Paxos (Ionian) - Walk to Arkoudaki beach:

The rocky beach at Arkoudaki

This is a lovely round walk from Lakka taking in one of my favourite spots during my stay in June 2014 -the rocky beach at Arkoudaki. Allow circa 45minutes for the complete walk without any stops. You will, of course, want to stop -for water, photographs or just to sit on the rocks and watch the boats passing.
Starting from the "upper" road in Lakka (the one on the left, looking inland) head to the harbour end of the road where, on your right, you will find the Sweet Gallery shop. Just past this is a steep road heading upwards, again on your right.  Enjoy the views over the harbour as you quickly climb above Lakka.



When you reach the top, turn right onto the larger road and follow this round a left hand bend then straight ahead. Shortly after you pass a turning on the right you will see a wooden sign for the beach pointing into woodland on the left. If you end up in someones front drive you have gone too far and need to backtrack a few yards. Even if the sign has gone you should still spot the path going into the woodland.

Scramble over the rocks to stay dry

This well trodden footpath then descends down through the pretty woodland roughly following a dried up ravine on your left. The footpath stops some feet above sealevel and you are left with a bit of a steep scramble to drop down to the beach. Just watch your footing carefully on this bit. Once there you can either turn right for the rocky beach or to continue the walk turn left onto the impressive slabs of rock. These are fairly flat and make a good place to sit or sunbathe. Looking straight ahead you will see the Greek mainland with the mountains of Albania behind. Looking slightly to your right you will see Corfu. And looking in any direction you will see plenty of small boats heading to or from Lakka harbour.



Boats heading into Lakka harbour

Continue walking along the rocks towards the headland of the harbour -there's a bit of rock scrambling involved (especially if you want to avoid the inlets of seawater towards the end). When you reach as far as you can go, just before the headlands, you will see a steep "path" heading up the cliffs. This brings you onto a proper footpath at the top which will lead you along the clifftops around the harbour and back into Lakka. This last stage of the walk gives good views and photo opportunities looking down onto all the boats moored in the harbour. You can, of course, reverse this walk but I think this way round works better. Now, time for a Mythos.
Regards, David.

Meganissi (Ionian):

Boats moored in Spilia Bay

I visited the charming Ionian island of Meganissi (Meganisi) for two weeks in 2008.  Arriving at Preveza airport on the Greek mainland it is a short coach trip to the island of Lefkada which is so close to the mainland that it is simply reached by a road bridge. From there to the port of Nydri for the 30-40 minute ferry journey to Meganissi. On the way over, look out on your left for the small island of Skorpios which is owned by the famous Onassis family.
Meganissi has three main areas of population - Spartohori (where I was staying), Katomeri and Vathi. Spartohori stands high above Spilia Bay (pictured) where the ferry docks before continuing on to Vathi. To the left (looking inland) of the small harbour is a popular beach with a taverna. Be aware that to get to the sea from Spartohori there is either a steep road or a steep pathway, so plenty of exercise to be had here. Spartohori itself has a few shops and tavernas (including an excellent Pizzaria which even offers a take away service). Pretty pastel coloured buildings and narrow streets make up this small village where you will often see elderly Greek women wearing traditional black clothing.

The beach at Agios Ioannis

About 45 minutes walk from Spartohori is the shingle beach at Agios Ioannis (pictured) where there is also a taverna. Beware if you see a helpful painted notice on the road saying "shortcut to beach" - I followed this diversion, missed any shortcut (if it exists) and ended up walking for hours before finally backtracking and following the original road down to the beach. The ensuing lager at the taverna was very welcome, so welcome that I virtually passed out after a few sips. One of the few times I have been affected by the heat in Greece and a good reminder to take the time to acclimatise when you first arrive (this was my first morning there).
Another walk took me to Atherinos bay (pictured) where there were a number of fishing boats and private vessels moored up. Several old derelict stone buildings stood above the bay.

Looking down to Atherinos Bay

From Spartohori you can walk the main road to the administrative capital of Katomeri. Just head out of Spartohori, pass the petrol station, and carry straight on. The road is high up above the sea and offers excellent views along the way. There's a handy bench at one of the highest points roughly at the half way point to Katomeri. When you reach Katomeri, look out for a house on which the owner has painted various political messages relating to PASOK (Pan Hellenic Socialist Party). It's quite eye catching and makes for an unusual photograph.
It is only a short walk downhill from Katomeri to the harbour at Vathi. This is the liveliest of the three villages with a good number of tavernas and boats coming and going.

Politics in Katomeri

Sheep (equipped with tinkling bells) seemed to outnumber goats on Meganissi though there were some to be seen. Cockerels were certainly heard but not in a mass dawn chorus way. It is, of course, all dependent on where you are staying. A number of donkeys were also dotted around the Spartohori area.
Meganissi certainly had the shortest ferry transfer to get there but, nethertheless, I found it a peaceful and tranquil little island (excursion boats at lunch time excluded) with some lovely walks through pine and olive trees. Regards, David.