Turkey is still a delight for family

Toby and Kate McCartney and daughters India and Keira are halfway through an extended break in Dalyan.
They have been going to the town, which is located between the well-known districts of Marmaris and Fethiye on the south-west coast of Turkey, for several years and have a villa there.
And it has become a home-from-home for the family, who love the lifestyle, the culture and the friendly locals.
They arrived there on July 9 and days later welcomed 40 people to attend one of their NLP coaching courses in the sun.
However, halfway through the course, on July 15, a military coup broke out in the country.
Following a night of unrest in the main cities of Istanbul and Ankara, it was quashed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has since declared a state of emergency to last for three months, focused on those involved in the attempted coup and not expected to impact tourists like the McCartneys.
And they say that despite everything life has carried on quite normally where they are.
Toby said: “Turkey, like the UK and Europe, currently has a challenge with political disenchantment, but the people, like you and I, are wonderful, kind and just want to get on with their lives.
“Istanbul and the capital Ankara, where the trouble has been, are as far away from Dalyan as Sicily in Italy is from Dumfries.”
Urging people not to be put off by the situation, he added: “Many business owners in Dalyan, the area we have our villa in, are worried that people will not travel from the UK to Turkey and have seen a decrease in the number of tourists visiting the area.”
Over 2.5 million British nationals visit Turkey every year. The Foreign Office advises that it’s generally safe to travel but say people should take additional safety precautions; be alert to their surroundings and remain vigilant in crowded places popular with tourists.