Day 2 - Let the Walk Begin

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"Corfu is all Venetian green and spoiled by the sun.Its richness enervates. Its valleys are painted out boldly in heavy brush-strokes of yellow and red. The Judas trees line the dusty roads in terrific purple explosions. Everywhere you go you can lie down on grass - Lawrence Durrell" Ok so we are about to find out if these words of some 65 years ago are true today.

Usual continential brekfast of eggs, meat, cheese, bread. Also cereal, yogurt, jam, honey available. I had tea and orange juice. At 8:45 I'm met by Chris (Anna's husband) from Aperghi Travel. He will drive me to the start in Kavos. He is also the luggage mover each day behind the scenes so my bag will go to tonights stop, where he will pick up the luggage of those the day in front of me and move it on and so for all those currently walking. I am walking solo and there are no other individuals or groups starting today. Chris is a lovely man who has great knowledge of Corfu and was an entertaining host as we drove south; telling me everywhere we were, pointing out future accommodation as we went through Benitses. We detoured to Spartera (tonights stop) so he could show me where the trail markers were and how to spot them; how to get to Paradise Taverna my stopover. We dropped off my bag and off we went stopping in Kavos so I could buy fruit/snacks for the day. Now it was before 10am but Kavos was deserted; the only sign of life being the Taverna owners chatting to each other or sat drinking coffee. No sign of a single tourist having breakfast; was anyone there or were they all still in bed. I know it is early season and the youngset are back home doing exams but surely someone is here; a sign offering a job so they must have work for them.
Onto AsproKavos where I am dropped off at the start of the trail. There is a sign to the Arkardillas Monestry; a hand made sign saying 'Sicret Beach' (must be where they put those who over indulge in Kavos the night before!!!!) and the first CorfuTrail marker. Off I set with Shrek attached to the back of my rucksack. Immediately I notice the quietness; just my feet on the track (which starts as gravel), birdsong and insect noice. There is also a smell of the flora; lush long grasses full of flowers; blues, whites and purples and yellows. Also wild herbs like sage. I'm now in the first of many olive groves; this will be a feature of my walk as Corfu has some 3 million olive trees. They are old mostly, have knarled trunks with holes in them (to house lizards, scorpions maybe woodpeckers but also the odd workers bottle of water or packed lunch) and the leaves have so many colours to them depending on the weather, be it rain, cloud, light sun or full sun, the angle of the sun; each time the colour changes from green to light green to grey to silver. There is a difference nearly everytime you enter a grove and the smell of the olive tree in blossom is pleasing. The first uphill stretch begins as we ascend to the cliff top, now the path has become soil and is still damp from last weeks rains. Butterflies are plentiful, Clouded Yellows, Cleopatras, Fritillarys (not sure exactly which type as several are very similar in colour) and Blues (possibly the common one) but they seldom rest to be photographed and when they do stop they usually do so with their wings closed and the colours are not so bright underside of the wings. Soon I'm at the cliff top at Cape Asprokavos, the southernmost point of the Island, which has been scrapped clear ready for building I guess. The cliffs look more sandstone colour than white but the first sea view with Paxos (19km away) on the horizon is great, not the emerald green, turquioses I will see later but nice blue all the same. On now to the ruin of the Arkoudillas Monastry. Her I see other tourists in cars but only 2 of them and later someone on a quadbike. Now the track becomes a path and we enter a small forest and begin our descent towards the beach. At times have to duck under fallen trees or break spider webs that cross the path; a sign I'm the first person along here today. Soon it opens up and in a clearing joins at concrete track which leads down to the beach, overtaken here by two lads on a quadbike who go to the beach and practice spins etc in the soft sand. I turn right and walk along the shore; the whole beach in front of me is totally deserted. The small waves lap the shore as I walk on the firmer sand/light pebbles, the backdrop is tall white cliffs. Just over half way along this long curved beach is an outcrop into the sea which you have to climb over; problem when you get to top (only 8 foot up) you then see that a section of rock has fallen into the sea and you either have a 10 foot jump or you have to go back down and wade around. I did the later, removed shoes, socks; rolled up shorts and waded in the near 3 foot deep water to rejoin the beach. As I only had an hours walking left on this short day (just 11km) I decided as I was wet to swim; so as deserted I stripped off and in I went. Not too cold for early season and very nice after a walk. Got out dried in the sun and dressed, strolled to the end of the beach (watching a fisherman who had just arrived lay our his nets) and sat on the rocks to rub the sand from my feet/toes so I could put my socks, shoes back on. I then saw two people walking towards me on the beach. Where they on the trail; no they were Germans who were based in one location but whose hotel owners would drop them off at a location where they could walk and then pick them up at the end of the walk; they weren't going my way off the beach. As I climbed away from the beach a large toad was sat on the track. ascending now through forest and then olives before we arrive at Spartera. On the road I saw my first of many Balkan Green Lizards; these are beautiful bright green, with a black spot of the side of the head. They have long tails and can be over a foot long. They run fast often just on the larger rear legs. This one was stationary so I got a photo. Past where the trail goes tomorrow I see a Vespa graveyard.........dumped cars and bikes are unfortunately a feature of the Corfu countryside.......and these rusty shells of Vespas were at the roadside and looked like they'd been there many a year. Into Spartera village, very small traditional inland village and onto the Paradise Taverna. Here I had Amstel; the first short days walking complete.
From Paradise on the patio area you have a lovely view across to Lefkimmi Harbour and the eastern coast. It turned out I was the only guest that night so service was spot on. I had sausage pies followed by grilled fish with a tomato and cucumber salad. I was given four medium size fish. Vert tasty and filling. I took the heads away in a bag to feed the village cats in the morning. Spent the evening chatting with the husband of the lady who cooked my meal and their three young boys, whilst sat out in the sun, having a few beers. Lovely place and so quiet or so I thought. I penned this;

Spartera, the place with a name so Roman; a shame it is stopped at by next to no man; They all pass in hire car or quad bike; this place of tranquility missed by all but those who hike.

Off to my room to prepare for tomorrow; pack bag ready for Chris to collect and get a good nights sleep as a full days walk ahead. During the night the peace was shattered; a noisey motorbike came, passed and carried on, its noise echoing across the valley for ages. Then as soon as daybreak (about 5am) the cockerels started to crow, the dogs began to bark and again the silence was shattered. They didn't stop so it was an early rise for me. Tomorrow............to Lefkimmi and back to the west coast.

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Comments

[Avva mou]

Well done
Hi Dave, glad you finished the trail safe and sound. Hope your leg and eye are ok and recovering well. Enjoying reading your blog and the photos are great.