A navigational challenge today, seeking clues as to where the E4 goes as I walked across farmland and grassland, and through groves of holm oak, covering 31.5 kilometres with an 1184 metre total ascent.
After some shopping and a coffee in Livadi I started today's walk. I had planned a few routes heading in an westerly direction out of Livadi, as indicated on the Anavasi 1:230,000 Thessaly map. Admittedly too small a scale but the only map showing the E4 route I was aware of. However, the E4 signs in the village clearly showed that the European trail was leaving along the main road in a southerly direction. Consequently I revised my planned route to head south out of town. After seeing a number of waymarks my revised route caused me to turn off the main road onto a dirt track. At this point I lost the waymarks. Maybe the E4 left the road at a later point or maybe they just ran out of signs. I knew the E4 signing could not be relied upon to show the way, so as I could see no other viable route I stuck to my (revised) plan.
The dirt track I was following joined a two lane tarmac road, presumably recent as my maps showed an unmetalled track. Dirt tracks and tarmac roads alternated for the rest of the day. Around me was a mixture of farmland (newly ploughed ready for seeding or fields of maize waiting to be cut) and rough grassland dotted with small trees and bushes which formed small woods on steeper slopes. The grassland was a dusty yellow. Some bird of prey circled lazily overhead while swallows(?) swooped.
After crossing a few valleys it was a steep pull up to the village of Saradaporo where I indulged in a Coke, a Fanta Lemon, an ice cream and a packaged apple strudel with very little apple in it. I had hoped for a more balanced lunch but only a cafe (and two small shops) were open.
I spotted some E4 signs in the village which seemed to confirm that I had chosen the next bit of the route correctly. This took me passed a white church with carefully tended roses in its walled compound, then it was down to the bottom of a valley where an older church stood, part of the Holy Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which was last in operation in 1919. Sadly people had carved graffiti into the obviously old paintings on the front of the church, although all was untouched inside. As usual the paintings on rood screen (more correctly called an "Iconostasis" as this was an Orthodox church) had a lot of gold leaf around the solemn faces of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
Next challenge was climbing out the other side of the valley as there was no clear path either through the prickly bushes or up loose rock and earth. Fortunately the goats seem to have made a way through the bushes which I followed continuing onto a clearer track and later a road. I was walking through woodland made of low trees. The main type had what looked like miniature holly leaves, but as it also bore occasional acorns I took it to be a type of holm oak. There were also the more common oak trees mixed in. A steep upward climb took me to the small village of Tsapournia. Sadly the cafe was closed so I continued climbing up to the highest point on the E4 trail across the Amarvis mountains. A grassy hill top looked a good place to pitch my tent, but large numbers of flies are forcing me to stay inside it.
A GPS file of my route can be found on Wikiloc.com, or you can use ViewRanger to view it on your smartphone, shortcode johnon0039.
After some shopping and a coffee in Livadi I started today's walk. I had planned a few routes heading in an westerly direction out of Livadi, as indicated on the Anavasi 1:230,000 Thessaly map. Admittedly too small a scale but the only map showing the E4 route I was aware of. However, the E4 signs in the village clearly showed that the European trail was leaving along the main road in a southerly direction. Consequently I revised my planned route to head south out of town. After seeing a number of waymarks my revised route caused me to turn off the main road onto a dirt track. At this point I lost the waymarks. Maybe the E4 left the road at a later point or maybe they just ran out of signs. I knew the E4 signing could not be relied upon to show the way, so as I could see no other viable route I stuck to my (revised) plan.
The dirt track I was following joined a two lane tarmac road, presumably recent as my maps showed an unmetalled track. Dirt tracks and tarmac roads alternated for the rest of the day. Around me was a mixture of farmland (newly ploughed ready for seeding or fields of maize waiting to be cut) and rough grassland dotted with small trees and bushes which formed small woods on steeper slopes. The grassland was a dusty yellow. Some bird of prey circled lazily overhead while swallows(?) swooped.
After crossing a few valleys it was a steep pull up to the village of Saradaporo where I indulged in a Coke, a Fanta Lemon, an ice cream and a packaged apple strudel with very little apple in it. I had hoped for a more balanced lunch but only a cafe (and two small shops) were open.
I spotted some E4 signs in the village which seemed to confirm that I had chosen the next bit of the route correctly. This took me passed a white church with carefully tended roses in its walled compound, then it was down to the bottom of a valley where an older church stood, part of the Holy Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which was last in operation in 1919. Sadly people had carved graffiti into the obviously old paintings on the front of the church, although all was untouched inside. As usual the paintings on rood screen (more correctly called an "Iconostasis" as this was an Orthodox church) had a lot of gold leaf around the solemn faces of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
Next challenge was climbing out the other side of the valley as there was no clear path either through the prickly bushes or up loose rock and earth. Fortunately the goats seem to have made a way through the bushes which I followed continuing onto a clearer track and later a road. I was walking through woodland made of low trees. The main type had what looked like miniature holly leaves, but as it also bore occasional acorns I took it to be a type of holm oak. There were also the more common oak trees mixed in. A steep upward climb took me to the small village of Tsapournia. Sadly the cafe was closed so I continued climbing up to the highest point on the E4 trail across the Amarvis mountains. A grassy hill top looked a good place to pitch my tent, but large numbers of flies are forcing me to stay inside it.
A GPS file of my route can be found on Wikiloc.com, or you can use ViewRanger to view it on your smartphone, shortcode johnon0039.
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| Looking back towards Livadi as I walked towards Saradaporo |
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| Entrance to the church at the Holy Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, people have scratched their initials on these paintings |
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