The highlight of today was the sight of the Taygetos mountains streaked with snow against the morning sky, the lowlight was walking down a stream bed, in and out of water, and across boulders.
The E4 led me up a vehicle track through trees. In the early morning light I could see the distant sea to the south of the Peloponnese for the first time. Then, passing signs for cyclists I turned a corner and saw my first sight of the Taygetos mountains. They rose in the distance, black ridges pointing upwards, highlighted by white snow, set against the morning sky, which looked like watery blue silk. Later they would be hidden by cloud.
It was not long before I walked into Karyes, for a morning coffee (served after a customer went and found the owner) in a smoky cafe with a croissant out of a plastic bag. Perhaps I should have chosen one of the other cafes by the square beneath the spreading plane tree. Back on the move, the mountains around me were covered with small Holm oak, occasional areas with pine trees, some regular oak trees, even the odd Italian cypress, tall and thin. The track was bordered with flowers, especially cistus, white with yellow centres, and also a pink variant. I passed one isolated church, and there was another, looking picturesque, down in the valley. The flowers, the sun, the views, the easy walking all put me in a cheerful mood.
I could see Vresthina for long time before I reached it. The winding road took its time to get there, following the contours of the mountain, in and out of dry valleys. Once there I stopped at a small coffee shop where some men of my age were chatting, and an older lady in black was sitting by the stove. While I sipped my coffee, I chatted with one of the men who spoke good English about the economy and Brexit. He said the population of the village was much diminished, especially in winter. The younger people had either moved to the cities to work, or emigrated, mainly emigrated it seemed.
I had intended to camp not long after Vresthina, however it was still only midday, I had made fast progress on the vehicle tracks the E4 was following. So I set a target of reaching the town of Sparta, a name that brought memories of childhood tales of the contrast between the tough Spartans and the more intellectual Athenians.
Initial progress was good but then the E4 followed the bed of a stream. Many crossings of the stream proved necessary over the next few kilometres due to the steep sides of the valley in places. The map showed a vehicle track, which existed in places, but elsewhere was washed away or was actually along the bed of the stream or through the water. At first I could paddle through the water in my boots, but as I went downstream the amount of water grew and attempting to cross what had become a small river would have resulted in my boots filling with water. Last time they became wet inside it took them days to dry out and possibly contributed to my blisters. My attempts to avoid the water by keeping to one bank only result in my becoming entangled with various bits of vegetation and generally getting cross. To avoid waterlogged boots I decided to paddle through the water in my light weight, canvas shoes that I used in hotels and restaurants. Many river crossings were needed in these shoes. My trousers were rolled up to avoid them getting wet, but kept unrolling themselves. These trials plus the awkward boulders made for slow progress and I became impatient, never wise in such circumstances as it contributes to accidents.
Finally, to my great relief, the E4 followed a track away from the river. I dried my feet with my hanky and put my socks and boots back on. Progress, along various vehicle tracks, then improved. Gradually the Holm oak and pines were replaced by olive trees. The flowers growing thickly between them suggested they were not intensively farmed.
On reaching a road down to the village of Theologos, I had a choice of whether to wild camp while there was still some cover, or to continue on to Sparta, still several kilometres away. I decided to keep going although frustrated by the winding nature of the road which added to the distance, but encouraged by the views of distant Sparta and the Taygetos beyond.
At 7:30 pm I checked into the Hotel Lakonia, with its helpful English speaking man on reception. Soon after I was eating in the garden of a nearby restaurant, members of some tour group (possibly German) occupied other tables. In the central square it looked like there was a communist party rally, a small crowd with red KKE flags listened to a man on a platform reading a speech in a monologue. They needed a more rousing speaker to bring in the crowds. Now I am lying on my bed giving my aching feet a well deserved rest.
A record 47 kilometres walked today with an ascent of 670 metres.
The E4 led me up a vehicle track through trees. In the early morning light I could see the distant sea to the south of the Peloponnese for the first time. Then, passing signs for cyclists I turned a corner and saw my first sight of the Taygetos mountains. They rose in the distance, black ridges pointing upwards, highlighted by white snow, set against the morning sky, which looked like watery blue silk. Later they would be hidden by cloud.
It was not long before I walked into Karyes, for a morning coffee (served after a customer went and found the owner) in a smoky cafe with a croissant out of a plastic bag. Perhaps I should have chosen one of the other cafes by the square beneath the spreading plane tree. Back on the move, the mountains around me were covered with small Holm oak, occasional areas with pine trees, some regular oak trees, even the odd Italian cypress, tall and thin. The track was bordered with flowers, especially cistus, white with yellow centres, and also a pink variant. I passed one isolated church, and there was another, looking picturesque, down in the valley. The flowers, the sun, the views, the easy walking all put me in a cheerful mood.
I could see Vresthina for long time before I reached it. The winding road took its time to get there, following the contours of the mountain, in and out of dry valleys. Once there I stopped at a small coffee shop where some men of my age were chatting, and an older lady in black was sitting by the stove. While I sipped my coffee, I chatted with one of the men who spoke good English about the economy and Brexit. He said the population of the village was much diminished, especially in winter. The younger people had either moved to the cities to work, or emigrated, mainly emigrated it seemed.
I had intended to camp not long after Vresthina, however it was still only midday, I had made fast progress on the vehicle tracks the E4 was following. So I set a target of reaching the town of Sparta, a name that brought memories of childhood tales of the contrast between the tough Spartans and the more intellectual Athenians.
Initial progress was good but then the E4 followed the bed of a stream. Many crossings of the stream proved necessary over the next few kilometres due to the steep sides of the valley in places. The map showed a vehicle track, which existed in places, but elsewhere was washed away or was actually along the bed of the stream or through the water. At first I could paddle through the water in my boots, but as I went downstream the amount of water grew and attempting to cross what had become a small river would have resulted in my boots filling with water. Last time they became wet inside it took them days to dry out and possibly contributed to my blisters. My attempts to avoid the water by keeping to one bank only result in my becoming entangled with various bits of vegetation and generally getting cross. To avoid waterlogged boots I decided to paddle through the water in my light weight, canvas shoes that I used in hotels and restaurants. Many river crossings were needed in these shoes. My trousers were rolled up to avoid them getting wet, but kept unrolling themselves. These trials plus the awkward boulders made for slow progress and I became impatient, never wise in such circumstances as it contributes to accidents.
Finally, to my great relief, the E4 followed a track away from the river. I dried my feet with my hanky and put my socks and boots back on. Progress, along various vehicle tracks, then improved. Gradually the Holm oak and pines were replaced by olive trees. The flowers growing thickly between them suggested they were not intensively farmed.
On reaching a road down to the village of Theologos, I had a choice of whether to wild camp while there was still some cover, or to continue on to Sparta, still several kilometres away. I decided to keep going although frustrated by the winding nature of the road which added to the distance, but encouraged by the views of distant Sparta and the Taygetos beyond.
At 7:30 pm I checked into the Hotel Lakonia, with its helpful English speaking man on reception. Soon after I was eating in the garden of a nearby restaurant, members of some tour group (possibly German) occupied other tables. In the central square it looked like there was a communist party rally, a small crowd with red KKE flags listened to a man on a platform reading a speech in a monologue. They needed a more rousing speaker to bring in the crowds. Now I am lying on my bed giving my aching feet a well deserved rest.
A record 47 kilometres walked today with an ascent of 670 metres.
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| First sight of sea to south of Peloponnese in early morning |
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| First sight of Taygetos mountains |
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| Cistus growing beside track |
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| Small river I had to walk through |
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