The High Mountains of Crete – a walking and trekking guide
The High Mountains of Crete
A walking and trekking guide by Loraine Wilson
Guidebook to walking the high mountains of Crete with its dramatic gorges and numerous peaks rising to over 2100m, high mountain plains, forested crags, massive cliffs and remote beaches. In addition to many walks and trekking routes in the White Mountains, this new edition covers Mount Ida and the Lassithi Mountains. More...
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Activities
walking, trekking, backpackingSeasons
In theory year round, but winter really is winter and summer can be very hot indeed. Spring and Read More... autumn are the most attractive times.Centres
Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion, Hora SfakionDifficulty
Graded from A to E, easy to remote and rugged, including many backpacking routes in the high Read More... mountains. Managing water supplies is most important.Must See
In the White Mountains, the famous Samaria Gorge and 12 equally spectacular others. Psiloritis Read More... (Mount Ida), the summit of the island in central Crete and Mount Dikti in eastern Crete.March 2010
The south coast of Sfakia
Chania EOS had newly waymarked a selection of Sfakiot footpaths in Autumn 2009, with information boards to suit. Unfortunately, the style is in line with the current Greek fashion for over-waymarking with too much paint. Don't worry - the paint will fade soon enough in this harsh climate.
page 183, Walk 41 and p245, Trek 7A
Along with the bunkhouse, Ay. Ioannis now has a Rooming house with six rooms, run by those who operate the Aradena bridge kiosk. tel: Antonis 69387 92695. There is an information panel outside the village entrance gate and another in the village central parking area. A path (not included in this guide book) leading to the Komokopos cave is marked in Blue.
page 246, Trek 7A
This newly re-claimed path down into the Sfakiano gorge (see update above) is now copiously marked in blue.
page 144, Walk 26
This path from Goni to Ay. Nektarios is marked in green.
page 172, Walk 36
This well-used path between Anopolis and Loutro is marked in yellow.
Information submitted by David and Pat, March, 2010
November 2009
Page 84, Walk 3, Ascent of Gingilos
Page 90, Walk 6a, E4 Trail variation
This route is very near to Walk 3, so sections may also have been damaged by the same deluge.
June 2009
Walks 14 (and 14a)
Page 116, Access: Hourly main line Chania/Heraklion KTEL bus to Ay. Pandes village (an unattractive but useful bus stop under a bridge over the main North coast road). From the village, local taxi driver, Bubbis (tel: 693 266 2048) will take/collect you from Melidoni or Kares.
Page 116, blue paragraph in margin (and route description on pages 119-120): The Kares to Melidoni section is now cleared (May 2009) and freshly waymarked with red dots. There is plenty of shade along this very old path that passes across ancient terracing long buried in scrub and mixed woodland. A huge variety of Cretan shrubs, trees and flowers can be found here.
Page 120, line 3: Beyond the big rock (about 585m) the path continues the traverse, gradually gaining height. As the woodland ends, the path makes a sharp turn up to the right to reach the open terraced area at 600m.
Page 265, Mount Ida
The summit cistern has been provided with a circular concrete cover, a hatch and a (snow) location rod. It lies '9m NNW' of the chapel.
Walk 41
Page 183, lower information box: Panayia church is not locked, but the identity of the villager, a woman, who currently keeps the keys to Ay Ioannis chapel is not known either by Poppy or by the kiosk owner at Aradena bridge. Greek speakers may have better luck enquiring in the village itself – if they can find anyone around. Firstly, try the outlying hamlet where a two-storey house operates as a bunkhouse. For this, bear left at the Y-junction when you enter the village.
January 2009
A December expedition to climb Mount Ida (Psiloritis) reported the following changes:
page 303, Walk P8, line 6
In 2008 the shepherds' road from Livadia in the Milopotamos valley was surfaced throughout. Along with the old 'koumi' hut and cistern it now ends with a 'car park' and a new building. The start of Walk P9 (to the summit via a junction with the E4 Trail) has been re-formed.
page 305, Walk P9, line 4
The road has been surfaced and this footpath to the summit has been partly paved and re-formed.
October 2008
page 214, Katsiveli EOS Refuge
page 245, bunkhouse near Ay. Ioannis
page 244, Trek 7
page 246, Trek 7a
September 2008
The path from Niato to Trikoukia (also waymarked in blue) continues, from Trikoukia, down to Ay. Pavlos chapel in the bed of the Sfakiano gorge. This path is found, leading downhill, south, about 250m along the dirt road to Kali Lakki (Walk 33). After 30mins of gradual descent the hillsides steepen as the gorge develops and the path crosses from side to side. It is indistinct – look carefully for the waymarks. Allow 2hrs for this part of the descent to the chapel (no water) – from where it is about 6km (largely ‘uncomfortable’ because of large stones) down the gorgebed to the Hora Sfakion main road at the gravel extraction works (Walk 25).
Alternatively, for a return to Trikoukia, make your way NW, uphill from the chapel, to reach a stand of beehives that can just be seen on old terracing (the beehives may not be a permanent feature). A narrow road continues uphill from there, joining (after an hour’s climb) a shepherds’ road at a concrete cistern (513700/3901200 on the Anavasi map). Turn north for the 2km tramp to join the Trikoukia–Imbros shepherds’ road where you bear left for Trikoukia, or right for Imbros.
Notes: Trikoukia cistern normally has good water if you need more – there is apparently none to be found on these two routes described. The newly waymarked path may replace another old path that once led down to the chapel from Kali Lakki.
Information submitted September 2008 by David and Patricia Ordish. Hopefully local communities, and the EOS, will continue to open up yet more old footpaths.
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