Crete Walks

By Geoff Needle

A selection of 25 country walks passing through different parts of the Apokoronas area of north-west Crete. The Apokoronas area has a diverse terrain that ranges from a rocky coastline with caves, coves and sandy beaches, large flat plains of citrus and olive groves, old villages, small churches, rivers and streams, and the high foothills of the White Mountains that are snow covered for up to six months each year. These walks take you to all those places. The walks would suit tourists that want to explore the quiet countryside away from their chosen resort or local people that have not had the opportunity to explore some of the nice countryside further afield from where they live. The walks pass through the nicest and quietest parts of the local countryside. The directions are fully detailed with their length and description of the terrain to be met along the way. An introduction gives more information about the Apokoronas area and various aspects of life in Crete.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781326834920

Book preview

Crete Walks

CRETE WALKS

Author: Geoffrey Needle

All images: Geoff Needle (except where otherwise credited)

Copyright: Geoffrey Needle 2017

Publisher: Lulu

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-1-326-83492-0

Starting Points of the Walks

Maps reproduced with kind permission of Nakas Road Cartography.

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INTRODUCTION

A collection of 25 selected walks around different parts of the Apokoronas area of north west Crete. They include some of the best countryside and views the area has to offer the walker.

Detailed walk descriptions enable the reader to enjoy the tranquillity, scenery and views without being lost in an area of countryside they don’t know.

THE APOKORONAS AREA

The Apokoronas area, more simply known as the Apokoronas, has many villages, hamlets, churches, tavernas and kafenions with their own character that are set in a landscape with views that change over a short distance. All this makes a casual drive along its roads and lanes a rewarding experience provide interesting photographs and memories. However this book is not about driving through the Apokoronas, other than getting to the starting points of the walks, it is about walking through its countryside.

Relatively small in size compared to the whole of Crete, the Apokoronas covers 200 square kilometres halfway between Chania and Rethymnon. On the map it consists mostly of the area between Georgioupolis to the east, Aptera to the west, the foothills of the White Mountains to the south, and the coastline to the north. The village of Vamos lies at its approximate geographic centre.

There are fine sandy beaches at Georgioupolis, Almyrida and Kera. Between these are rocky cliffs and wild headlands with cliffs, coves and caves. The White Mountains tower over the whole area to provide a photogenic backdrop, especially between December to June when they are usually topped with snow. Between the White Mountains and the coastline there varying terrains with lots of quiet country tracks that are ideal for walking, many of which are included in these walks.

The Armeni plain, between Armeni and Stylos, is a large and completely flat area of olive and citrus groves (orange, lemon, grapefruit and mandarin) irrigated with water from underground springs, streams and rivers that find their way down from the mountains to the sea.

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Orange Groves

Other areas are gently undulating with olive and avocado groves or more rugged with gorges and cuttings that carve their way down from the foothills of the White Mountains.

On the fringes of the Apokoronas there are areas of grass and scrub land dotted with boulders and rocks that support working sheep and goat farms. They provide a subsistence livelihood for their farmers whose families might have been working and tending those bleak areas for many generations.

The White Mountains

The White Mountain range of western Crete, or the Lefka Ori as it is more correctly known, is one of three significant mountain ranges that are spread along the length of Crete. The other two mountain ranges are Mount Ida (or Mt. Psiloritis) in central Crete and Mount Dhikti in eastern Crete. All three ranges are still being formed by the very slow collision of two tectonic plates, the European plate and the African plate. This slowly continuing geological process is increasing their heights at approximately 2mm a year and is the reason why Crete is prone to the occasional earthquake or tremor. Going back in geological time these ranges were once islands surrounds by sea. This produced some distinct variations in the flora and fauna of each range where some species are now only to be found on their own particular mountain range.

The White Mountains are appropriately named as their tops are usually snow-covered from December to June. There are over 30 peaks above 2000m and about 50 gorges. The highest peak is called Pachnes and is currently at 2453m above sea level. It is the second highest peak in Crete, the highest being that of Mount Ida (Mt. Psiloritis) at 2456m, only 3m higher. The highest peak of the Mount Dhikti range is mere 2147m.

As impressive as they look from anywhere within the Apokoronas, you are only seeing the foothills of the White Mountain range going up to about 1800m. The highest peaks lie between the centre of the island and the south coast where huge areas of the range are above 2000m.

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View from the highest peak, Pachnes

The higher foothills of the White Mountains are covered with large areas of pine and cypress trees. The lower foothills being more fertile support a number of small rural communities with goat and sheep farming and small vineyards. Sustaining life in these small communities is difficult in the depths of winter with the heavy snows and rains so people and animals vacate to lower ground until the following spring. There’s superb scenery to be found in the foothills and the walks in them are generally more difficult although they do reward the efforts made.

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White Mountains in Spring

The White Mountains are very important for the Apokoronas. Heavy snows that fall on them in winter melt in the spring to fill the many aquifers and sink holes. These provide water for the whole area for the rest of the year. Being so high and so close to the sea, the White Mountains have a significant effect on the weather patterns of the whole area.

Drapanos Hill

Another significant geographic feature dominating the Apokoronas is Drapanos Hill that reaches 527m. This is the large almost flat-topped hill on the eastern end of the Apokoronas. The hidden eastern side of the hill is relatively barren and drops down to a rocky coastline while the visible western side drop down to the villages of Plaka, Kambia, Kokkino Horio and Drapanos.

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Drapanos Hill

The rocky coastline at the northern end of Drapanos Hill drops down to a couple of coves, sea caves and salt pools. There are also two small lighthouses perched on its far corners at the mouth of Souda Bay. The top of the hill has a number of masts for various electronic communication systems. It is not normally accessible to casual walkers despite the tempting track seen climbing steeply up its western side, passing a small round water tank along the way, since it has livestock roaming around it from time to time that belong to the local owners of the hill.

Zourva Hill

To the west of the Apokoronas is Aptera Hill. This rises to 220m but is dwarfed by Zourva Hill seen immediately behind it rising to 610m. Although Zourva Hill is just outside the Apokoronas, it remains a very prominent geographic feature that can be seen from most locations within it.

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Zourva Hill

It has a broad almost flat-topped profile, very much like a mirror-image of Drapanos Hill, and together they look like a pair of bookends with the Apokoronas packaged in the middle.

Aptera Hill

Aptera Hill, now reached by passing through the modern village of Megala Chorafia, was once encircled by a stone wall 3.5km long of which only short lengths of ruined sections remain in place today. This wall surrounded the ancient Greek city of Aptera that was founded in the 7th century BC. It grew to become a wealthy commercial and political centre through the pre-Hellenic and Hellenic periods (500-300 BC). It even minted its own coins such was its importance. On-going excavations have exposed many important structures and artifacts, including a stone-paved road and a well-preserved amphitheatre from the Hellenic period.

The Romans were the next inhabitants of the walled hill. They rebuilt the old Greek city to leave behind some splendid ruins of their own that