Category Archives: Mesochora to Karpenisi

We’d already walked thirty kilometres and at five pm we were still slogging up Black Mountain (Mavrovouni), looking for a flat spot to camp. Pine forest fell steeply away below the dirt track and rose equally steeply on the other … Continue reading →

We reached Kali Komi at lunchtime. It’s a lovely village, hidden in a valley on one of the Acheloos tributaries.  There had been billboards advertising the Hotel Alkiviadis on the roadside, and we were looking forward to a comfortable bed and … Continue reading →

The cafe in Petroto was called “The Monopoly”  – the only place to get food in the tiny village. The primary school was next door, and the cafe was run by the school teacher and his wife. We pitched our … Continue reading →

We had a choice. We could walk up the Koubourianitikos river or over the ridge on the far side and along the dirt roads to Leondito.  It all depended on the water level, Dimitri told us, as we set off. … Continue reading →

We stopped at the highest point on the Deldhimi pass, nearly two thousand metres up. Wave after wave of peaks stretched away into the distance, both North and South. An eagle floated overhead as we had lunch. There was no … Continue reading →

The narrow path ahead was cut into the rock face, with a sheer drop on one side. I’m nervous of heights and precipices, and stopped to take a deep breath and send up a prayer at the little shrine alongside … Continue reading →

We’d stopped at a little roadside cafe, bright with flowers overflowing out of old olive oil tins. They specialised in Greek coffee. Nothing else, not even soft drinks, and no food. We couldn’t see any houses, the village of Monastiraki … Continue reading →

Klopoukitsa was deserted. There were three or four houses, all closed up, and a church. Since nobody was about, we stopped briefly to fill up with water from a tap outside one of the houses. Suddenly half a dozen kittens, … Continue reading →

Lightning flashed across the tent, thunder rolled around the peaks. We lay there counting. How far away was the storm? To make matters worse, I was feeling sick, with a slight headache. “Why don’t you get dressed so you can … Continue reading →

Every two hundred metres along the tarred road back to Kerasochori  stood a man in a high viz jacket, armed with a gun. There was no traffic. We waited for Butch Cassidy to come galloping round the corner to oblivion. … Continue reading →