A bit of extra walking as I went down, and then back up, the Kabou gorge.
Things did not get off to a good start. I agreed the previous evening that the room would come off my credit card, but in the morning a different lady wanted cash. Language difficulties made things a bit difficult and I am sure she thought I was some disreputable character who was trying to avoid paying. In the event she took almost all my change. This meant that in the heat of the hot day, when I tried to buy an ice cream with a 50 euro note, the guy serving was not at all happy. He eventually found the change in one pocket or other, perhaps I should just have suffered and done without.
After the payment problems I headed off down the attractive Kabou gorge. Signs started from just by my guesthouse and took me deep into the gorge, among the rocks and trees on a reasonably good path (despite an overgrown section at the beginning). I exited the narrow valley with a view of a pebble beach. Then I checked my GPS and realised I was not in the valley I thought I would be. I should have been in a valley to the south. I faced a choice, either try and walk south across the headland or walk back up to the top of the gorge and start again on the right route. Although one of my maps showed a path across the headland, I saw no sign of it. I could have pushed through the low vegetation but I was concerned about the outcrops of rock and the likelihood of cliffs on the other side. Probably I could have found a way through, but the risk of having to turn back meant I took the more reliable alternative of climbing back up the gorge and starting again. 7 kilometres and a 330 metres climb was added to my day as a result of this excursion, although not entirely wasted as it was an interesting, if not spectacular walk.
Officially the E4 follows the main coast road to Chrisoskalitisa - not at all a good hiking option. Instead I followed a smaller road through the village of Livadhia and closer to the sea. This should have a much quieter route, but the main road was closed for repairs after damage caused by winter rains, so a fair amount of traffic was diverted onto the small road I was following, mainly tourist rental cars before Livadhia, then pick ups taking tomatoes to market afterwards. Initially the scenery near the coast consisted of olive groves, set against a mountainous backdrop. Later the road was close to the sea and I walked by rocky seashore and some deserted, if pebbly beaches. The final short section of the walk was on the busy main road with tour buses passing. Chrisoskalitisa itself is a tourist place with multiple tavernas offering rooms. I am booked into the Kochilas rooms, a fairly random choice.
The main sight is the nearby monastery. I thought its church quite plain. If my memory is correct, the churches in Northern Greece seemed to have been much more highly decorated than the ones in Crete and the Peloponnese. It was different centuries ago when the monastery had golden steps, sold to pay Ottoman taxes, although the faithful can maybe still see one.
Fresh fish for dinner for the second night running as I am on the coast, and very nice too....
Excluding my trip down the Kabou gorge I walked 17 kilometres today with a total ascent of only 220 metres, the Kabou gorge diversion added 7.2 kilometres and an ascent of 330 metres.
A GPX file of my route can be found on wikiloc.com or can be downloaded to your phone using myViewranger, short code johnpon0043.
Things did not get off to a good start. I agreed the previous evening that the room would come off my credit card, but in the morning a different lady wanted cash. Language difficulties made things a bit difficult and I am sure she thought I was some disreputable character who was trying to avoid paying. In the event she took almost all my change. This meant that in the heat of the hot day, when I tried to buy an ice cream with a 50 euro note, the guy serving was not at all happy. He eventually found the change in one pocket or other, perhaps I should just have suffered and done without.
After the payment problems I headed off down the attractive Kabou gorge. Signs started from just by my guesthouse and took me deep into the gorge, among the rocks and trees on a reasonably good path (despite an overgrown section at the beginning). I exited the narrow valley with a view of a pebble beach. Then I checked my GPS and realised I was not in the valley I thought I would be. I should have been in a valley to the south. I faced a choice, either try and walk south across the headland or walk back up to the top of the gorge and start again on the right route. Although one of my maps showed a path across the headland, I saw no sign of it. I could have pushed through the low vegetation but I was concerned about the outcrops of rock and the likelihood of cliffs on the other side. Probably I could have found a way through, but the risk of having to turn back meant I took the more reliable alternative of climbing back up the gorge and starting again. 7 kilometres and a 330 metres climb was added to my day as a result of this excursion, although not entirely wasted as it was an interesting, if not spectacular walk.
Officially the E4 follows the main coast road to Chrisoskalitisa - not at all a good hiking option. Instead I followed a smaller road through the village of Livadhia and closer to the sea. This should have a much quieter route, but the main road was closed for repairs after damage caused by winter rains, so a fair amount of traffic was diverted onto the small road I was following, mainly tourist rental cars before Livadhia, then pick ups taking tomatoes to market afterwards. Initially the scenery near the coast consisted of olive groves, set against a mountainous backdrop. Later the road was close to the sea and I walked by rocky seashore and some deserted, if pebbly beaches. The final short section of the walk was on the busy main road with tour buses passing. Chrisoskalitisa itself is a tourist place with multiple tavernas offering rooms. I am booked into the Kochilas rooms, a fairly random choice.
The main sight is the nearby monastery. I thought its church quite plain. If my memory is correct, the churches in Northern Greece seemed to have been much more highly decorated than the ones in Crete and the Peloponnese. It was different centuries ago when the monastery had golden steps, sold to pay Ottoman taxes, although the faithful can maybe still see one.
Fresh fish for dinner for the second night running as I am on the coast, and very nice too....
Excluding my trip down the Kabou gorge I walked 17 kilometres today with a total ascent of only 220 metres, the Kabou gorge diversion added 7.2 kilometres and an ascent of 330 metres.
A GPX file of my route can be found on wikiloc.com or can be downloaded to your phone using myViewranger, short code johnpon0043.
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| Empty beach |
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| Typical Cretan Rebar fencing |
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| Church at Golden monastery |
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