A more arduous day than I expected walking close to the sea through vegetation, over sand dunes and up rocks.
Between Chrisoskalitisa and the next settlement of Elafonissi the E4 officially follows the road but a more adventurous, alternative route has been devised. This begins on a vehicle track but soon diverts onto a path marked with two red stripes. For much of the walk the path is difficult to spot as you push through low bushes, some of them thorny, releasing a scent of thyme. In several places I lost the red markings and the mixture of large rocks and bushes made it difficult to find a way forward. The rock was a breccia (i.e. it had angular bits of rock of various sizes embedded in it), I thought there might be some volcanic association, certainly it was rough enough to give my boots a good grip. However the spacing of the rocks on this section meant they were often an obstruction rather than an aid, being too widely spaced to jump between. After much effort I reached a bluff. I climbed down, negotiated a typical Cretan rebar fence and reached the start of Elafonissi beach. A naked man discretely sunbathing under a tree marked the outer perimeter.
The beach was a complete contrast to the area I had just crossed. Coaches were disgorging people who joined many others sunbathing on the white sand by the turquoise blue sea. Bars offered drinks, there were sunbeds and umbrellas, an air of hedonism prevailed.
Leaving the beach E4 signs and yellow and black stripes directed me over rocks a little way, passing a boat load of tourists. Beyond the rocks the E4 went through, according to the sign, a rare ecosystem of sand dunes and juniper trees. Very pretty but the sand made for slow going. I continued on sand or rock past a few small beaches. Unlike Elafonissi beach, only a few people were enjoying them, maybe the longer walk from the nearest car park discouraged others.
Then there was a section involving climbing up rocks and traversing steep slopes which took me to a bay where a sign described some Roman remains. I could not see any although didn't look long, maybe there was more to see if you went snorkelling in the clear sea.
After climbing up and over a headland the E4 left you on Krios Beach, where the taverna at which I hoped to refresh myself was closed (although I found a cafe on the road a kilometre or so later). Moving onto the coastal plain I walked past acres of "greenhouses" made of plastic sheeting. Inside were lines of tomato plants, the fruit in various stages of ripeness.
I decided to spend the night in Camping Grameno a few kilometres short of the town of Paleochora. My choice was in part because the site is beside a beach and I fancied a swim in the sea having seen so many enjoying it on my walk today. A cold wind was blowing once I had pitched my tent and the sea was cold, so my bathing was extremely brief! Sometimes the idea of something is more pleasant than the actual experience. However the beer, chicken in lemon sauce with rice and Greek salad at the campsite bar afterwards more than matched my expectations.
20.2 kilometres and an ascent of 520 metres covered today.
Between Chrisoskalitisa and the next settlement of Elafonissi the E4 officially follows the road but a more adventurous, alternative route has been devised. This begins on a vehicle track but soon diverts onto a path marked with two red stripes. For much of the walk the path is difficult to spot as you push through low bushes, some of them thorny, releasing a scent of thyme. In several places I lost the red markings and the mixture of large rocks and bushes made it difficult to find a way forward. The rock was a breccia (i.e. it had angular bits of rock of various sizes embedded in it), I thought there might be some volcanic association, certainly it was rough enough to give my boots a good grip. However the spacing of the rocks on this section meant they were often an obstruction rather than an aid, being too widely spaced to jump between. After much effort I reached a bluff. I climbed down, negotiated a typical Cretan rebar fence and reached the start of Elafonissi beach. A naked man discretely sunbathing under a tree marked the outer perimeter.
The beach was a complete contrast to the area I had just crossed. Coaches were disgorging people who joined many others sunbathing on the white sand by the turquoise blue sea. Bars offered drinks, there were sunbeds and umbrellas, an air of hedonism prevailed.
Leaving the beach E4 signs and yellow and black stripes directed me over rocks a little way, passing a boat load of tourists. Beyond the rocks the E4 went through, according to the sign, a rare ecosystem of sand dunes and juniper trees. Very pretty but the sand made for slow going. I continued on sand or rock past a few small beaches. Unlike Elafonissi beach, only a few people were enjoying them, maybe the longer walk from the nearest car park discouraged others.
Then there was a section involving climbing up rocks and traversing steep slopes which took me to a bay where a sign described some Roman remains. I could not see any although didn't look long, maybe there was more to see if you went snorkelling in the clear sea.
After climbing up and over a headland the E4 left you on Krios Beach, where the taverna at which I hoped to refresh myself was closed (although I found a cafe on the road a kilometre or so later). Moving onto the coastal plain I walked past acres of "greenhouses" made of plastic sheeting. Inside were lines of tomato plants, the fruit in various stages of ripeness.
I decided to spend the night in Camping Grameno a few kilometres short of the town of Paleochora. My choice was in part because the site is beside a beach and I fancied a swim in the sea having seen so many enjoying it on my walk today. A cold wind was blowing once I had pitched my tent and the sea was cold, so my bathing was extremely brief! Sometimes the idea of something is more pleasant than the actual experience. However the beer, chicken in lemon sauce with rice and Greek salad at the campsite bar afterwards more than matched my expectations.
20.2 kilometres and an ascent of 520 metres covered today.
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