Back in the Peloponnese

Looking out from Ermioni towards the island of Hydra

 

On 23^rd June we finally left Andros and had a great downwind sail to Kea. We moored overnight in the village of Korissia then set off early for the seven hour sail down to Poros, our first stop back in the Peloponnese. I still had a chest infection and although I was coughing less, breathing was now painful so I decided I had better see a doctor. He diagnosed a lung infection and prescribed antibiotics and an inhaler.



Leonidhion Plaka

 We were keen to sail south and explore more of the Peloponnese mainland, but we only managed  to see Ermioni and Leonidhion Plaka – both lovely, unspoilt villages - before I began to feel unwell again. Another visit to the doctor revealed I had pneumonia in both lungs. We were due to fly back to the UK the following week, so we anchored in Porto Heli and rested up until it was time for the boat to be hauled out at a yard a few miles up the coast.

Porto Heli

Sandpiper is now out of the water on the hard at Koiladha and we are enjoying catching up with family and friends in the UK. We will update the blog again in September when we’re back in Greece.

Andros



Batsi harbour on Andros

From Evia we headed back to the Cyclades. Our first stop was Vouraki on the island of Kea. It’s a small, relatively undeveloped island with some lovely sandy beaches and unspoilt countryside, but it’s also the nearest Cycladean island to Athens and Vouraki has become a favourite spot for Athenian sailors.

We arrived on a Thursday when the port was relatively quiet, but by Friday evening the place was buzzing and we were squeezed between two super-yachts which were both belching smelly fumes from their generators.  I had just started a chesty cold, and this was the last thing I needed. Then the yacht next to us decided it was party night and set up a disco on deck which was so loud that the restaurant opposite came over to complain. They turned the music down, but the partying continued all night, and the next morning we decided it was time for us to move on to our next stop, the island of Andros.

Early evening in Batsi on Andros

A cruising couple we met on Evia had told us that the small resort of Batsi on Andros was one of their favourite places, and as we sailed into the bay, we could see why. The picturesque village still boasts some of the mansions built in the 19^th century when Andros was home to wealthy shipping magnates. The village sits on the hill around the harbour, and there are a series of sandy beaches running along the bay. We quickly found a mooring in the harbour and were given a warm welcome by Ioannis, the harbour master.  As we explored the village we were struck by how friendly and helpful the locals were – this was more like the ‘old’ Greece we remembered.

Exploring the village paths

Unfortunately after a day or so my ‘cold’ developed into a full blown chest infection and we decided to stay in Batsi until I felt better. Strong southerly winds were forecast and Ioannis came to tell us that our current mooring wasn’t safe as waves would break over the wall and on to the boat.  “But don’t worry, I have a special place for you” he said, and he pointed to a wonderfully sheltered spot tucked right inside the fishing harbour.  

The local 'swimming pool'

We soon discovered that our new mooring was next to a corner of the harbour that the local children had adopted as their ‘swimming pool’. They were very friendly and they kept us entertained as they competed to see who could jump the furthest into the harbour.



The chapel of the 'Virgin Mary of the Sea' at Chora

 

When I began to feel better we hired a car for a day to explore the island and visit the capital, Chora. This was a lovely old town built on a rocky headland. We spent an enjoyable morning exploring its winding streets and then walked down to the old wharf to visit the chapel of Panagia Thalassimi which is dedicated to the Virgin of the Sea, who protects sailors. Hopefully she will keep her eye on us as we continue on our travels.

Evia

Walking in the mountains of Evia

 

It was June 1 and temperatures in the Aegean were starting to rise to the high 30s, so we decided to head north to the island of Evia where we hoped to find cooler weather. Evia is Greece’s second largest island after Crete and sits just off the eastern Greek mainland.  We had read that the island was still relatively unspoilt and had some beautiful spots inland, so it was on our list to visit.



The harbour at Karystos

 

Our first stop was the town of Karystos on the southern tip of the island.  Set deep in a bay with mountains rising behind, it’s an unsophisticated place that’s off the radar for most charterers and the main quay in the harbour was almost deserted, so we had the luxury of tying up alongside. A quick visit to the Venetian castle was followed by a trip to the local supermarket for provisions.  The next morning we set off early for our sail north through the Gulf of Evoikos which separates Evia from the Greek mainland. 

 

Bourtzi Castle at Karystos

 

The sail from Karystos up through the gulf was both fun and challenging, as the geography of the gulf means that the winds are constantly changing. So to begin with the wind blew down the channel from the Aegean giving us a good downwind sail, then it abruptly changed to ‘on the nose’ as the steep mountains created a katabatic effect.  Later it died altogether, only to come back a hour or so later, from yet another direction.

The wind finally dropped as we entered the very pretty, sheltered inlet of Almiropotamos  and we moored on the quay at the tiny village of Panagia. We couldn’t believe our luck in finding such a lovely, unspoilt spot. The village was surrounded by wooded hills on three sides and had a stream running down the middle of the main street with ducks swimming on it. Just along from the quay there was a small sandy beach shaded by trees and we looked forward to an early morning dip the following day.

The weather closes in at Panagia

 

Be careful what you wish for. We had hoped for cooler weather and the next morning we certainly got it. We woke to dark skies and drizzle, then we had thunderstorms, more rain and high winds. It rained and the wind blew for two days as we huddled in the warmest corner of the village café poring over the weather reports on our laptop. We eventually saw a pattern emerging. The unsettled, stormy weather seemed to be sitting over northern Evia and the Sporade islands, while further south the Aegean was still enjoying  the sunshine, so we decided to head south again to the Cyclades and better weather.  

But before we left Evia for good we wanted to visit the mountains and the Dimosari Gorge, and talking to the friendly locals in Panagia we had discovered that the best way to do this was to join an organised walk run by a travel agency in Karystos.  The next day we sailed back down to Karystos and the following morning we joined a group of Greek Cypriots, a German and a Russian family who were all boarding the coach for the walk.

Ochi mountain - worth the hair raising drive

 

The drive to the summit of the mountains and the start of the gorge was terrifying.  We soon turned off the main road onto narrow, unmade tracks that wound up the mountain with sheer drops to the side. It was hard to believe they were taking a coach on a track made for off road vehicles. It was so steep that in several places the coach wheels couldn’t grip the road and began to slide backwards. As everyone took a deep breath the driver slammed the brakes on, jumped out, grabbed a shovel from the luggage compartment and moved the grit around until the wheels could get enough purchase to start moving again.

The view when we reached the summit was just stunning. The valley between the mountains was covered in lush vegetation and carpeted with spring flowers.  At first the descent into the gorge was very steep and slippery as the path criss-crossed rocky streams. But then the path flattened out and opened up to amazing views across the valley.  Here the undergrowth had grown so high that occasionally even Cliff was enveloped in it.



Cliff hidden in the undergrowth

 

Eventually we reached the point where the path followed the river as it tumbled down through the rocks. Here we were walking though ancient woods with the sunlight filtering through the trees. I wandered along completely absorbed by the trees, plants and quality of light, then suddenly something came thundering down the hillside and nearly collided with me. I screamed, and the poor thing ran for its life.  It was a wild pig, and subsequently we saw a whole family snuffling around in the muddy bank by the river.

Spot the wild pig!

 

As we continued walking down, the river turned into a series of waterfalls and our animal encounters continued as foxes, goats and donkeys crossed our path.  We were also amazed by the huge variety of flowers, the most spectacular being the Drancunculus Vulgaris or ‘Stink Lily’ which smells strongly of rotting flesh!

The Stink Lily

Waterfall in the gorge

 

After five hours we finally reached the end of the gorge. By this time we were both pretty tired and my legs were shaking from so much downhill walking. We were met by the coach driver who was now in a car, and seemed to be offering a lift back down to the coach pick up point. We had read that the end of the gorge was just a kilometre from the village, so we decided to let some of the rest of the group get a lift in the car while we did last bit on foot. It was only when we got to the village that we realised the coach was parked down by the beach – which meant we still had another 3 kilometres to go before we finished! Needless to say, we were both exhausted by the time we got there, but we agreed it had been one of the best days so far this year.