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INTRODUCTION

Aravanes ‘Old Mitato’ in May (Walk P7)

The Greek island of Crete, measuring about 250km (155 miles) west to east, is well-known for its sunny climate and beautiful scenery so typical of the lands of the Mediterranean. Relics of a long and richly varied history dot town and countryside, and botanists find much of interest almost everywhere they look.

In addition to this, and visible everywhere as a striking backdrop to the beaches and coastal plains, an almost continuous spine of rugged limestone mountains runs along the length of the island. Frequented only by a few shepherds, the wilder regions of this interior offer challenging trekking routes of two or three days’ duration. Alternatively, at lower, more hospitable levels, walkers can follow old mule tracks and paths between foothill villages where a range of facilities can be found.

Although readily accessible, the mountains of Crete are very rugged and potentially hazardous. Route-finding is not easy due to the many spectacular limestone features that are typical of Greek mountains. There are Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)-compatible large-scale contour maps covering selected areas but for full coverage of the island only 1:100,000 contour maps are available.

Crete is the largest and most prosperous of the Greek islands – thanks, in part, to the many beaches that attract summer tourism. Fertile coastal plains and valleys allow a thriving agricultural industry, and Athens, for example, provides a ready market for produce (by overnight ferryboat). Cretans and visitors alike enjoy an abundance of good home-produced food and wine.

The island is busy: there are three main towns – Chania, Heraklion and Rethymnon – with both fashionable and traditional-style shops, together with harbours, markets, universities and museums. It is easy to get to Crete by air or by sea from Athens or by direct charter flight to Chania or Heraklion airports. Happily for walkers, ‘getting to the trailhead’ is also easy using KTEL (the public bus service) or local taxis.

Describing walks and treks in the main mountain ranges of west, central and eastern Crete, including the south coast of Sfakia in the west, this guidebook aims to provide you with the information you need to follow the routes of your choice.

Hillwalking and trekking regions

The walks and mountain treks suggested in this guide are grouped under three main headings. In the west, the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) (Part 1) cover 960km2, and include over 20 peaks rising above 2000m (6560ft); Pachnes (2453m/8047ft) is the highest. There are five good walking areas – the Omalos Plain, the Northern Foothills, the Askifou Plain, Anopolis and the south coast of Sfakia – all with trailheads served by bus from Chania. Since many of the best walking routes are linear, a hired car can be limiting especially as much of the rugged south coast, having no roads, is only served by boat. Fortunately, villages on many of the walking routes offer plentiful accommodation, not all of which is pre-booked, enabling a flexible itinerary. Town bus stations have Left Luggage facilities, useful for those who wish to travel without a particular base.

Making graviera cheese in Askifou

In the region of Sfakia, the southern flank of the Lefka Ori rises very abruptly above the coast to over 1000m (3280ft). Thirteen gorges split this steep escarpment, the largest of which – 16km long and over 1000m deep – is the Gorge of Samaria. The huge and inaccessible forested crags of this gorge and its neighbour, the Tripiti Gorge, form a refuge for a treasure that is unique to Crete: a little wild goat, the ‘kri-kri’, which can climb the crags and leap like an ibex (and yet isn’t one), which has survived here since ancient times.

All the mountain ranges of Crete feature high plains, gorges and ravines, but in the heart of the Lefka Ori there is something else. High above the treeline snow thaws by July to reveal a great circle of massive barren peaks, interspersed with ‘moonscape’ outcrops, or depressions, of sinkholes in black, grey or red rock. This high desert wilderness is seldom visited, even by Cretans. Old trails across this interior never fail to impress those who venture to walk them.

In central Crete, where the island is at its widest, the huge mass of Psiloritis (Mount Ida) (Part 2) dominates the whole region. Covering about 560km2, this massif is different in that a single huge, partly scree-surfaced summit ridge rises above massive cliffs on one side and a large area of lower peaks and forested foothills on the other. The summit of Mount Ida has always attracted peak-baggers because, at 2454m (8051ft), it is, by just one metre, the highest point in Crete. At lower levels the forests, freshwater springs, and accessible foothills sustain a strong shepherding tradition and large flocks of sheep, together with goats, are still a regular sight.

Psiloritis offers several challenging linear walking routes with the high-level Nida Plain as a fulcrum. In the foothills, trailhead villages, all of which have tourist facilities, are served by bus from either Rethymnon or Heraklion. However, for walks starting from the Nida Plain, such as the day-walk to the summit, there is no public bus service and alternative plans must be made (see individual route descriptions).

The Dikti or Lassithi Mountains (Part 3) cover about 780km2 and virtually divide central Crete from the eastern end of the island. The dominant feature here is the Lassithi Plain (formerly famous for its hundreds of windmill water pumps), which is surrounded by a series of peaks including Mount Dikti, at 2148m (7047ft) the highest summit of eastern Crete.

Although the European long-distance walking route the E4 Trail crosses Lassithi as an interesting and, in some places, challenging linear route – and is readily accessible by public bus – a few day-walks from the plain (which is very large) are best reached by car. Lassithi has several important Neolithic and Bronze Age sites that attract visitors; villages on the plain offer facilities during the tourist season.

Plants, trees and flowers

Privation due to less high-yield agricultural methods, especially after World War II, is remembered throughout Greece, and ‘food for free’ is still popular with many people in Crete. In the countryside various edible wild greens are gathered in the spring. Snails are also collected in spring (and during Lent), especially after rain.

Crete’s geological history and location in the eastern Mediterranean, equidistant from Europe, Asia and Africa, renders the island of great interest to botanists. Below 1000m (3280ft), varying between the south (earlier) and the north coasts, late April and early May are usually the best time for a profusion of spring flowers. In the high mountains carpets of crocii, chionodoxa, Cretan tulip and others bloom with the retreating snow. Autumn flowers appear in October, with the first rains of the seasonal change. The most commonly seen plants and trees are largely those that taste bad to goats. Cretan plants have adapted in various ways to survive the long dry summers. They may be geophytes (earth plants) with sustaining bulbs, corms, or tubers unsuited to well-watered ground, or sclerophylls (hard-leaved) shrubs or trees with long roots and drought-resistant leaves, or thorns. Deep gorges orientated north–south get shade for part of the day, and their sheer walls are a safe haven for many species of chasmophyte (gorge plants).

The limit of the treeline varies: northern slopes about 1450m (4760ft), and southern slopes about 1600m (5250ft). Common mountain trees are Cretan cypress, often contorted by winter winds, but living to a very great age, juniper, evergreen maple, prickly oak and Holm oak, and Cretan pine (similar to Calabrian pine). Mid-level trees include (apart from olive trees) carob, with its big black pods, wild pear, deciduous oaks, oriental plane (watercourses, village squares), walnut and the fast-growing pollarded mulberry. At the seashore, juniper and tamarisk are common. Tamarisk is usefully fast-growing but despised for the windblown dust (that can land on the dinner table) retained in its foliage. Chestnut groves flourish in places where the type of rock allows a constant water supply.

On the hillsides there are three main types of vegetation. In the mountain ranges they grow side-by-side, depending on water supply, orientation and altitude.

Maquis

Tall, long-lived, woody shrubs classed as trees. This includes prickly oak when it is chronically stunted by browsing goats. Maquis is kept down where mature trees monopolise the available water supply.

Phrygana

Phrygana (‘friggan-na’) includes heathland plants such as oregano, thyme and spiny spurge (the ‘wire-netting’ plant), and woody shrubs such as spiny broom, spiny burnet and Jerusalem sage. In late summer shepherds burn areas of phrygana to promote regeneration of plants palatable to sheep and goats. If this operation is unlucky, or misjudged, high winds spread the fire. On reaching a ridgetop this type of fire should go out, or at worst ‘jump’ to elsewhere rather than descend the other side of the ridge. Phrygana in flower causes hay fever in the spring. Pharmacies stock remedies for this allergy (called the ‘aller-yee-a’). Use your cotton scarf as a mask, particularly when passing Jerusalem sage. (If you take up the work of clearing footpaths, use a builder’s mask.) Fortunately, goats can at least nibble the pods of this tough plant, which chokes so many old trails.

Steppe

This is comprised of plants that grow, for example, on the exposed dry rocky terrain of the south coast escarpment, including white asphodel (spring), maritime squill (autumn) and the weird-looking dragon arum or stink lily. Steppe also includes the long-rooted, nutritious (for sheep) low-profile endemics of the Madares. Several species adapted to the shadeless, barren terrain, date from geo-historical times, indicating that the high mountains were never tree-covered.

Wildlife and hunting

The agrimi wild goat – the ‘kri-kri’ – of the Samaria Gorge is a valuable rare breed of animal, and one that is seriously protected from hunting. This is accepted by the gorge community, but pure-bred kri-kri leaving the gorge are, unfortunately, still at risk. The recent decline of goat herding as a profession has inevitably increased the population of feral goats in the mountains. Female ferals interbreed with male agrimi so that where once domestic goats were kept out of the gorge, nowadays it is common to see half-breeds tramping about in the lower section. These half-breeds are supposed to be culled in the winter months, but this measure has limited success, as goats live in inaccessible places. However, thanks to the female kri-kri’s habit of refusing to interbreed, it is hoped that pure-breds – being superb rock-climbers – will sustain at least in the higher reaches of the Samaria Gorge (information from Andreas Stavroudakis of Ay. Roumeli, 2005).

Vultures and eagles are officially protected from hunting, but they, too, remain at risk. The hunting season starts in mid-September. The standard prey is chukar (a type of partridge that nests in rocky terrain mostly above 1600m/5250ft) and mountain hare. To the regret of the locals (who hunt), hares are now quite rare. New access roads and off-road vehicles have exacerbated the situation. Shepherds driving up to their work stations after dark may floodlight the road to catch a hare’s eyes in the light. If you are camping in the mountains and hear lots of shooting from the roads this is probably what is going on.

Hunters pause at Roussies cistern

You may be asked if you saw a hare or heard chukars (a chattering chorus in the early morning) on your trek. A threat to chickens, and killed at any time, are stone martins and weasels. Hunting dogs kill badgers. There are various rodents, bats, hedgehogs, frogs and harmless lizards. There are four different snakes but they are not dangerous to humans and it is quite unusual to see one. There are small scorpions but they are not a great threat. Centipedes sometimes get into boots overnight – it is worth checking in the morning.

Getting there

There are two ways of getting to Crete by air:

 by direct charter flight to a Cretan airport, and

 by scheduled flight (or charter flight) to Athens International Airport, followed by an internal (domestic) flight to Crete, or a ferryboat from Piraeus (the port of Athens) to a Cretan port.

At busy periods you may not be able to book the travel route or method of your choice. The following information should help to simplify arrival procedures and reduce the time it takes to get to the trailhead, but be aware that arrangements can change at any time.

From Athens

By air

Athens Eleutherios Venizelos International Airport, with bus and train connections to Athens city and the port of Piraeus, was fully completed by 2004, the year of the Olympic Games. It is located 20km north of the city. Olympic Airways (and possibly other airline partnerships) will send your luggage right through to destination if you are transferring at Athens onto an ongoing internal flight. Note Internal flights are quite often delayed because of bad weather in the Aegean, causing, for example, strong winds at the destination airport; if you have accommodation booked, telephone ahead to advise of your late arrival. All the Greek islands are served by regular ‘domestic’ flights that tend to be very busy, but seats, if available, can be booked at short notice at the airport.

Heading towards the Eligias Gorge (Walk 48)

Before you travel, visit ‘Arriving in Athens’ websites (see Appendix D) for detailed information about all ongoing transport options, fares, where to buy your tickets and so on. Websites can warn of strikes or maintenance works that might upset your plans, especially if you are aiming for a particular ferryboat from Piraeus, the port of Athens.

Timetable leaflets and maps are also available from racks in the airport’s thoroughfares and the Arrivals Hall, which has an Information Desk (closed at night) near the exit. A pricey but useful Left Luggage store is at the southwest end of the Arrivals-level pavement. A Sofitel Hotel, cheaper if booked on the Internet, is directly opposite. This is a busy workaday airport with only one outside terrace – at Departures level – but seating there attracts smokers. If you have a long wait between flights one solution is to visit Rafina, a nearby coastal resort.

By ferryboat (from Piraeus)

A passenger-and-vehicle ferryboat vessel is, usefully for visitors, understood as ‘ferryboat’ by the Greeks, although they will call it a ka-rar-vee.

Greece has many islands, and many competing shipping lines, so that ferryboat travel is very complex. There are fast, moderate and slow services, and at busy periods all three types may depart for the same destination almost at the same time. Boat travel is time consuming and tiring if the sea is rough. It is preferred by people who do not like flying and, for those who do not take a cabin on overnight trips, it is also much cheaper. That method may only work out if you can sleep well enough in the reclining seats of ‘deck-class’, or on deck, although some ferryboats have very little outside deck space.

Daytime departures to Crete arrive at destination ports in the evening, after dark, which is hardly convenient unless you know your way around and are prepared to compete for nearby accommodation, taxis and buses. It may be easier to arrive in the early morning and then make your way to the town bus station to pick up the first buses to the countryside.

As Crete is a large and busy island there are regular overnight ferryboat sailings, seven days a week, between Piraeus (Inner Harbour) and Heraklion, Rethymnon and Souda (the port of Chania), the towns that give you access to the mountain trailheads. These ferries arrive at destination ports early in the morning, the exact time depending on the weather during the crossing. For Souda (Chania) and Rethymnon, ANEK Line vessels are likely to depart Piraeus between 2000 and 2100, and for Heraklion, Minoan Line departs at 2200. (The return journey has later departure times.) There are also daytime departures, operated by Blue Star Line, or even hydrofoil departures from Rafina port (on the north coast, a 20min bus ride from the airport) to Paros, for connections to Santorini, from where there are frequent connections to Heraklion. Visit the ferryboat websites for latest schedules (Appendix D).

Ruined houses of Aradena (Walk 39)

Essentials to take into account are the early morning public transport timetables (if you have arrived off a night flight) and the journey times to Piraeus either by Metro subway train (one hour on the Express service) or the Piraeus-direct Airport Bus (1hr 30mins). Unless you have bought your ferry tickets online allow another 30mins to buy tickets from a Piraeus ticket agency, and to get to the correct quay. Alternatively, taxis (although they too, have to cope with heavy traffic) take up to four passengers and charge extra for luggage and night work. Ask the expected fare and make sure the meter is switched on.

At Piraeus, the Airport Bus stop is on the main road, just outside the gates of the Inner Harbour, east side. Ticket Agents’ offices are found nearby, beside the Piraeus bus station, just across a small park (or at the train station). ANEK and MINOAN ferries for Crete dock at the west end, Quay 2, of the Inner Harbour but BLUE STAR docks at the New Quays of the Outer Basin – there is a free dockside shuttle bus for this. Inside the harbour gates the dockside is well organised with toilet/shower blocks, refreshment outlets, waiting rooms and pedestrian walkways for safety as the quays are always busy loading vehicles and produce.

For basic journey planning note that most daytime ferries to the Aegean islands (not Crete direct) depart by 0730 and that ‘fast’ boats – catamarans and hydrofoils – cannot travel if the sea is very rough. It is no longer possible to board an ‘overnight’ vessel more than a couple of hours before departure time, and not all vessels have shower facilities for deck-class passengers, although there are always lounges, bars and restaurants.

The Aradena Gorge from the ferryboat (Walk 48)

Airports in Crete

Chania

Chania Airport is located 12km out of town on the Akrotiri peninsula. In the tourist season KTEL operates a frequent service to/from Chania bus station, starting at 0500 from Chania and 0630 from the airport (€2.30 in 2014). The last bus departure from the airport waits for the last domestic flight from Athens. Taxis not ordered in advance will be scarce at this time (€20 in 2014). An ‘engaged’ driver will telephone for a colleague to come for you if you need this.

Heraklion

The current Heraklion Airport (a new airport is planned; see below) is close to town, although busy traffic lanes may delay what was once a 7min taxi ride to, perhaps, the bus station of your choice (€20 in 2014) – see ferryboat arrivals information below. Town bus No. 1 serves the airport – the stop is across the car park on the road just beyond the pitched-roof Left Luggage building. Buy your ticket in advance from the kiosk beside the bus stop. Buy a couple of tickets if you intend to return to the airport by bus. This is a town bus that runs to about 2200. The kiosk closes with the last bus.

For the return journey, get to the airport bus stop (7min walk) as follows: walk east out of Heraklion main bus station and bear right uphill to the main road. The bus stop/shelter is almost opposite, outside a petrol station adjacent to a McDonalds outlet. Buy tickets from the driver or at the separate kiosk in the bus station (which also sells tickets for the Knossos town bus). The No. 1 bus runs every 10mins or so.

At the main bus station, KTEL buses for Chania (2hrs 30mins), Rethymnon (1hr 30mins) and Ay. Nikolaos (1hr 30mins) are likely to depart every 30mins up to 2030. Alternatively, taxi drivers may be eager to get long-distance jobs between the Cretan towns because a good main road links them all (Heraklion–Chania €150 in 2014).

The construction of the much-needed new Heraklion airport and related infrastructure, although delayed, is not cancelled. The location is near Kastelli in the Lassithi foothills. From that distance, when the time comes, journey time to/from Heraklion will be at least 30mins and a different route may operate.

Ferryboat ports in Crete

Souda (for Chania)

Depending on sea conditions, overnight ferries arrive at Souda at 0600 (before dawn in autumn/winter). The bus stop for Chania (‘Han-YA’) town buses (blue and white), a circular route from the Agora, is just outside the dock gate, beside an ATM and Souda’s pleasant main square. Buy tickets for the town bus from a nearby kiosk. For journeys to Rethymnon/Heraklion, KTEL buses (buy tickets on the bus) pass along Souda’s main street, which is on the main road, at the top of the square. Note There may also be KTEL Rethymnon-direct buses waiting on the dock – this service is popular with ferryboat passengers.

Heraklion (and bus stations)

The Chania–Rethymnon and Lassithi (east) bus stations are currently combined. Facilities include a Left Luggage store, toilets and snack bars, but there are no shops nearby. For this bus station, from the ferry, turn right along the main road outside the dock gates. The frequent town bus service direct to Knossos village and archaeological site (30mins) also runs from this bus station (buy tickets at the separate kiosk). However, KTEL buses for the Mount Ida trailheads featured in this guidebook (Anoyeia, Zaros and Kamares) depart from the Chania Gate bus station, which is just outside the old city wall to the west.

Unless you take a taxi or consult a street plan for the best shortcut, the easiest way to get to the Chania Gate is to walk straight down the main street, Kalokerinou, from Eleutherios Square in front of the Archaeological Museum or from just beyond (pedestrian precinct) E. Venizelos Square, with its Morosini fountain. A flight of stone steps to the right, behind the main bus station, is the most direct pedestrian route up to the centre of town – turn right at the top of the steps.

Note Mainline buses heading for Rethymnon and Chania also pick up passengers at the roadside bus stop just outside the Chania Gate. Also, if travelling to Rethymnon or Chania from Mires on the Messara, you can alight at a main road stop on the outskirts of Heraklion and then cross the busy road to pick up the next mainline service going west. This saves having to go right into Heraklion. Enquire about this when you buy your ticket, and again with the bus conductor, who will be familiar with this procedure.

Rethymnon (and bus station)

Rethymnon (‘Reth-theem-no’) old town is very compact. The bus station is about 15mins’ walking distance from the dock. A Venetian walled citadel, the Fortezza, dominates the town. Keeping this on your right, make your way southwest across town. The bus station, already relocated from a more central position, is once again too small and an extension, or perhaps another relocation, may happen. For a supermarket, its windows somewhat confusingly blanked out, on the main road, take a flight of steps at the back of the building.

Note Although the afternoon bus to Anoyeia stops to pick up passengers at Plateia Iroon (at the eastern end of the old town), the early morning departure for the Milopotamos valley (Anoyeia) does not, as it is a school bus.

Arriving in the evening

Flights may arrive after the last KTEL buses to trailhead destinations have left, and after town shops have closed. Immediate taxi transfers to the countryside save time, but mountain trekkers and campers arriving late will need to bring cash with them and start from villages with supermarkets (see individual route notes), or bring their own food supplies. Informal accommodation in mountain villages closes up at about 2200. In general, from Chania Airport allow 1hr 30mins for taxi journeys to Omalos or Askifou, and 2hrs 30mins to Anopolis. From Heraklion Airport allow 1hr 30mins for a taxi transfer to Zaros, and 1hr for Anoyeia. (Note There is no accommodation at Knossos village on the outskirts of Heraklion. Site opening hours April–October are 0800–2000. The site is usually very busy with tour groups as from 0830.)

A shepherd and EOS members at Katsiveli

There are several websites with accommodation information and for reservations. Former youth hostels are now independent hostels or ‘budget’ hotels (see Appendix D). In Chania there are two hotels beside the bus station, but most town centre accommodation, along with restaurants, bars, tourist shops and snack bars, is found in and around the old harbour area, a 10–15min walk from the bus station. There is a town campsite along the coast west of town near Platanas (accessible via a town bus route from the bus station – ask the driver for ‘Chania camping’).

In Heraklion mid- or budget-priced accommodation is also some distance from the bus station. Hotel Rea (tel. 0030 2810 223638), in a street just behind the Historical Museum, is offered as a suggestion. Rethymnon old quarter, a semi-pedestrian precinct around the harbour, has rooming houses (and all other amenities). Unfortunately, late-night scooter riders tend not to respect its pedestrian-precinct status.

Lost luggage

What really matters on any walking trip are your boots and socks – always travel with them, or wear them on the plane. If you have to replace lost equipment, Chania and Heraklion have ‘outdoor’ shops but choices will be limited.

Getting to the trailhead

Public transport

KTEL (referred to in Crete as ‘K’tel’), the Greek Public Bus Association, operates an extensive network nationwide. The KTEL livery is cream and turquoise. New buses in the fleet display a variety of cream and turquoise styles, together with advertisements for ANEK or MINOAN ferryboat lines. Learn to recognise them if you can because there are lots of ‘touristico’ private tour buses that look similar from a distance.

Town bus stations have information kiosks and English is widely spoken. Latest timetable sheets (the schedule can change weekly) are available in the tourist season, and timetable monitors list departures in Greek and English. Departures are also announced in Greek and English, together with the bus number: for example ‘Heraklion – bus no. 78’. Left luggage stores are rather informally run, so do not leave obvious ‘valuables’. Opening hours are likely to be 0700–2000, but check. Note that staff may lock up for a few minutes at a time when they are out loading goods onto buses; unaccompanied parcel consignment is a KTEL service. You can only do this – for example with camping food supplies – if you arrange for someone (such as a well-known local) to meet the bus at the other end and collect it – and assure the staff that this is going to happen.

Small daysacks are allowed inside the bus; other luggage is put in the hold. Tell the conductor your destination as you load it. Carry your valuables with you and (as with air travel) remove items like karabiners from your rucksack. Thefts very occasionally occur at bus stations; expensive rucksacks may be coveted by certain other travellers, so keep an eye on the hold until it is closed for departure. Monitor the unloading of bags at busy bus stops en route, especially when the hold is full – innocent mistakes do sometimes occur. Note the conditions of your travel insurance concerning luggage in transit. As a rule losses must be reported to the relevant local police station within 24hrs, a very time-consuming procedure.

Refreshments at a village kafeneon

Village bus

Depending on the distance from town, weekday services doubling as school buses may operate from town bus stations rather than from specific villages. Typically, a ‘school bus’ departs about 0600 and returns from a village at about 0700, and repeats that run in the early afternoon. During school holidays a different service may operate. Ask at information kiosks for services to villages not listed on the main board – they may run, but not on every day of the week and seldom at weekends. It is wise to be early for village buses as the driver may depart when he sees that all local passengers are aboard.

Chania bus station

Chania bus station is just a few minutes’ walk from all other places useful to visitors. Refurbished in 2012, it has bus departure monitors, a modern cafeteria to suit the lunch-hour trade, a snack bar, a souvenir shop/newsagent, toilets and an Internet corner. Bus departures are also announced in Greek and English. Buy tickets not on the bus but at the ticket windows outside the hall, where there is also an Information kiosk. (The only return ticket issued is the KTEL special for the ‘Samaria Gorge’ round excursion.) The Left Luggage store is at the rear of the site. Due to shortage of space, pedestrian access to the bus station forecourt remains haphazard.

Vrisses

Secondary roads branch south over the mountains from the main north coast road that links Heraklion, Rethymnon, Chania and Kastelli. In western Crete there is an important road junction at Vrisses (‘Vree-siss’), since this is the road to Hora Sfakion and the Sfakiot south coast. The Vrisses bus stop is at a kafeneon in the main street west of the bridge, opposite a small petrol station. Vrisses supermarkets are open all week. Expect buses departing from Chania to arrive in Vrisses 40mins later, and from Rethymnon 25mins later.

BUS ROUTES

In western Crete the following main bus routes are particularly useful. Times listed are a guide only, since schedules could change. Services expand during the tourist season. On all runs note any Saturday and Sunday variations.

Chania–Hora Sfakion and Anopolis

Daily, except Orthodox Easter Sunday and Monday, and Christmas Day. Departs Chania at 1400 and, going via Vrisses, serves Askifou, Imbros, Hora Sfakion (on the south coast) and terminates at Anopolis at about 1645. This bus returns from Anopolis in the early morning (see the Anopolis section) to arrive at Chania bus station by 0900.

In the tourist season there is an 0830 Chania–Hora Sfakion bus, and a return bus that waits for the boat from the Samaria Gorge at about 1800.

Note Hora Sfakion is called ‘Sfakia’ locally.

Chania–Souyia

During the tourist season, Souyia bus services run to/from Chania, Paleochora, and Elafonissi. For planning your walking day, consult the KTEL website (or the latest timetable) to see all the variables, since they are quite complicated. Basically, the timetable aims to provide visitors with access to/from the Ay. Irini Gorge and the Samaria Gorge trailheads at suitable times of day. The 0845 departure from Chania goes via Omalos Monday–Saturday (Sundays are different) and the daily 1815 departure from Souyia to Chania waits for the ferryboat (from Ay. Roumeli). The regular morning bus from Souyia to Chania (via Omalos) departs at 0700.

Chania–Omalos and Xyloscala

When the Samaria Gorge is closed, a year-round village service to Lakki (on the Omalos road) terminates at the next nearby village. However, when the gorge is being prepared for opening, normally by 1 May, a skeleton service reaches Xyloscala. The service expands a little when the gorge is busy. Check the timetable in advance at Chania bus station: local people on the Omalos route are uncertain of the changing timetable. KTEL buses pass through Omalos hamlet (called ‘Omalos hotels’ by the bus crew) on the way to and from Xyloscala (3km), but drivers do not stop to pick up more passengers if the bus is full. From Chania there may be three early morning bus departures, two of which return immediately from Xyloscala. There is no afternoon bus from Xyloscala to Chania. To get around all this, certain Omalos proprietors run a Xyloscala ‘trailhead’ mini-bus service for their guests. If there are spare seats they will sell tickets to non-guests.

KTEL sells a round-tour ticket for the Samaria Gorge excursion (walking it yourself without a tour guide), which covers Chania–Xyloscala and the return bus journey, usually from Hora Sfakion rather than Souyia (enquire). The cost of the boat trip from Ay. Roumeli is separate (purchase tickets at Ay. Roumeli). For a day trip, therefore, buy this ticket, with its reserved seat from Hora Sfakion, and, during busy periods, buy it the night before. The KTEL round should give you more time in the gorge than an organised tour, although this can depend on the boat schedule from Ay. Roumeli, which also varies according to demand. Eliminate these unwelcome pressures by staying overnight in Ay. Roumeli (Walk 2), where there are plenty of facilities. As a rule, the first boat leaves Ay. Roumeli for Hora Sfakion (via Loutro) at about noon; journey time is 50mins, but check the latest timetable.

Trekkers (just visible under tree) starting along the south end of the Zaranokefala crag (Walk 7A)

Taxis

Taxis are metered according to a government-regulated charge per kilometre, which – according to drivers – needs to be reviewed annually. If it is not, they may seek to charge what they calculate to be fair. Agree the fare in advance and/or check that the meter is turned on. Extra is chargeable for luggage, and up to four passengers are allowed (certain taxis hold seven). For a party of four, long-distance taxi transfers can be very economical. See websites for taxi fare information.

Taxi drivers seek to avoid unmade roads because of the dust and the extra driving effort needed, but village roads like this are now rare. In the countryside, if you arrange a lift in a private vehicle, expect the driver to drop you just outside your destination to avoid offending local taxi drivers. In Chania, the Roussos & Manouli Marianakis taxi agency (tel: 28210 92122, mob: 697403 4453) is familiar with walkers’ needs in relation to remote trailheads and advance luggage transfers.

TAXI AVAILABILITY

Chania

Chania airport, Chania bus station exit west side, Plateia 1866 east side, Plateia Makris Kritis west side.

Vrisses (on the main road to Rethymnon)

Taxi drivers of this village are usually unavailable as they tend to work at Georgioupoli, a busy coastal resort further east on the main road. Taxi drivers from Vamos often fill in.

Rethymnon

Taxis regularly drive by the entrance to the bus station and the main road above it; there is not enough space for a taxi rank.

Heraklion

There is a taxi rank and shelter to the right (west) of the Arrivals exit at the airport. Taxis regularly pass by the two bus stations, Knossos archaeological site and the city Archaeological Museum.

When to go

The island of Crete may be a Mediterranean beach holiday destination, but it does not have a particularly ‘easy’ climate. Extremes of temperature – including enervating heatwaves – high humidity, aggravating hot or cold winds, heavy rain and penetrating dampness, and days (or months) of snow in the mountains are all characteristic of the yearly round.

During spring and autumn temperatures for walking are usually pleasant but conditions are likely to be unsettled. From April to mid-June it could be cold and wet, fresh and sunny, or warm, overcast and humid – all within the space of 10 days. Normally temperatures, including sea temperatures, have warmed up considerably by June and should last until the end of October (outside of autumn deluges). In midsummer daytime temperatures of 28–33°C (80–90°F) are normal, and heatwaves can reach more than 40°C (104°F). Weather forecast websites can give you a good idea of what to expect over the dates of your trip (see Appendix D).

Heatwaves are very difficult to cope with as even just before dawn there is little respite. Look for accommodation with rooms (and balconies) that do not face south. Nowadays, hotels and most rooming houses on the coast provide air-conditioning units. The Omalos Plain and the mountain villages of Askifou, Imbros and Anopolis are cooler at night (and by day). For campers on the south coast of Sfakia, the Samaria Gorge river estuary beside Ay. Roumeli offers sea breezes and shady pine trees and, in a good year, some freshwater bathing.

A group heading for Zaranokefala stocks up with water in the Potamos Valley (Trek 7)

The high mountains get breezes – plan high-level walks (perhaps not Walk 42 because it is in pine forest and so vulnerable to fires) and long midday breaks. When it is extremely hot choose to walk only in the Gorge of Samaria for its plentiful shade and reliable water points. Be aware of the danger of heat exhaustion or, worse, heatstroke. Visit the NHS website (Appendix D) for information on this. Hopefully extreme temperatures will not occur during the best ‘walking months’ of spring and autumn.

Psiloritis has no coastline although Matala, a scenically interesting resort on the Bay of Messara, is within easy reach by bus from Mires. Either side of Matala Bay walkers can find crags and unfrequented walking terrain. However, inland at Zaros – where there are gushing aqueducts and a pleasant freshwater lake (for fish, not swimming), the mid-priced Hotel Idi, with an outdoor pool and shady trees, could be the best place to linger (unless you have already escaped to high level). Lassithi has always been a refuge from the summer heat. Two or three villages of the plateau offer accommodation.

Rainfall

December, January and February are rated the wettest months, but three-day periods of rain, and snow blizzards above 1000m, may occur as late as mid-June. At summer’s end the hot weather should break in stages as from late September, but this can vary. After bursts of rain and thunder storms, fine weather should return, making October a good month for walking. Sea temperatures remain warm until after the second period of autumn rain. Daylight hours are shorter, but sufficient for a good day out. Snow may cover the mountains from the end of November; the thaw should be well advanced by mid-April.

Wind

Crete lies in the path of various winds that can change the weather in half a day. A long-lasting warm south wind in spring will thaw the snow too quickly, resulting in quite spectacular natural erosion in the gorges. Similarly, localised flash flooding from thunderstorms sometimes occurs and this too, causes massive erosion. The mountains can attract fierce gales, even in summer. Strong billowing gusts hit below the knee and toss you over. Do as the locals do – wait out the worst of the storm since, with any luck, it should ease in half a day. Alternatively, in summer, ordinary northwesterlies cool the mountains, making trekking routes and summit ascents more attractive than low-level walks.

Mist

When the notos or the sirocco – warm winds from the south – cross mountains recently cooled by a north wind, or vice versa, a period of up to three days of mist and rain may follow. (Northern slopes are more prone to mist.) In the high mountains, always assess your next day’s route and the whereabouts of the next shelter and water source. From June to October shepherds’ huts may be in use. Some shepherds are more sociable and welcoming than others, but all would make space for walkers in bad weather.

The winter months

Although Askifou, Anopolis and Hora Sfakion are inhabited all year, many coastal facilities in the White Mountains close after October. Building construction and maintenance goes on at this time, so that some facilities need to remain open. However, for accommodation it is wise to expect to camp.

On the path to the Katharo Plain in April: a short-lived springtime snowfall has transformed the landscape (Walk L4)

Depending on conditions, the Gorge of Samaria National Park will close to the public from mid- to late October, and will reopen on 1 May (but this, too, can vary by a week either way). The New Omalos Hotel is open at weekends in winter. Although November is a good month for off-season walking in Crete, it is also the kri-kris’ mating time, which can be dangerous because they may disturb loose rocks on the high crags. Whatever the regulations of this national park, the gorge will always be tempting to trekkers as a north–south through route and it is not fenced-off. Omalos and Ay. Roumeli people are very knowledgeable about the gorge and its hazards; listen to their advice. Conditions in the gorge can change at any time, but it is seriously impassable when winter snow starts to thaw. Flash flooding due to thunderstorms is now a potential danger all year. Do not start up (or down) it unless you are fully prepared to retrace your steps. The best secondary trail has long been closed to the public as a result of the death of one lone off-season walker who had the misfortune to break his leg.

The Mount Ida trailhead villages featured in this guide are all workaday places and at least some facilities will be open all year. The road to the Nida Plain will normally be under snow in winter.

On the Lassithi Plain many people escape the winter by moving down to their ‘second homes’ on the north coast. A few facilities remain open in Tzermiado, and no doubt at least one kafeneon in the other villages. The same will apply to Kritsa but Ay. Nikolaos, like all coastal resorts, will be closed up and primarily engaged in maintenance works. Selakano closes up from December to February. All mountain roads could be blocked with snow at times.

Shopping

In towns

While shops in the countryside stay open most of the time, in towns there are midday closing hours, three late night shopping days and two early-closing days. These are likely to be: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 0830–1330 and 1700–2000; Monday and Wednesday 0830–1330; Saturday 0830–1500. On Sundays only patisseries and tourist souvenir shops will be open.

On the ascent of Gingilos the path turns into the re-entrant, heading for the rocky pinnacles (Walk 3)

Chania

A farmers’ market (and cheap clothing) operates on Saturday morning in Minos Street beside the old city wall, east side, and on Wednesday mornings in Solomou Street about three blocks south from Chania bus station; anyone will direct you because townspeople are very keen on small-scale home-grown produce. All food supplies are available in the Agora and the supermarket opposite its west-facing entrance. Convenient to the bus station is a branch of Inka supermarkets on the west side of Plateia 1866.

Corner shop Karistiyannis has a selection of outdoor equipment as does a ‘survival’ shop opposite, in Skalidi, one block west of Plateia 1866. A cheap clothing shop can be found opposite the north entrance of the bus station. A plastics shop that sells sheet polythene by the metre (camping mattress protection) is found opposite the bus station pedestrian entrance, northeast corner. Mountain trekkers are advised to bring their own cooking pans since cheap lightweight pans are not easy to find nowadays. For tools, gas stoves and cylinders there are various household goods shops near the bus station. A foreign books and newspapers shop is near the corner of Skalidi with Halidon. Also at the top of Halidon there are ATMs and money-change agents. A short way down on the right the bookshop Pelekanakis stocks walking maps and foreign books. There are various travel agencies for flights and ferryboat reservations in the downtown area including one on the NW corner of Plateia 1866.

The Tourist Information and Tourist Police office is in the Town Hall, a modern building in Kydonias, east of Plateia 1866. The National Bank of Greece, opposite the Agora, has an ATM; the GPO and OTE (public telephones) are close by in Janakaki Street. OTE operates telephone booths: some street kiosks sell phone cards, as well as stamps. A phone shop, just west of Plateia Makris Kritis (Battle of Crete Square) deals with cell phone requirements as does Vodafone, in Skalidi.

Walking sticks, or katsounas, shepherds’ crooks, traditional to Sfakia, are on sale in souvenir shops in or near Halidon. When choosing one, turn it upside down to check the length from the handle. Even if cut down, it should be a minimum of 5cm (2ins) above the waist to be useful on descents.

Heraklion

A range of similar shops, including a fruit and vegetable street market, are found in and around the ‘honeypot’ downtown area of Dikiosinis Street and Plateia Venizelou (Morosini fountain).

Rethymnon

In the old quarter head for the Porta Guora (Plateia Martyron) to find a useful bunch of shops: household goods, fruit and vegetables, a bakery and a bookshop nearby (enquire) stocking maps and foreign language books.

Note Shops and other commercial enterprises in all the Cretan downtown areas can change from year to year. This is partly due to proprietors reaching retirement age and partly to rapidly changing customer requirements.

Chania: the old harbour

Roussies, showing the cistern and stone-built shelter hut (Trek 8)

In the countryside

With the exception of bakeries (which close on Sundays) village shops stay open every day, and close at about 2200. In western Crete, Sfakia district has several village bakeries, which together supply the busy south coast with its massive daily needs. The boat service transports fresh food supplies daily from Hora Sfakion to Loutro and Ay. Roumeli. Currently there is no pharmacy in the district, but village supermarkets stock non-prescription essentials. For Psiloritis (Mount Ida), villages of the foothills all have grocery shops although Mires, to the south, may be the only place large enough to support a pharmacy. The larger villages of the Lassithi Plain all have grocery shops, but Tzermiado is the only one to have banks, ATMs and a pharmacy.

Accommodation

In the countryside

Tourist accommodation is inspected, graded and price-regulated by the Ministry of Tourism. Proprietors are permitted to drop a price grade at their discretion; there is certainly a better chance of this during non-busy periods. Discounts for large groups may be offered. In 2014, rooms in the countryside ranged from €20 (for very simple rooms) to €50. For latest details visit village or regional websites, or those of individual establishments (see Appendix D).

All the walking areas featured in this guide offer family-run rooming houses (‘Rooms’) or hotels (or both) with hot water, so long as sunshine heats rooftop solar panels. If it does not, hot water supplies will sustain for one further day (depending on demand). Certain hotels, such as those that are open in the winter, are equipped to switch to alternative power if rain sets in for several days.

Note that while much of the following information applies to the Cretan countryside as a whole, please also see relevant chapters for notes specific to Mount Ida and Lassithi.

In and around the White Mountains walkers on a continuous route need not necessarily make reservations, because it is unlikely that all village accommodation will be full at any one time. Omalos hotels, for the Samaria Gorge, could be full on certain days of the week with group bookings, but the hamlet also has rooming houses.

If your overnight accommodation does not provide meals, there is normally somewhere nearby that does. In villages where customer turnover is not continuous, landladies produce simple home-cooked meals to order. The choice will be limited, but the food will be wholesome – eat what is on offer. Travelling food vans supply villages with fresh produce to supplement what is home-grown. Order chickpeas, beans or lentils in advance, but spaghetti and cheese or omelette and pork grills with chips are almost always available. Salad, fruit and vegetables vary in availability. Home-made wine is preferred locally, but if no other is available your own wine bought elsewhere would not offend in an informal village taverna (but ask). In mountain villages sheep’s milk yoghurt (all milk is boiled) is made in the spring. Breakfast, not usually included, will be bread and jam, tea or coffee (instant, or Greek), or ‘mountain tea’ made from local herbs. Fresh orange juice, commercially made yoghurt, eggs and local honey may also be available.

Since the mountains are unfrequented, except by shepherds, ‘wild camping’ is not a problem. However, remember not to get in the way of shepherds and their work. Cretan sheep move around in close-knit flocks. They are gentle, nervous creatures and will be afraid to come to drink (which they should do) if they see something unusual beside the cistern or near the footpath.

Noise pollution

Thanks to traffic, two-stroke engines, live music, revellers and pre-dawn garbage collections, Cretan towns are noisy at night. Coastal villages, and some mountain villages, tend to be free of church clocks, and traffic noise in the countryside ceases quite early. However, this is likely to be replaced by a cacophony of barking dogs, crowing roosters and, in the autumn, chainsaws by day. In general, loss of tranquillity due to the modern faster pace of life is fully acknowledged by all Cretans.

Backpackers might think they have solved it, camping out in the mountains, but as sheep graze after dark when it is cool flocks may pass back and forth all night, ringing their bells. To be sure of the rare luxury of silence, aim for the high mountains in the spring before the sheep arrive, or in the late autumn, after they have gone.

Crossing the Gougoutha tou Spathiou (May); Spathi in the background (Trek 2)

Mountain refuges

Other than Kallergi Refuge, above the Samaria Gorge in the Lefka Ori (Walk 4), which is run as a commercial enterprise, several mountain refuges (but not all) are looked after by the Mountain Club of Crete (EOS), which has branches in Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion. The refuges are unwardened, but kitted out with bunks, mattresses, blankets, kitchens (bottled gas), washrooms and wood stoves, and so have to be kept locked. These refuges can be useful for groups – perhaps those based in Cretan towns – but otherwise booking arrangements (with local EOS branches) are seldom convenient for visitors who are travelling around.

The EOS of Chania club premises (tel: 28210 44647) is in the basement of the same block as the Olympic Airways office opposite the Municipal Gardens. It is usually open on weekdays 1900–2200. In the Lefka Ori the refuges are Volikas above Kambi (Walk 13, Trek 2), Takis Houliopoulos near Katsiveli (see Mountain treks 4, 5 and 6) and Tavri near Niato (Walk 29). On Psiloritis, Rethymnon branch (tel: 28310 23666, Tuesdays after 2100) runs Toubotos Prinos above Kouroutes (Walk P10), and Heraklion branch, 53 Dikiosinis Avenue (tel: 2810 227609), operates Prinos above Asites (near Avgeniki) and the refuge above Limnakaro (Walk L5) in the Lassithi Mountains. Nowadays, Greek mountaineers visit mountain ranges worldwide and local refuges tend to be used for club meets in the winter.

The Chania EOS has lately waymarked EU-LEADER-funded ‘Green Initiative’ footpath routes, several of which extend the repertoire of walks within the treeline. Various colours are used. Here, it is relevant to say that paint waymarks on rocks, unless they are regularly maintained, are soon ravaged by the year-round climate. Stone-built cairns are the most long-lasting waymarks. Made by walkers stopping to take the time, they can be a welcome sign that someone else has passed by.

For details on backpacking and camping in the Cretan mountains, see below.

Insects and other hazards

Mosquitoes

These are present from the spring, especially in low-lying areas. Mountain accommodation may be free of them, at least until summer. On white walls, they are fairly easily located and swatted. Supermarkets sell anti-mosquito products – coils are low-tech and lightweight. Some hotels issue plug-in devices on request. If they do not, it is because guests have taken all the stock. Bring a good insect repellent. Alternatively, a mosquito net can be very useful in the spring and summer months. Micro mosquito nets for travel may need an additional hanging kit. Add a good length of lightweight line, some self-adhesive plastic hooks, pads or clips (from tool shops and ironmongers). Leave the hooks behind – wrenching them off spoils the plaster.

Midges

Depending on the type of vegetation nearby, midges are found in some low-lying parts of the coast. When these midges bite, the impact will wake you up but the irritation is not long-lasting. This insect appears to be unable to get through mosquito netting. If you plan to spend time camping at sea level, consider a hooped self-supporting type of net.

Cockroaches

Stamping on a cockroach apparently causes its eggs to disperse in all directions. Shovel it out of the window, in the hope that the cat will get it. Cockroaches do not bite, they are just unhygienic.

Hornets and wasps

Hornets look like large wasps and the locals say their sting is severe. Luckily this insect is not aggressive, but be careful not to provoke it. Wasps, also, do not normally attack.

Fleas and flies

Many footpaths are also sheep routes, and from the summer fleas may be in full swing in the shady sections. In the mountains, choose your camp spot carefully away from anywhere that has provided shade for animals during the day. Fleas target the warmest parts of the body and are the worst of any bites because they can irritate badly for several days. You will notice that many chapels and huts are fenced-off to keep animals from using adjacent areas of shade. If there is no breeze, flies may also spoil picnic sites that have filled up with droppings since the spring. In late September, when shepherds have burnt patches of hillside, these areas are free of insects, other than ants.

Anopolis: milking sheep at Limnia

Honeybees

Beehives are located in groups, usually beside shepherds’ roads, remote from the villages. Bees are very active in the spring, when flowers appear, and worker bees occasionally sting passing walkers. Protect the back of your neck and, if stung (quite rare), locate and remove the shaft immediately or it will continue to dispense venom. Beekeepers advise against running away – walk away quietly.

Sea urchins

Sea urchins are small, round, jet-black spiny creatures that live on rocks near the seashore. However, in recent years these environmentally sensitive creatures have been absent from much of the south coast, probably as a result of the busy ferryboat schedule. If you do happen to step on one, you will not be walking anywhere for six months, as the spines are almost impossible to extract. If in doubt, wear Velcro sandals in the sea.

Dogs

In the countryside dogs are regarded as useful tools for guarding premises or livestock. Their need for affection is ignored. Dogs chained up for most of their lives, sometimes out of sight even of stimulating diversions, quite naturally become demented. Therefore, if you feed these dogs (they usually need it) or give them water, take care not to turn your back on them, for some (but not all) will bite you if they can. By law, dogs are inoculated against rabies and other relevant diseases.

Lone women walkers

In Greece there is great respect for the family and, therefore, the role women play within the family. Cretan (and especially Sfakiot) society is very ‘macho’, but lone women travellers and walkers are as safe in Crete as anywhere.

However, women travelling on their own for pleasure, curiosity or interest should be aware that this could be misconstrued. It has not been a normal part of the local culture, although all such ideas are changing nowadays. In particular, the high pastures of the Lefka Ori are traditionally a men-only workplace. In the other mountain ranges, where either the conditions, or the customs, are a bit different, you may see whole families working together. Cretan women of the countryside have observed visiting foreign women for many years, so they are well aware of what they miss out on or gain in comparison. In the mountains, you could meet the culture halfway by creating an impression of community patronage – give the name of an accommodation destination, as every family-run business in a particular locality is known.

Manners

For both sexes, quiet, considerate good manners are noticed and appreciated. Young Cretans tend not to display affection in public.

General information

Public holidays

Orthodox Easter weekend (April or May, dates vary each year) is the most important holiday in Greece. All public transport is crowded as people visit relatives around the country, including the islands. Other holidays include Independence Day on 25 March (town parades) and 1 May, 15 August and 28 October. Main route bus services will operate except on Easter Sunday and Monday. Tourist shops and village shops will stay open.

Time difference

Greece is on Eastern European Time.

 Summer: GMT plus 3hrs

 Winter: GMT plus 2hrs

The ‘language barrier’

Like all Greeks, Cretans communicate easily with foreigners. Older people involved in the tourism business have learnt foreign words and phrases by ear. Nowadays English is seen as important for getting on in life and is taught in schools and widely spoken at least by the younger generation as well as by returnee emigrants from the US, Canada and Australia.

For travellers, prices are what really matter. Shopkeepers not fluent in foreign languages will write down price totals for tourists. To avoid misunderstandings use a notebook and pen for this purpose. Almost all place names are written in both Greek and English. A small dictionary is useful if you are travelling in the countryside.

Foreign workers

Many thousands of workers from North Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent now live in Greece; even the smallest village may have two or three in temporary residence and a modest cottage, or the old schoolhouse, may be turned into a dormitory for them. In the towns, workers wait at certain spots each day to be hired in accordance with government-directed day rates and conditions. They work in agriculture, construction, in restaurants, as shop assistants and as carers for the elderly, especially in inland villages. Skilled stonemasons, from Albania and Romania particularly, find a rich source of work in the limestone areas. In the mountains some shepherding may be done by non-local men, especially if the place is remote from village amenities. If this is the case bear in mind the information under ‘Lone women walkers’, below, as the ‘meet the culture’ approach might not be so applicable. Cretans firmly encourage foreign workers to stay out of trouble – which they mostly do.

Shelter

Mitata

Shepherds’ huts, variously called mitata or koumi, are a feature of the Cretan mountains. Pre-1950s huts are made of drystone walling and corbelling. These workstation complexes look like piles of rocks in the landscape, or on the skyline, as they are often located overlooking views of the trail. Some mitata are still used during the grazing season (about mid-June to mid-October) as shepherds’ overnight shelters, or fodder storage huts. Off-season, with no desirable possessions inside – old tools, old clothes and perhaps old food – they used to be left unlocked (and some still are) perhaps in case passers-by needed shelter. After a winter under snow, interiors are a real mess, but if necessary they can be cleaned up and left in a better state.

Note that disused mitata may be structurally unsound; approach these interiors with care. Mitata are usually (but not always) near a water supply. Whether abandoned or not, they remain the property of the families, or the descendants, of those who built them. Most grazing areas are now accessed by road, but the old huts may still be used at times, especially as shelter from the midday heat in summer.

Caves

Potholes are more common than caves; there are few accessible open-sided caves that provide shelter. As a rule, those that do exist are much used by (flea-ridden) sheep and goats eager for shade. Visit the EOS website (see Appendix D) for information on cave exploration.

Photography

Greece is famous for the quality of its light; photographically speaking, there is ‘light in the shadows’. However, there are variations: light is crisp and contrasty early in the year, but in summer a haze develops. In the autumn, as if compensating for the absence of greenery, the haze clears and mellows attractively, offering a wider exposure latitude. In particular, the Madares (Treks 1–9) look their best at this time, but shadows are denser at high altitude. In general, soft early morning light is gone by 0830 but evenings, after 1800, offer more scope.

Water

Thanks to winter snowfall in the mountains, towns and villages throughout Crete are supplied with good water from underground sources. Tap water is normally safe to drink, although it may come via a rooftop tank rather than the mains supply. Town supplies are chlorinated. Bottled water is widely available. Route notes in this guide mention shepherds’ cisterns, many of which hold palatable water. In the high mountains, after snow has thawed, nothing is more important than the whereabouts of cisterns and springs, and it is useful to learn how to find and take care of this water. You may also be able to collect a litre or two on a waterproof sheet when it rains – helpful if you are delayed by mist.

Thanks to the specialist skills of those who made them, many very old well shafts and cisterns still function throughout Crete, despite earth tremors and the ravages of time. An old cistern may be topped with stone vaulting, or just a wooden log, blending so well into the surroundings that you may miss it as you pass by. This type is most often sited on small flat plains of alluvial soil (dolines), which provide a run-off for rain and snowmelt. Modern cisterns are of reinforced concrete with or without a cover (which may be locked), and the most recent are large concrete-aproned constructions, blasted into the hillsides. For clean water a concrete run-off, or an open cistern, should be fenced-off from animals. The Psiloritis and Lassithi ranges have more freshwater springs than the Lefka Ori, where man-made cisterns for collecting rainwater have been built to substitute.

Aravanes spring in autumn (Walk P8)

Drawing up water

Always carry 5m of lightweight nylon line and, ideally, a camping pan that doubles as a bucket. Remove your sunglasses or spectacles to a safe place (never on the ground – someone will step on them) and secure the line to your hand or foot before you drop the bucket (especially if you are using the shepherds’ bucket.) Some cisterns are very deep and it may be impossible to retrieve anything dropped in (a large fish hook, obtainable in coastal resorts, could be your only chance). Up-end the bucket and let it drop down square on, to hit the water face down. It should then collect water as it sinks. If it does not, try again. Shepherds have the better knack of raising water without dropping the bucket face down, but this takes practice. If you use the shepherds’ bucket, do not allow it to overfill unless you can raise this heavy weight easily – this is not the moment to wrench your back.

If you do not have a bucket, form one by putting a plastic-bag-wrapped stone into a carrier bag and, using your length of line, lower this down the well. Water can be strained through a fine weave fabric such as a silk or cotton scarf, then filtered, treated or boiled, or drunk straight off – use your own judgement. However, as worldwide travel and recreational use increases, contamination becomes more likely. Droppings from (chemically treated) sheep may be around the collection area. Some water is clear and tastes good; some tastes awful. Vegetation near the cistern may have unattractively coloured the run-off, but in these dry mountains water of any sort is precious. Replace the logs, or other devices, put there to stop animals from falling in, and re-secure the shepherds’ bucket if you have used it. Buckets are tied up because strong winds can occur at any time.

Be careful not to contaminate or waste any water. If supplies dry out too soon flocks must be taken down to be fed on (stinted) supplies of purchased fodder. If a water trough is empty, goats will let you know if they are thirsty more readily than sheep. They emerge from the shade and look at you with big, pleading eyes. Unless the place is obviously very remote, give them no more than a bucket or two, in case the shepherd is saving this particular cistern for supplies later in the year.

Shepherds may call any water supply simply ‘nero’ (‘neh-RO’), so you may not know whether to look out for a well, cistern or spring. They will warn you by saying ‘it isn’t good’ (‘then ee-neh ka-lo’) if it is only fit for animals, in which case you would have to boil it thoroughly.

Water allowance

In hot weather and on backpacking treks make a point of replenishing your body reservoir, like a camel, before you set off. Start drinking water, or other liquids, from the time you get up. Supplement your morning tea or coffee with glasses of water. During the day, top up your body reservoir with 100ml gulps, or more, rather than small sips to alleviate a dry mouth. If this is an uncomfortable problem, suck a small (smooth) fruit stone or similar to keep producing saliva in your mouth.

Backpackers especially need to rehydrate in the evening. Sports rehydration tablets, which are now widely available, can be useful. For an overnight camp between water sources, allow a minimum of three litres per person. This has to cover dinner, breakfast, hot drinks, ordinary drinking, teeth cleaning and minimal washing, so there will not be much left for your start next morning. Plan to stop at the next water source for a big brew up.

The path in the Samaria Gorge crosses the river in many places (Walk 2)

Along with your water supply, plan your food. For example, a staple like pasta needs more water (and gas cylinder time) for cooking than couscous. (Couscous is seldom found locally – bring your own if you want it.) In remote places aim to keep one litre of water in reserve in case of mishaps or delays. If you are short of water do not eat as this draws on body moisture reserves – being hydrated is much more important than being well fed. Plan gas cylinder supplies to cover daytime brew ups or water boiling as well as cooking.

Types of pathways

Wherever possible, walks in this guide follow footpaths or mule tracks rather than roads.

Unsurfaced shepherds’ roads

These roads link shepherding villages to traditional grazing pastures in the mountains. They enable shepherds to pursue a modern lifestyle: instead of staying up in the mountains for long periods, especially during the milking season, they can drive up in the early morning and bring down the day’s milk yield to the village dairy in the evening – or the other way round. In many places road-making is ongoing according to demand. Maps and route notes are not always able to keep up with it. New access roads slice through former footpath-only routes, leaving a walker having to pick up remaining sections by working out where they went, perhaps now in between loops of a new road. On south-facing barren hillsides new roads take about 40 years to blend into the landscape, but in places where rainfall is higher this process is much faster; any disused tracks are soon overgrown and so become pleasant walking routes.

Looking east on the climb to Vitsinela pass (Walk P17)

Major road building, or projected routes, in the Cretan mountains include a south–north road over the Lefka Ori. It may eventually access the main high-level grazing pastures around Katsiveli (Trek 8), Livada and Potamos, and provide a link to the Omalos Plain, with a branch to meet the Theriso shepherds’ road (Trek 1). However, for many years this road has terminated at Roussies and its extension no doubt depends on various factors. Many Cretans, aware of beach areas already ‘ruined’, regret this type of project. The Lefka Ori central massif, which is roughly circular in shape, is the last wilderness area in Greece yet to be crossed by a road. On Psiloritis the 18km road from Anoyeia to the Nida Plain is surfaced throughout, as is one from Livadia to the Lakkos Mygerou trailhead. New road access (E4 Trail) from Nida to the Amoudara Valley, southwest of the plain (Walks P3 and P15), was made in 2005. In 2004 an unsurfaced road linking the Lassithi and Katharo Plains was made. This road forms a shortcut connection between Kritsa and Lassithi. Presumably, given time, any roads that qualify as busy may be asphalted.

Roads between villages

Naturally, these roads have been asphalted before agricultural access roads and it is now unusual to find one that is unsurfaced. Taxi drivers are relieved, but walkers must now find alternative routes.

Cobbled mule tracks

In their heyday around the time of the Turkish occupation (1669–1898) these kalderimia served villages, terracing and grazing pastures. Nowadays most of these old trails, which so delightfully followed the lie of the land, are in a broken-up state. Sections with gradients suitable for vehicles have often been replaced by new roads. This policy spares mule tracks routed up steep ravines, or crags (for example Walks 41, 45 and 47) but these, in turn, are subject to weather erosion.

Old roads in Greece were always made with zigzags at gradients suitable for pack animals. Therefore, if you are following this type of trail and find yourself climbing straight up or down a steep hill, check the route again, since you may well have missed the path. Two examples of old mule tracks still in practical use, and in need of repair, are found on Walk 41 and Trek 7. The Zaranokefala location is too remote and almost disused nowadays, but Sellouda might eventually qualify. Hopefully (for tourists glad to be free of cars) the shoreline of Sfakia is too unstable to make a coast road project worthwhile.

Footpaths

These are footpaths used by local, or recreational, walkers, as well as animals. Nowadays most of these paths in the more vegetated areas of Crete have become overgrown through disuse and lack of maintenance. With any luck, brambles are not involved and you can still get through in spite of various unwelcome plants such as Jerusalem sage or spiny broom. If you get caught in this undergrowth, don’t panic – move through it very slowly and you won’t get scratched. South-facing hillsides of Crete, having lower rainfall and terrain classed as steppe, have been able to keep, and even re-develop, many old footpaths for ‘walking tourism’. There are ‘splintered paths’ formed by flocks of sheep as they pass up and down mountainsides and you will see other paths, such as those made by goats crossing scree slopes and crags, which are unsafe for walkers. See ‘Maps’ for further information on footpaths.

Fences

Many people who own fields and mountain grazing areas have taken to fencing off their land. Unfortunately, this has blocked-off many footpath routes and even access tracks. Fences may be made out of (rusty) steel wire sheets (otherwise made for use with concrete) supported with iron rods at intervals, the whole fixed together with wire, or, alternatively, seriously tough galvanized netting. As a rule, gates are not fitted unless a fence crosses a car track, in which case it might be locked to deter animal rustlers. Instead, for pedestrian access, there will be a panel somewhere with wire fixings that can be opened and closed. Sometimes not even this is provided, but it is worth looking for it. For walkers, these new fences in the countryside prove the worth of the designated E4 Trail, beleaguered though it is in many places.

The E4 Trail

This is the European long-distance walking Route No. 4. It starts in Gibraltar and goes via Andalucia, southern France, Eastern Europe including Bulgaria, the Pindos mountains of northern Greece and the Peloponese, and then across Crete to end at the archaeological site of Kato Zakros. In Greece the E4 Trail (Epsilon Tessera) is all too often routed along roads more suitable for mountain bikers than walkers. Also, while some footpath sections are a delight, others involve crags and are quite hazardous; there is no basic standard of safety, and you must use your own judgement. All you can be really sure of is that the waymarked trail is a walking route of some sort.

E4 Trail: Nida Plain from the ridge above the taverna and car park in autumn (Walk P12)

In Crete the E4 starts in the west at Kastelli and takes in several of the less-visited archaeological sites on its journey east. Although the main trail follows the mountainous backbone of Crete, the EOS has also designated good route ‘variations’ either along the coast, or as branches that lead to the main trail.

The E4 is waymarked with aluminium yellow and black poles supplemented in places with diamond-shaped paint-enamelled aluminium signs nailed to trees, or simply with paint-marked rocks, again in yellow and black. Unfortunately, maintenance is patchy. Winter storms strip or destroy the poles, shotgun owners use them as targets, souvenir hunters remove the signs, and sheep and goats tramp over the painted rocks. Positioning trail markers needs a practised understanding of sightlines, and of other people’s thought processes, so that getting it exactly right is not easy. Even where sightlines have been carefully considered, route choices at possible path junctions may still be ‘left open’. Relying on the waymarks to show you the route can be stressful and frustrating, although in some places it is difficult to manage without them. Even so, try not to be de-skilled by the E4! With your contour map, compass and altimeter – and perhaps GPS (with the Anavasi maps) – take time to consider the lie of the land, looking for likely footpath or mule track routes, as you would have done before the E4 Trail was made. Hopefully, when it appears, a marker will come as welcome confirmation that you have got it right.

E4 Trail: damaged wire handrail on the steep slab of rock (Walk 6)

WALKING TECHNIQUE

The mountains of Crete are very rugged. Footpaths are endlessly rocky, obliging you to concentrate at almost every step. Tripping when facing downhill, and stepping on a rock that then rolls over, are the most common hazards. You will land on a thorn bush if you are lucky, otherwise it will be on rocks. Don’t let this happen: be patient. Adjust your walking style – learn to lift your feet and discipline yourself to slow down immediately when you feel yourself stumbling. It may be galling if your companions are faster than you, but accept this and stick to your own safe pace. In this way you will be a competent walker. Shepherds use katsounas (long sticks) in the mountains. Buy one or bring a trekking pole with you or – even better – a pair of poles.

If you go exploring – especially in and around the many gorges – be aware that weather erosion has reduced many old footpaths, which may be marked on maps yet unmaintained for decades, to a dangerous or even non-existent state – be careful.

Rock scrambling

Walks in this guide do not involve scrambling unless this is mentioned, but as a reminder the basic rules are:

 do not explore down unless you are absolutely sure you can get back up again, and

 do not explore up unless you can get down again.

Note Scrambling (unroped) is the most dangerous form of mountaineering.

What to take

Backpacking and camping

In wilderness situations the loss of any item will be inconvenient. After any stop during the day always look behind as you leave, to check that you have not forgotten anything.

Sleeping bags

Many rooming houses have easy-care nylon blankets that are hardly warm enough in early spring or when rain sets in. In case of this (and for general mountain use), bring thermal underwear. Similarly, for indoor use, a one-season bag or a warm liner can be a welcome (but not essential) luxury.

For camping in the mountains, a full-length-zipped three-season bag is a good all-rounder. However, from July to mid-September, a one-season bag may suit even at altitude, especially if it is upgraded with a Gortex ‘bivi’ bag. In the warmer months nylon materials are uncomfortable; bring a cotton or silk inner liner. This is also useful against insects, although not as good as a mosquito net (see ‘Insects and other hazards’).

Mattresses

The lightest and most comfortable of the insulation mats are Cascade Designs’ Z-Rest and Ridgerest. Inflatables are greatly at risk from thorns and thistles. Protect your expensive mattress with a piece of tough polythene DPM (damp-proof membrane) undersheet (from any builders’ suppliers). This also works as a shower and washing mat and, supported with rocks, makes a bowl for clothes washing (do not contaminate any water trough with soap).

Tents

In rocky terrain, the more self-supporting your tent, the more convenient it is likely to be.

‘Bivi’ bags

On two-day treks – with one overnight out – a non-breathable polythene survival bag will do. On longer range treks you need a breathable ‘bivi’ bag. Camping with a ‘bivi’ bag in the rain is not easy – an umbrella is useful. You will view a squalid mitato interior, overhang or cave in a new light if mist and rain sets in for three days.

Cooking stoves

You cannot take gas cylinders (or liquid fuel of any sort) on an aircraft. Small gas stoves that take the fixed, non-valved 190g gas cylinders are popular throughout Greece. Greek-manufactured cylinders are available in remote places, and Camping Gaz supplies are available in towns. Valved (removable and resealable) gas cylinders are less readily available. Those made by Camping Gaz are found in some Inka supermarkets and sometimes at Ay. Roumeli (perhaps to suit the nearby informal campsite). One 190g gas cylinder is reckoned to last for about 2hrs 30mins, but this depends on conditions – use a windshield. Three slim-profile stoves grouped together are good for melting snow in a large pan. Practise cylinder changing in advance of your trip. Carry a ‘last resort’ set of matches encased with their striker in a waterproof container. Shepherds will be amused if you forget matches or lighter – they get caught out themselves.

Cooking pans

Where water has to be boiled or filtered, or carried from source, a cooking pan of minimum one-litre capacity is an essential tool. A loop-handled billycan is best because it doubles as a bucket for the cisterns, but otherwise you could use the plastic bag method described above under ‘Drawing up water’.

Rucksacks/daysacks

In the warmer months, backpackers might avoid specialist alpinists’ sacks, because they are designed to fit close to the back. Also, if you are caught in a storm without a waterproof liner, use your ‘bivi’ bag for this job.

Water bottles

On mountain treks your main water bottle needs to be 100 percent reliable. An easy-fill, lid-attached, wide-mouth, easy-clean, transparent, non-tasting, high-impact Polycarbonate type of bottle is practical for Cretan conditions. Bladder-type bottles in new condition, with drinking tubes, are useful for immediate use, but secure the mouthpiece with adhesive tape and fix it facing upright – you can lose the lot if it siphons out, which on some routes is a risk not worth taking. If you need to carry several litres on your route consider an Ortleib ‘water transportation bag’. It is easily packed, whether filled or empty, in your rucksack. Those on a budget could use fizzy drink bottles as these are very tough – mineral water bottles can split if dropped.

Blisters and first aid

Zinc oxide plaster applied directly to the skin (check first for allergy) protects against foot burn, rubbing and chafing, the skin conditions that precede blisters. Unlike moleskin, zinc oxide can be removed (with care) overnight. Most importantly, if blisters do develop, proprietary dressings such as Compeed will enable you to continue walking. On the mountain, a get-you-home aid is sheeps’ wool, as it makes resilient padding – but not next to broken skin. It is always wise to take your own knee and ankle support tubes. Include a menthol inhaler (or similar) in your first aid kit in case a thick head cold is going around, and also travel sickness and hay fever pills if you usually need these. Visit the BMC (British Mountaineering Council) website – see Appendix D for details – for information on the treatment of blisters. Also, a Tetanus inoculation is advisable since there are many rusty fences and lots of animals.

Bringing cheese down from the Madares

Litter

There is an abundance of product packaging in Greece. As recreational walkers, set an example and bring all your rubbish out of the mountains and countryside. Villagers recognise the problem – even if visiting Cretan town-dwellers apparently do not – and most villages are supplied with large rubbish trolleys. Win local approval by putting your rubbish in the village bins. Women should note that buried sanitary materials will be dug up by animals. Boat service notices ask passengers not to throw litter into the sea.

Daysack and trekking essentials

‘Daysack essentials’ are contingency-plan items that each individual hillwalker should carry in case of sudden changes in the weather, changes of plan, or unfortunate mishaps. Hikers of the Sierra Club of California neatly call these ‘The Twelve Essentials’:

 rain shell clothing

 spare warm layer

 warm hat

 gloves

 water bottle

 spare food

 map

 compass

 torch

 whistle

 pocket knife

 survival bag

Think this through as: spare clothing, sustenance, navigation aids, means of attracting attention, a minimum of one useful tool, and shelter. Nowadays you would add a mobile phone to that list (see below).

In Crete take daysack essentials on all summit ascents and mountain walks. Whatever the day looks like when you set off, unpredictable winds can bring mist and heavy rain by the evening. You might further extend the list to include the following items:

 blister kit

 knee and ankle support tubes

 sunglasses (your hat counts as an ‘everyday’ item)

 sun cream

 Greek–English dictionary or vocabulary list

For communal use, also carry a water kit (see ‘Water’, above), which comprises 5m of lightweight cord or string and two plastic carrier bags, purification tablets or a brew up kit including matches. Campers should note that soft cleaning sponges, if left out overnight, may be stolen by animals that live in burrows. Take something to do, or read, so that if thick mist develops you can wait patiently and confidently until it clears.

If most ‘essentials’ seem a fiddly nuisance, parcel them up into one separate stuff bag and belay this to the inside of your rucksack. Secure your trekking pole(s) to a clip on your rucksack whenever not in use, to avoid leaving it (them) behind. Trekking poles are most easily forgotten when you are travelling by bus.

On Grade A and low-level Grade B walks, especially during warmer months, you will need fewer items:

 long-sleeved shirt (or rain shell)

 spare warm layer (thermal vest or T-shirt in a plastic bag)

 water bottle

 spare food

 map

 whistle

 sunglasses

 sun cream

 blister kit

 knee and ankle support tubes

 pocket knife

 cotton scarf (always useful)

If walking with a group, do not automatically rely on others. Make sure that you understand the itinerary and know the name of your destination. Carry your own supply of cash. Sometimes a series of unlucky coincidences can separate you from your companions.

Lassithi: milking sheep

Clothing and footwear

In spring, autumn (and winter) bring one outfit of lightweight quick-drying synthetic fabric. However, above a certain level of humidity all synthetics are uncomfortable, so you also need a cotton outfit such as shorts and T-shirt. To travel light, consider the versatility of silk, which is quick drying, fairly windproof and insect proof, quite warm and yet wearable in the worst humidity.

Underwear

In case of chafing, pack two different types. If underwear incorporates synthetics, bring cotton or silk alternatives.

Warm layers

Depending on season and altitude, you need one, two or three warm layers from the following range: thermal underwear, a lightweight wool or fleece pullover and a fleece jacket or light duvet. In rooming houses and hotels, facilities for drying clothes are minimal. Keep dry clothes in reserve. Backpacking trekkers may have to change back into damp clothes, which is why synthetic dry-on-the-body materials are so practical.

Rain shell

Insulated waterproof garments are too warm outside the winter months. Lightweight Gortex or similar is best since ‘breathable’ materials double as windproofs, but any waterproof is better than nothing; at the very least, kit yourself out with a big dustbin bag. However settled it looks at first, storms can develop in half a day at any time of year. On mountain treks and summit ascents you must have a rain shell. Overtrousers and gaiters are a welcome luxury. An umbrella is always a useful travel item, especially now that ultra-light models are available.

Protective clothing

In summer, wear loose-fitting cottons for protection from the sun and from chafing. Check beforehand that all clothes are comfortable in use, and bring long-sleeved tops and long trousers, which also help protect against insects, numbers of which build up over the summer. If you find the heat exhausting, use an umbrella – your own pool of shade makes all the difference.

Boots

Cretan footpaths, with loose stones, are relentlessly rough underfoot, but there are also lots of new service tracks in the mountains. Ideally your boots need to provide good ankle- and foot-muscle support and yet also be flexible enough to suit road-tramping. Shock-absorbing footbeds are particularly helpful in Crete. However, in hot weather your feet will seem to swell. You will need generously sized boots; the introduction of either thick insoles or two pairs of socks, or both, could make your boots too tight – consider these options beforehand.

Shoes

Velcro-fastening sandals are useful for sea bathing or river crossings. Some cheap varieties are ultra-light.

Socks

In principle two pairs of socks, perhaps one soft loop stitch and one loose weave, are best for perspiration wicking and cushioning. However, modern hiking boots are designed for a correct fit with one pair of socks. Cotton has a place, but for walking it soon becomes saturated, which causes chafing. High-wool content socks may work better than the synthetics – skin that causes no trouble at home may react quite differently in the heat. On a first venture bring a variety of sock types, including cotton. Heat rash around the ankles just needs a good re-airing. Long socks that can be pulled up against thorns are useful if you wear shorts. Canvas gaiters are a better idea, especially on northern footpaths – walkers soon appreciate why knee-high leather boots are part of traditional Cretan dress.

Xyloscala, near the top of the Samaria Gorge (Walks 2, 49)

Ultra-light clothing alternatives

In the mountains, where storms can occur at any time of year, function-specific clothing is needed in winter, spring and autumn. In summer you must also have a shell jacket and an effective warm layer, but other minimum-weight ‘just in case’ items could be:

 sew an elastic chinstrap onto your sunhat so that it stays on in wind and provides warmth; wear a plastic bag under it (or over it) if it rains.

 cotton or silk scarves are useful and versatile; bring at least two.

 for the hands, latex gloves are windproof.

 a ring made out of spare socks (toes inside ankles) makes a warm hat. Spare socks can also be used as gloves.

 nylon tights make effective long johns.

 polythene bags can be formed into boot-top gaiters.

 as a last resort, a large polythene dustbin bag worn next to the skin, under wet clothes, acts as a vapour barrier, helping to conserve body heat (this is for overnight camp – remove it when you move).

For all packing think carefully about reducing weight as you may need to carry lots of water on some routes, at 840g (2.4lb) per litre.

Mobile phones/telephones

Cosmote and Vodafone phone shops, with English-speaking staff, can be found in towns throughout Greece. In Greece a mobile phone is called a ‘kinny-toe’. Your phone will work in many places in the Cretan mountains, but not all; you will certainly be out of contact when in a gorge. Greece has two-pin EU-style socket outlets. Suitable charger leads (weight 5oz) are obtainable from phone shops. Taverna owners are usually pleased to allow you to plug in during your visit.

The National Telephone service (land line) is called ‘OTE’. Phone booths, dwindling in number now, use phone cards, and these can be bought at some newsagents and pavement kiosks. Alternatively, If you expect to make many local calls a Greek SIM card costs about €20.

Compass, altimeter and GPS

In Crete, magnetic declination in 2015 varied between +4.1E in Western Crete and +4.7E in Central Crete. Contour maps, other than the Anavasi series, are small-scale and are usually inaccurate in their coverage of roads and paths. You will need the additional aid of a compass – preferably a sighting compass – for taking bearings off identifiable mountain summits, passes or plains, and to check the direction of valleys, ravines and paths. Note that some of the altitude measurements in the route notes are approximate, as they were taken when it was not possible to reset the device to a particular landmark; a GPS will do better. Maps published by Anavasi (see below) incorporate the metric grid Greek Geodetic Reference System (GGRS 87), which can be added to a GPS as set out in the box. (The WGS84 grid is also marked in the margins.)

GEODETIC REFERENCES

User Grid
Longitude of origin	+24.00000E
Scale factor	0.9996
False easting	+500000
False northing	+0.0

User Map Datum
Dx	-200
Dy	74
Dz	246
Da	0
Df	0

For final route planning, note the daylight hours as soon as you arrive. By the end of October (when clocks go back) there are 10hrs of daylight.

Nida: ‘the Partisan of Peace’, photographed in 1992

Maps

Part of the challenge of mountain walking in Crete used to be that you had to work with small-scale maps, and this is still the case in some areas. However, since 2006, Anavasi of Athens has been producing – and this work is ongoing – large scale GNSS-compatible maps of all the best walking regions of Greece, including the Cretan mountains. Relevant to this guidebook there are four separate maps covering the White Mountains, one of Psiloritis (Mount Ida) and one of Lassithi.

Visit the Anavasi website for the latest information, including local stockists. Distribution has been good but even so it may be prudent to buy the maps you want (about £8 each) before your trip, either direct from Anavasi, or, in the UK, from Stanfords (see Appendix D). Digital versions of the maps for mapping receiver GPS users are available via the Anavasi website. These include newly researched paths and roads sooner than the paper maps are available. However, a basic GPS, adjusted to suit, will give you a grid reference – easier too, if you draw on the grid lines from the margins. Useful comments on the walking routes, including timings that are usually faster than those listed in this book, are found on the reverse side of each map.

Footpaths marked on maps

Starting from scratch with the new technology (rather than just copying footpaths from older maps) the Anavasi management, and volunteer helpers, do as much ground research themselves as time allows. Therefore some of the paths described in this book may not yet be shown on these maps – each new edition adds more – while others shown may not be described here. (There are lots of paths in the mountains, both old and new.) Members of the Cretan EOS have also modernised footpath research by depositing gpx/kml files on relevant databases and these have been used, along with Google Earth, to recheck the location of some of the old paths.

Traditional main mule track routes are marked on most small-scale maps, giving an indication of their existence (somewhere) even though trailheads may be hard to find.

Goatherds’ hut near Asfendami spring (May) (Walk L5)

Whether old or new, maps do not indicate the great cliffs and crags that are so characteristic of these limestone mountains. Where the researcher’s description says ‘difficult path’ you can be sure it means just that – such as rugged rocks and/or loose gravel. And any named gorge that looks like a valley on the map will indeed be a cliff-bound gorge. Google Earth will give you a preview of what to expect, although it can also make the topography look more daunting than it actually is.

To date the maps are:

The White Mountains, at scale 1:25,000:

 Lefka Ori (White Mountains)–Sfakia/Pachnes (11.11/11.12), ed. 2012

 Samaria–Sougia–Paleochora (11.13), ed. 2014

 Frangokastelo–Plakias (11.17), ed. 2013

The Mount Ida/Psiloritis range, at scale 1:30,000:

 Mt Idha (Psiloritis) (11.14), ed. 2013

The Lassithi Mountains, at scale 1:35,000:

 Mt Dikti–Mt Selena (11.15), ed. 2014

Older editions of the Lefka Ori and Psiloritis maps (showing fewer paths) may still be available in some shops. Some users prefer these older maps.

Two 1:100,000 scale Harms Verlag contour maps are recommended as back-up and for their wider coverage. They are also the second best choice for walking:

 Map 1 – Western Crete (includes the Lefka Ori and Psiloritis)

 Map 2 – Eastern Crete (includes Heraklion, Lassithi and Sitea).

Anavasi also publish ‘Touring Maps’ at 1:100,000 scale.

Since new maps may appear at any time it is worth asking Stanfords for the latest publications (12–14 Longacre, London WC2; tel: 0207 836 1321).

In Chania, Pelekanakis on Halidon Street may have sold out of walkers’ maps by September, or, at least, the particular map you want. Anavasi maps are also found in Hora Sfakion, Loutro and Ay. Roumeli (where, naturally, the Samaria map is popular). Rethymnon old town has a well-stocked bookshop near Plateia Martyron. In Heraklion there are likely bookshops in the vicinity of Plateia Eleutherios Venizelou, including a foreign-newspaper stockist near the fountain.

Emergencies

There is no official mountain rescue service. The Police and Fire Brigade may be called upon to provide this service but they can be disadvantaged by not knowing an area as well as the local shepherds. This is why it is very important to leave the place name of where you intend to go (see below). Shepherds are often best at finding lost people, long after search parties have given up, unfortunately. In places where the landscape is made up of large stones and prickly plants, or forest, finding anything can be difficult – including your rucksack, if you leave it for a while. (GPS users should waymark the spot.) Cretan shepherds expect you to have a mobile phone at least – as they do – especially if you are alone. Save the Cretan ‘emergency’ telephone numbers into your phone (see Appendix D). And remember to take local accommodation telephone numbers with you. Unfortunate accidents can happen to anyone but, in general, Cretan opinion on trekking ventures is ‘if you can’t handle it, you shouldn’t be doing it’. This guide has been written to give you the necessary information, but the message must always be to take extra care on all routes. Injuring yourself and then running out of water is the chief danger.

EU nationals should keep their European Health Insurance card with them. Keep a whistle on your person (although it may be ineffective in wind); ideally, supplement it with a strobe or flares, or at least a good-quality torch. Flares are said to be best for attracting attention.

Mountain villagers are well aware of the risks involved, as bad accidents occur even to those well used to the terrain. Before setting off on a mountain trek leave a note of your plans (with dates), in your own language, with your rooming house proprietor or at a central kafeneon.

If you are ‘wild camping’ and have nowhere to leave a note, send a text to a friend or relative that includes the name of the place where you are going and when you expect to be back, especially if this is a place where mobile phone contact is unlikely – such as a gorge or a remote mountainside.

Using this guide

Grading system

Each walk is graded as follows:

 Grade A Short walks, easy underfoot, with hamlets or destinations in sight, for example Walk 1.

 Grade B Walks on roads or tracks and popular, well-tramped, easy-to-follow paths, for example Walk 2.

 Grade C Walks on less-frequented mountain footpaths, for example Walk 3.

 Grade D More demanding day-walks, on remote terrain, for example Walk 6, as well as any of the backpacking routes, as these are mini-expeditions that need careful planning. Confidence and route-finding experience are essential.

 Grade E Very remote and rugged mountain routes.

Note ‘Remote’ means that although final destinations – villages or coastlines – may be in sight in the distance, the underfoot is rocky or steep, so that getting there safely will take a lot of time and effort.

Anopolis: mules are still needed in the Madares

CALCULATING WALKING TIME

The walking times listed are calculated using this simple formula.

Allow the following times for every km (approximately) along the ground:

 15mins on roads

 20mins on easy-to-follow rough footpaths

 30mins on very demanding rocky terrain

plus 15mins per 100m of height gained.

Many routes combine sections of all these underfoot conditions. Also, rocky downhill paths may need the same time allowance as linear routes.

Walking times

The time allowance given on some rocky footpath routes may be similar to that listed for well-defined ascent paths. In general, remember that a new route always takes longer to walk than one with which you are familiar or that is clearly defined. EOS times on E4 Trail signposts in the mountains are probably matched to the club’s strongest walkers, who are already familiar with the routes. Where backpacking is mentioned, this refers not to ‘gap-year’ travellers but to trekkers who are purposely equipped to camp in the mountains.

Monitor your pace on your first couple of walks to check whether you need to reduce or extend the above formula. Firstly, reduce the formula by allowing 10mins per 100m of ascent. Some may find the times listed too generous, but it is wise to take your time on rocky terrain.

On all routes allow extra time for any sort of rest stop – picnics, sitting down, taking photographs – an additional 1hr (at least) on most walks. Using Walk 30, The Ascent of Kastro, as an example: if there are 10hrs of daylight, you may have only 1hr 30mins to spare for preparation and stops. On some other routes you may need to work to a bus or boat timetable.

The kilometre distances are an approximate guide to be read in conjunction with the other data. Many routes include zigzagging footpaths. For a very quick guide to the effort involved on a walk, divide the time allowance figure by the kilometre distance. For example, the most well-tramped footpath in Crete, the Gorge of Samaria, works out at 18mins per km, while Trek 7A works out at 50mins per km due to the long, steep ascent and care needed on that remote and broken-up old mule track.

In the route notes, the year when a point was last seen by the author, or last reported to the author by others, is sometimes given in brackets. Hopefully, this will add interest to what you see, and could also be useful if you have the impression that things might have changed since that date.