Greeced Lightning

 So after a final (hopefully) night at Plataria I was away early after making use of the water in/waste out facility and was soon parked up in Igoumenitsa opposite the ferry slipway for sailings to Corfu on a large gravelled area that seemed secure enough. With a rucksack containing overnight kit and some food and extra water I set off on the bike for the few hundred yards down to the smaller slipway and ticket office that serves Paxos. A single fare was a tenner but apparently tomorrow's return would be with a different company so I'd have to get that one on the island and confirm the departure time. The Corfu Spirit arrived around 10.00 from Paxos and discharged a surprising number of foot passengers, a few dozen cars and various commercial vehicles before I walked the bike on board and selected a seat on the top deck. It was a fair sized ship and I think covers a variety of routes in the area and we were away on time for the ninety minutes crossing. I could see right up the inlet to Plataria and we passed a huge tanker that had been at anchor in the bay for a few days.

I got talking to two guys who share their time between Scotland and Paxos where they have a villa and were a bit fatigued from the long drive south, they stay until June when it gets busy and then head north again.

The small harbour was beautifully situated adjacent to a couple of islands and I was soon away east to follow the coast road out to Lakka at the northernmost tip passing some very nice properties. A small chapel was worth stopping at and had good views over the village which I dropped down to for coffee and pastry - the place must be very lively in the summer but was now just calm and serene.

The rest of the afternoon was spent making good use of the bike to explore various coves and rural tracks with quite a lot of ascent and descent and included a lovely church and religious set up with old houses and a tower to scale for more excellent views from beneath the four large bells. A tap provided a water top up after which I began to look for a quiet tuck away for the night. One possibility turned out to be the road down to the municipal tip... I'd been trying to make out what it was on Google Earth but judging by the disappointing amount of fly tipped construction waste and bagged domestic waste I think there must be hefty charges in place which does nothing to address a serious issue.

Anyway further on a track through olive trees became a footpath down to the coast and after a couple of hundred yards I spotted a flat ledge looking straight out to sea that would get both a sunset and sunrise so decided to stop there. It was slightly precarious and I put my rucksack alongside the mat to prevent me rolling me but otherwise it was a magnificent place to be. I was warm and cosy as the stars emerged and slept through until the seagulls woke me for a memorable dawn.

I was away once the sun was up and walked on down to the Tripitos Arch before heading to the most southerly part of the island. From there it was an easy ride round to Gaios the 'capital' where I had coffee in a sunny cafe and checked that the boat would be leaving at 2pm. The old harbour was idyllic whereas round at the new part it was a bit more workaday but I watched the ship come in, bought my ticket and was back on board with plenty of time to spare. After another calm crossing I was back at the van and had a shower with the balance of the hot water from being on hook up back at Plataria.

So as arranged I arrived at the garage at 9am on the Friday morning and left them the keys and my number as I was heading off on the bike again for the rest of the day.

I followed the coast round starting initially at the sublime Drepano beach where I could just have sat and watched the ferries arrive and depart all day. One local was swimming and further offshore a fisherman was easing out an unbelievably long net across the bay. Inland there is a huge flat expanse of partially reclaimed marsh with some salt pans, a lot of orange groves and many tracks to explore, one of which was being crossed rather slowly by a terrapin that I helped along.

Whilst grabbing lemonade and a ham toastie the garage rang to say that the rear brake pads were quite worn and as I carry a full set of front and rears I said I'd be along ASAP to dig them out. Something must have got lost in translation as when I got back the van was parked up across the road but I dug out the pads and asked if they wouldn't mind fitting them as I have many miles left to go on this trip. The young mechanic fetched the van back and in a flash had both sides changed just from using a trolley jack. The pads were worn and I think would have sounded the wear indicator in a couple of thousand miles tops so I'm glad we got it done, the fronts look fine and would be an easier roadside job for me anyway so after a quick road test to confirm that the bearing was resolved I coughed up the balance. I'm well aware that I paid through the nose for the part and labour but it all needed doing, my options were limited and they were on it reasonably quickly. As were the lads on the tin of biscuits I had bought for them!

Anyway my Brexit clock was ticking away relentlessly so I set the sat nav east but avoiding any toll roads and began heading across northern Greece. It was a lovely journey with a surprising number of high, often snow covered mountains and as the toll sections of the main road were mostly to pay for the tunnels my alternatives took me up some wonderful hairpins, through small villages literally passed by nowadays and eventually to one (Selli) that was trying to get people to stay by providing a small aire. I parked up and put the cover back on the bikes before the sun set and it got quite chilly : the surrounding mountains had a fair bit of snow on them and we were at around 3,000'.

With Camping Gaz unobtainable in Greece and beyond I will be trying to get my four 907s to last so decided to give the genny a session as there was no one around. In half an hour it had heated my hot water for a shower, topped up the leisure battery and cooled down the fridge even further, it was already cold from the few hours driving. The Eber then kept the van warm whilst I walked in to the village where the cosy bar had a good blaze going in a corner fireplace.

After a very quiet night I was heading east again with the mountain routes providing stunning scenery and many ideas for my return in three months time. The town of Ioannina curves round a large lake and I then climbed up in to the hills again. At one point on a steep hill a Greek road cyclist was pushing but using his bike to keep 3 stray dogs at bay. They didn't seem particularly aggressive but I was well aware how he felt so suggested he  grabbed hold of the passenger seat belt through the open window so I could tow him swiftly out of any harm's way. It worked well and reminded me of a farmer on Mull who had assisted me away from inquisitive Highland Cattle many years ago.

A small chapel provided a good lunch stop after which I began to look for that night's park up. A P4N option took me down a sandy track and out on to a huge lakeside area with trees and plenty of space but nobody else around near the small village of Rymnio where again the genny did it's job using perhaps 100ml of unleaded to get everything topped up : cheap as chips but I wouldn't use it if I had any neighbours despite its relative silence. I'd enjoyed a few hours in the sun as well and have decided to cross to Turkey on Tuesday the 11th leaving me a ten day Brexit window although North Macedonia, Albania and parts of the Balkans beyond also provide a Brexit haven but recently Bulgaria and Romania have joined Schengen so they are out but will feature in a future plan.

Yesterday was a steady run through Thessaloniki which as hoped was quiet it being a Sunday and no shops are open. The snow capped summit of Mount Olympus to the south looked impressive and before long I was on the superb sweep of the Strymonian Gulf and parked up just yards from the waves with a view across to Thasos, the 12th largest of the Greek Islands and it's most northerly. Kavala also looked worth a return with it's mighty fortess and is the main departure point for Thasos.

A quick top up at Lidl this morning led to a chat with the first other UK van I've seen since Italy whose owner was also heading to Turkey having come down through the Balkans which she thoroughly recommended. 

My non toll route then took me across through the East Macedonia and Thrace National Park which are again mostly wetlands and salt pans around Lake Vistonida but also contain the remarkable pair of monasteries of Saint Nicholas at Porto Lagos out on stilts in a shallow lagoon.

I am now just west of Alexandroupoli on another coastal gem with an hour to the border tomorrow. I have selected a stopover in Ipsala not far on the other side as once in I can start to take it easy as I have 90 days to enjoy my intended destinations. Getting insurance, cash and a local SIM will be priorities and some research on t' internet offers a glimmer of hope that gas bottles compatible with the Camping Gaz regulator and of a size that will fit my cupboard may be available from marinas so that's something else to investigate.

I am very pleased to be back on the road with surprisingly little hassle and have only whizzed across Greece due to circumstances beyond my control but what I have seen confirms it to be a 'must return to' area particularly off season as there are so many fabulous places to stay.

A few pics here and with luck a further post in a few days time from Turkiye....

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