuk Bair via Rhododendron Spur, and follow it till you reach the lower slopes. Once you reach that point, you will be greeted by the following sight :

Even if it does not look like it, there is a small path. If you go for the narrow razorback spur, you will find it and it does take you along the spur to the Tabletop. As you can see (there are people on top of the spur), it's not exactly a Sunday afternoon walk, but it is not as dangerous as it looks. If you are a bit careful, you'll be all right.

Once you leave Table Top behind, the small path will lead you past No 2 and No 3 Outposts to Fisherman's Hut, not so far from where you left your car.