Today's highlight was the walk up the Imbros Gorge, a more intimate experience than the Samaria Gorge.
At breakfast on the seafront at the Livikon hotel, I listened with admiration as the waiter switched between four languages as he addressed different customers. Suitably fed, I climbed up the road out of Hora Sfakion. Ignoring a possible detour, as it involved extra climbing in an apparently unattractive area, I followed the road, passed various cafes with adverts for taxis, to the entrance of the Imbros Gorge.
Given a loose interpretation of where the E4 goes, I had a choice of three routes, up the Imbros, Astendiano or Kallikratis Gorge. Based on guidebook recommendations I selected the Imbros, although as I later discovered it would involve a bit more climbing. Although nowhere near as popular as the Samaria Gorge, it still attracts a fair number of people who pay 2.5 euros to walk around 11 kilometres through this smaller gorge. The gorge is narrower than its bigger brother, in places you can simultaneously touch both side with your hands while the cliffs each side rise vertically above you. There is also a natural arch. With no water in the gorge today, the walking was not difficult, much of the path is flat although there were a few places with rocks and pebbles to negotiate. The cliffs each side and some trees provide a degree of shade except at each end.
At the top, in Imbros village, I had a lemon drink and ice cream at one of the tavernas before tackling the next stage of today's walk, a road section to Asfendou. Over a few kilometres the road climbed 320 metres at a steady pace. There was no shade, the vegetation was the low thorny type that covers much of Crete. The sun was out and sweat was coming into my eyes, making them sting. Once the road reached the pass, it promptly lost all the height it had gained as it dropped down into Asfendou. I was happy to see an open taverna in the village to refresh myself with a cold Coke. It was pretty hot and after the village I noticed, not for the first time, a flock of sheep huddled under a tree for the shade.
A kilometre or so later I could either continue along the road to Kallikratis, or reach the village by a longer route on tracks and a footpath up in the hills. I chose the later as the accommodation I had been considering at Kallikratis was full, so I was planning to wild camp. So far I had seen no camping opportunities near the road, which had been cut into a rocky slope. I thought more favourable and discrete options would be found off the quieter mountain track.
So I followed a vehicle track among grazing sheep and goats, then a barely visible path which I could only find with the continuous use of my GPS and the track I had obtained from the Cretan Way.
Finding a clear patch of flattish ground among the rocks, a few kilometres short of Kallikratis, I chopped down thistles and other things with needle sharp thorns to make a site for my tent. Removal of the thorny things was difficult as they easily penetrated my leather gloves, as well as the fabric of my tent's groundsheet.
After dinner of a cheese and vegetable pastry pie purchased from the bakery this morning, and an apple, I headed into my tent as the insects were starting to bite.
26.2 kilometres walked today with a healthy ascent of 1480 metres.
At breakfast on the seafront at the Livikon hotel, I listened with admiration as the waiter switched between four languages as he addressed different customers. Suitably fed, I climbed up the road out of Hora Sfakion. Ignoring a possible detour, as it involved extra climbing in an apparently unattractive area, I followed the road, passed various cafes with adverts for taxis, to the entrance of the Imbros Gorge.
Given a loose interpretation of where the E4 goes, I had a choice of three routes, up the Imbros, Astendiano or Kallikratis Gorge. Based on guidebook recommendations I selected the Imbros, although as I later discovered it would involve a bit more climbing. Although nowhere near as popular as the Samaria Gorge, it still attracts a fair number of people who pay 2.5 euros to walk around 11 kilometres through this smaller gorge. The gorge is narrower than its bigger brother, in places you can simultaneously touch both side with your hands while the cliffs each side rise vertically above you. There is also a natural arch. With no water in the gorge today, the walking was not difficult, much of the path is flat although there were a few places with rocks and pebbles to negotiate. The cliffs each side and some trees provide a degree of shade except at each end.
At the top, in Imbros village, I had a lemon drink and ice cream at one of the tavernas before tackling the next stage of today's walk, a road section to Asfendou. Over a few kilometres the road climbed 320 metres at a steady pace. There was no shade, the vegetation was the low thorny type that covers much of Crete. The sun was out and sweat was coming into my eyes, making them sting. Once the road reached the pass, it promptly lost all the height it had gained as it dropped down into Asfendou. I was happy to see an open taverna in the village to refresh myself with a cold Coke. It was pretty hot and after the village I noticed, not for the first time, a flock of sheep huddled under a tree for the shade.
A kilometre or so later I could either continue along the road to Kallikratis, or reach the village by a longer route on tracks and a footpath up in the hills. I chose the later as the accommodation I had been considering at Kallikratis was full, so I was planning to wild camp. So far I had seen no camping opportunities near the road, which had been cut into a rocky slope. I thought more favourable and discrete options would be found off the quieter mountain track.
So I followed a vehicle track among grazing sheep and goats, then a barely visible path which I could only find with the continuous use of my GPS and the track I had obtained from the Cretan Way.
Finding a clear patch of flattish ground among the rocks, a few kilometres short of Kallikratis, I chopped down thistles and other things with needle sharp thorns to make a site for my tent. Removal of the thorny things was difficult as they easily penetrated my leather gloves, as well as the fabric of my tent's groundsheet.
After dinner of a cheese and vegetable pastry pie purchased from the bakery this morning, and an apple, I headed into my tent as the insects were starting to bite.
26.2 kilometres walked today with a healthy ascent of 1480 metres.
 |
| Imbros gorge |
 |
| Imbros gorge |
No comments:
Post a Comment