MA'AYAN HAROD

This charming picnic and swimming area is set below the heavily wooded northern face of Mt. Gilboa, at the bottom of which a stream emanates from the base of a cave. It is believed to be the same spring where the divinely-inspired Judge, Gideon, chose his troops for the attack on the Midianite (Bedouin) throngs who had invaded the area. According to Judges 7:6, Gideon watched 10,000 men drink at this spring and chose only the 300 who drank standing up. He then launched a surprisingly novel night-time raid on the enemy, completely routing them.

The vaulted tomb above the spring contains the remains of Yehoshua Hankin, who purchased 600,000 dunams of land - including this tract - for Jewish settlement, so earning for himself the epitaph ``The Redeemer of the Valley.''

Note that the artificial lake used as a swimming pool at Ma'ayan Harod is closed on Thursdays, when the water is changed. Open: Sun. - Thurs. Apr. - Sept. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Oct. - March 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Fri. closes one hour earlier. Sat. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (summer), 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (winter). Entrance fee.

Next to the National Park is a camping site with full facilities. Tel. (06)581660. Before driving onto the main road, you could stop at the tourist information centre which is open 24 hours a day. To get to Afula, you should turn left from Ma'ayan Harod onto Road No. 71 for 10 km.

To return to Tiberias you may either backtrack over the entire route or drive on to Afula and join up with the second half of Route No. 11, leading you up and around Mt. Tabor on Road No. 65. To get to Haifa from Afula, take Road No. 60 north, No. 73 west, and then No. 75.