The Corfu Trail

Day 1       Asprokavos to Santa Barbara  23km

The Corfu Trail is a long distance trek of 220km which zig zags northwards from the southernmost tip to the northernmost.  This means that the harder parts of the trek, and the most beautiful, are encountered at a later stage as you become acclimatised to the weather and also fitter.

We arrived in Corfu in the late afternoon and were met at the airport by Marcella from Aperghi Travel.  We were given a briefing, trip notes and maps and were transferred to Asprokavos in the far south of the island in time for dinner.  We spent our first night at the Mediterranean Blue Hotel and after an excellent breakfast left the hotel to see our first yellow Corfu trail sign just a couple of hundred yards from the hotel.

Ready for the off!

We left the road to circumnavigate a lake and were soon completely alone, it was as if we were miles from Asprokavos, not just a few hundred yards.  

Circumnavigating the lake

Leaving the lake behind we soon entered the first olive groves of the trek.  We would see a lot of olive groves in the next two weeks but never tire of their charm.  

As we approached Spartera Carole spotted our first tortoise of the trek.  Quite an unusual colour, almost black and with a badly dented shell but we were fairly certain that it was a tortoise and not a turtle.

It shuffled off into the bushes.

Our first tortoise of the trek

"I'm outta here!"

The paths were overgrown in places

Olive grove

By now I was feeling the heat.  Twenty four hours earlier we had been in the UK where the temperature had been around 12 degrees, cool for early June.  Now my watch told me the temperature was 33 degrees and it would soon reach 35. I was starting to wilt.  This heat would continue for the first four days of our trek and then the temperature would drop to around 28 for most of the rest of the walk, which I found much more comfortable.

Our path today varied between mule tracks, gravel paths and the occasional bit of tarmac and as we reached one such bit of road we saw a snake crossing just ahead of us.  Pretty sure it was a viper we kept our distance and in fact when I googled it I discovered that it was a horned viper, aka a sand viper, Europe's most deadly snake.

The horned viper...

... AKA the Sand Viper, Europe's most deadly!

Walking through the olive groves

After 10km we reached Lefkimmi, Corfu's second largest town.  We crossed a bridge over the Potami river and stopped at a small cafe.  I was in need of cooling down and bought water as well as ginger beer, coffee and cake.  Ginger beer was brought to Corfu by the British and embraced by the population as it is so refreshing in hot weather.  It is now available at most tavernas. 

We had a pleasant rest in the shade for nearly an hour and set off much refreshed.

Crossing the Potami river

Refreshments, note Carole's wearing her Jubilee bracelet, courtesy the grandkids, it being June 3rd

Walking through Lefkimmi

After Lefkimmi we were soon walking through dense olive groves and it was so quiet we might as well have been the only people on Corfu.  The only sounds to be heard, apart from my occasional complaints about the heat, were crickets and tree frogs.  After another 8 km we passed through the Gardeno valley and crossed the Gardeno river.  Once again I was struggling with the heat and finding the going very tough but just as I reached my lowest ebb we came upon the Alexandros Taverna and quickly found a table in the shade.  More ginger beer was drunk together with a delicious plate of bruschetta and bitter olives from their own trees.  We bought more large bottles of water to fill our flasks and leaving the taverna climbed the steep hill behind, soon gaining a wonderful view of the west coast where, in the distance, we could just see Agios Georgios and Lake Korrision which we would pass by tomorrow.

At the Alexandros Taverna

Back in the olive groves

We soon descended to the beach and once on the shore we set off alongside the sea where the sand was firmer, for the last couple of miles.  As we neared Santa Barbara we walked through the beds and beach umbrellas of holiday makers, feeling very out of place amongst the sunbathers and very much no longer alone.  

We were staying at the Perfect Ten, a small hotel near the beach, but first we stopped at the Santa Barbara taverna and ordered large beers.

We descend to the beach, Santa Barbara in the distance

A long walk through the sand makes a tough end to the day

We get our reward!

To Day 2

 Day 2          Santa Barbara to Paramonas      20km

Sitting outside our room after dinner last night we chatted to two middle aged blokes from the next apartment.  They were from Portsmouth and also doing the Corfu Trail but over 9 days only, which meant that unlike us they were not having a rest day at Liapades.  They had also found yesterday's walk in the heat tough going and one of them was already having foot trouble, which would worsen over the next couple of days.  Their answer to the heat would be to start walking at 7am every day, which usually meant missing breakfast, in order to arrive at their destination before the day reached its hottest.  

Leaving the Perfect Ten

This morning as we tucked in to our breakfast of yoghurt and honey, hard boiled eggs, fresh bread and jam and coffee we agreed that the early morning starts were not for us, we like breakfast too much.

The first half of today's walk was hard if, like me, you do not enjoy walking on sand.  We set off from Santa Barbara along the beach, walking north along the shore until shortly before reaching the houses of Agios Georgios, where we left the sand to join the road through the resort.  In Agios Georgios we bought water and fruit from a supermarket and then rejoined the beach to slip and slide through the sand until we became level with two islands at a point where the beach turned towards the right.  Here we struck off inland through sand dunes. This area can be confusing and I relied on my GPS to lead us safely to Lake Korrision.

Leaving Santa Barbara, Agios Georgios in the distance

Sometimes it was hard to find a firm path

In the sand dunes

Heading towards Lake Korrision

Lake Korrision

We now followed the lake's shore until we reached a channel that connects the lake to the sea, and here we crossed over the channel via a new bridge.  We then followed our track with the lake on one side and the sea on the other.  It was hot going but I felt much better than yesterday, perhaps I was acclimatising.

Reaching the channel between the sea and the lake

A new bridge

The sea to the left and the lake to the right, it was hot!

Leaving the lake behind we joined tarmac which led us to the sea.  Here we found the road had collapsed, falling into the sea, and we followed yellow trail signs inland and then into olive groves until we reached Alonaki.

Hot and hungry we were very pleased to come upon the Alonaki Bay Taverna and we stopped for cold beers and saganaki, a kind of fried cheese.

Running out of road

"Drink,drink..."

An oasis

Saganaki and beer

We relaxed for nearly an hour in the taverna's shady gardens overlooking the sea, before setting off to walk through seemingly endless olive groves until we reached Paramonas.  After dropping our bags at our accommodation we continued downhill to the taverna where we drank cold beers and booked a table for our evening meal.

A bit of shade while we check our route

Our balcony at Paramonas

The Sunset Taverna at Paramonas for dinner

To Day 3

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 Day 3      Paramonas to Benitses    17.5km

Our accommodation at Paramonas was friendly but quite basic, with a lovely view from our room.  We did, however, enjoy a new and efficient aircon unit in our room.  The Portsmouth lads were accommodated downstairs and complained at dinner that night that there was no aircon in their room and they didn't know how they would manage without it overnight.

Breakfast was arranged at the Sunset Taverna and at 8am  Carole and I wandered down to eat the poorest breakfast of the trek, three slices of toasted bread and a hard boiled egg, together with a jug of hot water and a Nescafe sachet each. The lads had wisely skipped breakfast for another early start.

Today would be our first day of real ascent and as soon as we left Paramonas we climbed steadily on overgrown paths through olive groves. As a reward, once up high the views over the coast were amazing.

Leaving Paramonas

Back in the olive groves

Keep North!

Slowly returning to nature

Ducking under old olive nets

Looking back down to Paramonas

On reaching the ridge we now had sea views of the eastern side of Corfu and followed a concrete road steeply downhill to reach the village of Ano (High) Pavliana.  Continuing downhill we came to Kato (Low) Pavliana, more olive groves and the village of Vouniatades.  

At one point, passing through low bushes, a large brown snake fell out of the branches as Carole walked past, brushing her shoulder as it dropped to the ground.  It shot off into the undergrowth before I could get my camera out.  I don't know who was more shocked, Carole or the snake.

We walked on through more olive groves, some heath land and then more olive groves until just before Strongili village we were surprised to pass a football field.  

By this time we had walked 11 km and were hot and running short of water so we were delighted to enter Strongili where at a crossroads we found Spiros' taverna.  We were welcomed as if we were old friends by Spiros, who immediately prepared cold fresh orange juice for us.  He told us the Portsmouth lads were an hour ahead and also another couple from Belgium, who we would meet for the first time at Benitses. We ordered a Greek salad, ginger beers, bottles of water and coffee and over the next hour we chatted to Spiros and gradually cooled down.

Big caterpillar

Big beetle

This shrine was decorated with pine cones hanging from ribbons

Ano Pavliana

Olive groves

Barrel hut.  

Confusing signs in Kato Pavliana

Fresh orange at Spiros' Taverna

Spiros sitting in background

In 2016 when we visited Spiros' Taverna his son had been having a guitar lesson and now Spiros proudly told us he was playing guitar in several large hotels and in the taverna on a Friday.  

Feeling much refreshed we set off once more, passing through several villages as we crossed the island until eventually we reached Coyevinas, which would be the starting point of tomorrow's walk. Today, however, we were pressing on to stay overnight in Benitses.  This involved an hour's very steep descent through wild terrain on narrow, slippery and overgrown paths.  It was the hardest walking we would do in Corfu and it wasn't even part of the official trail!  

Leaving Strongili with a spring in our step

Agios Matheos in the distance

Benitses below

Descending to Benitses

Passing a check point!

Eventually we reached the houses of Benitses and after walking along the resort we came to our digs, the Hotel Bella Vista, where, as we sipped cold beer, we met the Belgium couple and swapped experiences.  They agreed that the descent to Benitses was 'hairy' and we all thought we would stick to the road if we did it again.  The Portsmouth lads arrived, having been visiting a few Benitses tavernas.  It appeared they had taken a different route to the village, suggested at the taverna in Coyevinas, and that had been equally difficult.  One of the lads was suffering with blisters and 'running on ibuprofen', he informed us.

 

Phew! Benitses at last

Cool beer at the Bella Vista

The Bella Vista was lovely.  The young staff brought us towels to wipe our faces and cool beers in the shady bar. 

To Day 4

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