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Published: September 15th 2017
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Unlike most of out trips, this time we are only away for two weeks.Summer has practically ended in England and we were feeling starved of sunshine and adventure!
We chose Greece as its not long haul and Skiathos came highly recommended. We prefer places that have a choice of beaches where you can get away from the crowds and nice walks. This island fits the bill perfectly. A good proportion of the island is covered with dense pine forests.
We spent the first few days exploring the beaches closest to our studio before trying ones further away.
Practically the first we came across was Banana beach, as we clambered around the rocks from Big Banana to little Banana beach we realized rumours we'd heard about it being a naturist beach were true.
The coast line was a string of curved beaches so we soon moved on the the next beach.
Another day we set off good and early armed with a packed lunch and headed for Agristos beach. It involved a lot of uphill slogs along a dirt road then down hill to check out the various beaches along the way, a quick dip in the sea, before moving on
Map of the area around koukanaries
Our studio is where the number 41 is. to the next one.
The walk between the beaches was a dirt road with just the odd tourist bombing along on their hired quad bikes sending clouds of dust up as they passed. All along the way were big tubs full of water in case of forest fires. By the time we arrived at the steep path down to Agistros beach we were pretty much exhausted and decided to head home to the cool interior of our studio.
Not to be beaten, two days later we set off again only this time took the path directly to Agristos rather than the coastal route.
This involved walking along narrow sandy paths carpeted with tinder dry pine needles. The hot sun above couldn't penetrate the trees and made for a pleasant , peaceful stroll. As we hit the main dirt road again we soon arrived at the path down to Agistros.
After negotiating the steep sandy steps we found ourselves on an almost deserted beach with a very rustic beach bar.
It wasn't long before we were jumping into the sea to cool down and were pleasantly surprised to see there were plenty of colourful fish swimming arould the rocky canyons.
After lunch we'd had enough of the beach as the shade was practically non existent. Earlier we'd seen a road that looked as if it would go to the summit of Mt. Trachalomandra.
As before the dirt road was lined with lush green pine trees as it meandered through the forest. Every few minutes there would be a break through the trees and we would get yet another panoramic view down to the rocky coastline.
As we climbed higher the air became cooler and the breeze whispered through the pine trees giving off a heady perfume.
We came across another two couples with the same mission in mind but apart from that nothing. All the quad bikes and dusty hire cars had long gone, their occupants only interested in cooking themselves on the beach. It felt a very special place.
The walk, however, back to town seemed much longer than the path on the map had looked.
All our drinking water was gone and still there was no habitation in sight.
We met with another couple who assured us we were on the right track, after another half hour we came to a hotel tucked away and they announced this
was where they were staying and pointed in the direction that we needed to go.
We had better ideas! The hotel had an interesting looking bar and advertised the cheapest beer in town! How could we resist??
After downing two large glasses of ice cold beer we began to feel human again. I have to admit it was the very best cold beer that I can remember!!
Another few minutes walking brought us to the main road and we were soon back at the studio.
What a magnificent way to spend a day!
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