Hiking the Corfu Trail

Day 4 Coyevinas to Pelekas 17 km

Today we would climb Agi Deka, the second highest mountain in Corfu, and because we needed to be transported from Benitses to to our start point in Coyevinas there was no opportunity for the other walkers to make an early start.

It was already very hot as we got out of the minibus but the Portsmouth lads and the Belgian couple went off at speed, determined to make distance before the full heat of the day.

We all set off from Coyevinas

We were soon climbing and after passing a good view of the valley below we reached some huge limestone rocks.

We reach some enormous limestone rocks

One of the curious barrel huts, made entirely from flattened metal barrels

Kato Garouna village and the distant coast

We continued to climb, sometimes through olive groves and sometimes through forest until we reached a clearing where we could see the white radar station at the top of Agi Deka. We walked down to the grounds of Pantokrator monastery and looked in to the open church in the monastery grounds.

Agi Deka

Carole lights a candle at Pantokrator Monastery

Agi Deka village below the monastery

We now had a long and tricky descent on a partly cobbled and overgrown steep footpath. As we descended the village of Pelekas came into view up on the hill, where we would be staying tonight.

Starting to descend

The path soon gets tricky

Entering Agi Deka

There was a cafe at Agi Deka but we decided to press on to Sinarades, where we remembered a nice cafe from our last trek here.

We now walked frequently on tarmac as we pressed on through the villages of Alepochori and Kamara and I drank water by the litre. Five hot kilometres from Agi Deka village and we reached Sinarades where we passed a folklore museum which was closed. We passed a taverna where the Portsmouth boys were sampling the local wine but declined their invitation to join them as we aimed for the cafe in the village square. Here we relaxed for an hour in the shade, ate sandwiches and drank copious amounts of water and ginger beer.

Old olive tree

Old hiker, note sock burn around ankles which disappeared later in the trek

Whip snake, harmless I believe

House in Kamara

I grab a bit of shade

Walking through Kamara

We reach Sinarades

... and its shaded cafe

Feeling much refreshed and for the time being, much cooler, we set off once more, immediately climbing a steep path and as we gained height we had views back over Sinarades.

Outside the village we passed an ancient well and then followed a gravel road steeply uphill high above the west coast of the island.

Leaving Sinarades

Climbing out of the village

Ancient well

West coast

We followed our trail for another 6 km through olive groves, sometimes on concrete and sometimes on gravel tracks.

Eventually we joined an asphalt road and began a steep climb uphill to reach the pretty village of Pelekas and our accommodation for the night, Jimmy's Taverna, where we gratefully collapsed to be revived by drinking cold beer before retiring for a welcome shower.

Arrival at Pelekas

Dinner at Jimmy's

Our balcony at Jimmy's

To Day 5

Back

Day 5 Pelekas to Liapades 22 km

The Portsmouth lads were just leaving as we went down for breakfast. We wouldn't see them again as they were not staying at our accommodation in Liapades and, unlike us, wouldn't be having a rest day there.

We began our walk with a descent to secluded Myrtiotissa Beach which Gerald Durrell described as the most beautiful beach on the island and which is now a nudist beach. We passed above the sand and after reaching a monastery we joined a concrete track and began a long climb inland to reach Vatos village.

Pelekas

Leaving Pelekas

Taverna at Myrtiotissa

Myrtiotissa

Myrtiotissa Bay

Big butterfly

It's quite a climb to Vatos and we were soon very hot. I stopped every 30 minutes or so to drink water and when we finally reached the village we paused to sit in the shade with ice creams and fresh water from the shop.

Leaving Vatos we crossed a bridge over the Ropa River and walked alongside a golf course before entering the uncultivated fields of the Ropa Valley. These grassy fields make easy walking and as we crossed them we were delighted to meet a tortoise, which disappeared into its shell as we approached. Carole reckoned she had been told when young that tortoises cannot resist being tickled under the chin, a place they cannot reach themselves. We decided to put this to the test and sure enough the tortoise soon appeared to be in a state of bliss. It turned its head from side to side to stretch as much of its neck out of the shell as possible.

Climbing towards Vatos

Phew! We get very hot

Ice cream at Vatos

Leaving Vatos, the Ropa Valley ahead

Entering the Ropa Valley

Our path becomes indistinct

We meet a tortoise

Carole tries out her theory

"Back a bit!"

We walked on through the Ropa Valley for about a mile before emerging on a tarmac road where we turned left. After about 400m we reached a junction where we saw a taverna called Tristratos (3 streets). We saw that the Belgian couple were eating there and they called us to join them. We ordered a Greek salad and chatted about our shared interest in walking. They were doing a six day walk, starting in Benitses and ending at Barbati with no rest days. This meant that they would also be leaving our walk after today while we remained in Liapades.

We told the Belgian couple how on a previous Corfu Trail we had met the Trail's originator, Hilary Paipeti, quite by chance, as we walked through the Ropa Valley. After a while they went on their way and as we packed our own bags to leave who should walk up the road but the very same Hilary Paipeti. Seeing our bags and poles she stopped to ask how we were enjoying the trek.

We had an interesting conversation about the trail and the improvements to Corfu's habitat because of recent ecologically friendly changes in agricultural practices on the island. Hilary was with a man from Corfu Tourism and he was more interested in how many times we had walked the trail since it was created in 2003 (5 times) and also our age (I'm 75). He took our photographs with Hilary and told us that we would be featuring in social media on the Corfu Tourism website but we told him that we don't do social media so unfortunately we would never know.

Lunch at Tristratos

Greek Salad and Ginger beer

We meet the creator of the Corfu Trail, Hilary Paipeti

Waving cheerio to Hilary we walked on, soon reaching the village of Giannades, where there is another cafe and a fantastic viewpoint over the Ropa Valley. We pressed on and most of the next 8 km was spent walking through olive groves. Always sticking to the main path we kept straight on through this peaceful 'Olive Way' as our walk notes described it.

Eventually we joined a concrete track and descended to meet a road running into the village of Liapades, passing its pretty paved square before heading downhill to reach our accommodation at The Cricketers Taverna.