Halki 2017 (Dodecanese):

Chapel by Pondamos beach, Halki

June 2017 saw me making my fifth visit to the Dodecanese island of Halki making it my most visited place in Greece. Here are some notes on my trip.

Early starts, long lunches and leaping mammals:

This year I came on the Easyjet 05.30 flight out of Gatwick. Unlike previous years there didn't seem much point in getting a room at the airport for such an early flight so I just got a late train up from Hastings getting me in shortly after midnight. This only left three hours or so before it was time to head to bag drop off and security. On arrival at Rhodes the Olympic rep asked me to come back in an hour as they were awaiting another flight (the early Monarch from Manchester) so I had the chance for a coffee and catching up on emails. In fact the Monarch flight had just a family of three Halki bound so I was quite impressed that Olympic had a small coach just to take the four of us to Kamiros Skala which we reached at 14.00. As expected we were booked on the 17.30 Nissos Halki crossing so there was time (plenty) for an enjoyable lunch at the Althemeni fish restaurant washed down by my first two bottles of Mythos of the holiday.

In fact, had I paid for a one way ticket I could have got a much earlier crossing on either Fedon or Express Nikos both of which made the crossing around 15.00 - but I realised that would probaly just cause confusion all round and with nobody ready for me at the other end. Eventually the four of us duly boarded and it looked like a repeat of last July when just five of us made the crossing until, after some delay, another full size Olympic coach arrived with around another thirty passengers and we set off for Halki.

Excited enough as I was anyway things hit fever pitch half way across with the shout of Dolphin!

Ferry departing Emborio harbour, Halki

And, yes there it was, leaping out of the water in the wake of the boat. I've probaly mentioned before that in seventeen years of visiting Greek islands I have never seen one (except on fridge magnets, beach towels, postcards and just about everything else you can put a dolphin image on). It was truly a magical moment.

Arrival and studio alarm:

Hyped up by the dolphin event everything was going just great with this trip until on being warmly greeted by Zifos Travel (agents for Olympic) at Emborio I was told I was in Studio 3 at the Dorothea. Now that wasn't in the script as I had specifically booked and had confirmation of a Side Sea View (which is Studio 4 only). Read my Dorothea review posted previously to fully understand the difference but, simply, four has a private balcony leading off the kitchen, three has a front balcony accessed from the communal corridor. Studio three is lovely (I've sneaked a look when it was empty!) but I wanted MY balcony. It seems that Zifos do not get the info (from Olympic) about front/side bookings and it was suggested that I should have made a special request for studio 4 (I'll be taking that one up with Olympic in due course). However, a quick resolution was proposed namely that if four was empty when I arrived at the Dorothea I should take that and let them know I was in that one. A rather nervous ascent of the steps followed but, thankfully, I was greeted by an unoccupied studio 4 and promptly took possession! Next Retsina (six euros this year for a 1.5ltr bottle) cheese, crackers, oregano crisps, peach juice and water were all promptly purchased and lugged back up the steps and I was sitting on my balcony enjoying that spectacular view over the harbour. Home!

Tarpon Springs Boulevard, Halki island

First day storm, A moment of Pride and Meet the Kids:

There's nothing like getting up on that first morning on a Greek island to head out to the balcony with a cup of coffee and soak up that sunshine. This was, indeed,  nothing like that. Storm clouds, bolts of lightening and then rain greeted me early the next morning. That wasn't in the script either. Luckily the rain didn't last long at this point. This being a Thursday morning I knew that the twice weekly arrival of the Dodekanisos Express fast catamaran ferry was due only to find (who says nothing much changes on Halki?) sister ferry Dodekanisos Pride powering into the harbour. This vessel normally runs the Symi route (I transferred back on it from Symi in 2011). Essentially they are both very similar but with Pride being built in 2005 (in Norway) five years after the Express. At least, as a photographer, this was something different to photograph.

I later did my traditional first walk of the holiday to Kania later on (having to put my camera away several times as rain started up again). For variation, whilst descending down to Kania I took the dirt road that goes off to the right. This then becomes a very overgrown road before coming to an end by a large gap in a wire fence.  Passing the sign on the fence (in Greek) that might have said Danger Unexploded Mines but probaly just Private: Keep Out I picked my may down across a very rocky field until I was almost at Kania. Sadly, at the bottom there didn't seem to be any corresponding gap in the fence and retraced my steps back up. Heading back to Emborio I was delighted to meet a family of goats in the road with two very tiny young kids (who bleated at me rather forlornly). Eventually the family moved off into a field leaving just one kid behind -which I now felt personally responsible for (what if it gets run over by the bus?). I saw them all on a later walk so they were fine. Arriving back at the harbour front heading for a Mythos and toasted cheese sandwich at Costas the rain started in ernest and chucked down for a good ten minutes. If seeing a dolphin was a first, seeing a Greek person sheltering under an umbrella was another.

Regatta time:

Small boats in Emborio harbour, Halki

Sunday 18th saw the Channel Regatta come to Halki when 23 yachts gradually arrived and moored up together. Organised by the Offshore Yachting Club of Rhodes and the Marmeris International Yacht Club this is a three stage race taking in Rhodes to Symi, Symi to Halki and finally Halki back to Rhodes. It certainly made for a lively evening with speakers set up on the harbour front and loud music being played -quite a contrast to the normal peaceful atmosphere but, I thought, made for a nice change. The next morning they all set off -again with music playing from one of the yachts.

Walk to Lagonia, Mist and close encounter with a well:

I saved this lengthy walk till near the end of my holiday. Taking the road to Kania I turned off by the old power generators -there's now a sign post for Areta here. Through the two gates and then a steep clamber up the rocky hill. There is a path of sorts but I struggled to see it at times. With a stone wall on my left I kept going upwards and then bore left when the wall did. A further climb away from the wall took me to the welcome shade of some olive trees. From here there is a steep clamber taking you up to a gap just below the summit which brings you out onto a huge valley sweeping down to Kania which you can see far below. This is where I went wrong and instead of bearing right for the track to Areta I just kept moving round the island just below summit level -sometimes with a defined track and sometimes improvising. Eventually after about 90 minutes (total) I reached the steep ravine of Lagonia. From here I could have descended into the ravine and up the other side before continuing on and eventually ending up coming back down the road to Emborio.

Nissos Halki ferry arriving at Emborio, Halki

However, I decided to call a halt here as I had no idea how long that stage would take and, worryingly, a thick sea mist was now rolling in and covering the summit ahead. I had no idea how thick that mist was likely to get but I did realise there was no chance of finding my back down if I couldn't see ahead. Back tracking I kept looking back to see the mist slowly advancing on me -no rush then! This is the point at which I realised I was about to walk into a deep uncovered well next to the ruins of an old chapel. Thankfully I stopped just in time and I was very pleased when I was finally making my long descent back to the Kania road - Emborio visible ahead.

As ever, the time to return home came and we set off on the Nissos Halki at the fairly civilised time of 07.30 (I've had earlier transfers in my time). Boarding the coach at Kamiros Skala I was a bit surprised to have my name called out. It turned out that I was the only one catching the noon Easyjet flight home and the coach made a special stop at the airport just for me before taking the rest of my fellow travellers off to kill time before their later flights.

The end of another two great weeks on Halki. I have a feeling that I may visit a different island next year but I can certainly say I'll be back for a sixth visit in the future.