I'm planning a hiking-trip to Greece next month and is interested in hearing from others who have hiked on the Greek mainland.
I'm planning a short (4-5 days) trekking trip to Greece at the end of May. My plan is to choose a starting point and walk through the Greek countryside back to Athens. I'm leaning on having Sparta as my starting point and go via Argos back to Athens, a trip of about 200 kilometers. That should be a good distance for a 4-5 day trek I feel.
But I am interested in hearing if anyone who has done the same could share their experience here? Or maybe if there is some other route you could recommend? I'm after the most scenic route with a lot of things to see and short stops to be had during the way.
Anything special I should think of for trekking those distances?
My longest similar trip was a two day bike trip from Okazaki, south of Nagoya, to Kyoto back in the summer of 2007 and I keep wanting to do something similar again. ^^
Reply to this Hej,
Interesting question. I haven't done this trip walking but I have driven roughly the same distance. Partly the scenery is beautiful, and there are many interesting sights (Mycene for example). My main concern would be walking on Greek roads. Are you planning on walking on ordinary roads, or use backroads? Because the so called National Roads (main roads) are heavily trafficked, Greek drivers notoriously uncautious, and usually there is no curb. This is mountainous terrain, in some parts the height differences may make it more strenuous. I don't know how you could walk the last ~50 km to Athens, because the motorway is obviously not a good idea but there may be alternatives.
If you would prefer something less noisy and polluted there are walking trails. However, sometimes they are not well signed, though I have heard that in Peloponese there is a good network.
End of May should be great weather. Not too hot, but still warm enough to take a swim.
I also suggest Crete, it is about 250 km west to east, there is a walking trail E4 across the mountains with spectacular scenery, small villages and so on. I have planned to do this myself but find it difficult to find the time to do it. If you want to do all of it it probably takes a week.
Happy to help with more suggestions
Inga
Reply to this Hi Inga! Thanks for your reply.
My plan is to only follow the roads part of the way. If I start at Sparta for example I will probably first visit the Menelaion and then head north keeping close to the Tripoli road. There's a place about 12 kilometers north of Sparta that Google Earth calls Site d'Olympie, though there's only one picture and I can't find any information about it, so I thought I'd go there first. After that I might break off from the road and head east, depending on how menacing the mountains are looking to my feet and back. ^^ I was thinking of going that way until I reach the sea as long as there are some roads to follow. From the sea I would then head north all the way up to Argos.
Well that's just a preliminary plan. In the end I kinda want to just follow where my feet take me and only glance at my GPS from time to time to keep me on the right track. And if I feel my time is starting to run out then I'll just head tho the nearest city and see what bus can take me to Athens before my flight home leaves.
I've started checking up on what I will need for the trip now. I have my eyes on a lightweight tent and sleeping bag that I can get cheap from my work. And I'm in a bit of a bidding war to win a solar-powered smartphone charger that will come in handy. My phone will be my map and GPS, though I'll bring traditional maps and compass just in case. I need to find good hiking boots, and I've got my eye on a few watering options, from a ten liter bladder to a tube that can make normal bottles hands-free. Haven't decided which is more practical. With clothes, backpack, and sun lotion it feels like I have things planned. Or have I missed something important?
Also, do I have to worry about the wildlife if I get off the beaten track? Snakes, scorpions, bears, that stuff, are they common?
Reply to this Hi again,
I think your plan is OK. Water will be important, some of the distances will be long, so you need to think carefully about that. East Peloponese is not densely populated, but of course there are villages here and there. The coast has more villages and towns, some of them quite big. In the smaller villages they will probably be quite excited about you coming. Keep to roads, don't walk out into the mountains by your own, even with a GPS you may run the risk of sudden bad weather and not finding shelter. Check with the locals, they are usually quite knowledgable and will be happy to help you, they will know some English.
Major wildlife is probably almost non-existent but shepherds dogs and stray dogs can pose problems. My experience is that if you back off slowly it is OK, but you may want to look into that. Poisonous snakes exist, so you should take the same precautions as you would in Sweden.
but other than that you will probably have a great time. Also, it will probably be quite easy to find a farmer to take you on his truck in case you are tired and need to get to a town quickly. For the last part of the trip I would suggest taking the train from Korinth (don't miss the archaelogical site there) to Athens.
I have never heard of Site d'Olympie in Sparta, could it be a mis-labeling. Olympia is much further north. But the Mistras medieval castle town is a fantastic place, though you need a few hours to explore there.
[Edited: 2012 Apr 26 07:27 - greek gal:86561 ]
Reply to this Hi, I can recommend a site for getting maps, either hard copy or for your GPS. As I can't post the link google search "anavasi" and you should find it. To my experience they have the best maps of Greece and I noticed they have a new map of Peloponese.
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