A mini-break in Skyros

Due to a useless internet connection (amongst other things), this update to the blog comes now that we are back in the UK!  I did however promise a couple of lovely ladies that I would update it with our time on the island of Skyros, so here goes.
Skyros is another island in the Sporades island group and a 6 hr ferry ride from Alonissos (via Evia).  Everyone had told us how lovely it was but completely different from Alonissos in both size and landscape so in Sept we decided to have a holiday within a holiday and booked a few days on the island.  The northern end of the island is well populated and very green whilst the south is almost completely barren with a large Naval base and housing the memorial and grave of Rupert Brookes. 
The ferry trip was lovely, if uneventful, with beautiful weather all the way.  The wind did pick up as we approached Skyros (it is known for being a windy island) and as the sun went down we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

Sunset from the Skyros ferry

We soon found ourselves stepping off the ferry into the port of Linaria which was tiny!  A couple of tourist shops, a couple of hotels and 4 tavernas...that was it. It was very pretty though and our hotel was bang on the waterfront so we checked in and looked forward to a cup of tea.  We soon had a re-think on that score as Skyros appears to be stuck in a time warp!  The coffee and tea making facilities were a small jug that you balanced on a gas camping stove and as we couldn't actually find any way of lighting it we gave up on the tea idea and after a wash and brush up, went out for dinner.

Linaria port - view from our balcony

Anyone for tea?

 The following morning we hopped on THE bus (yes there appears to be one bus for the whole island) to Skyros town and then walked to the beach at Molos where we were spending the next 3 days.  Hot and sweaty after a walk that was slightly further than first thought, we arrived at our accommodation....or apparently not!  We had the booking printed out which we gave to the owners of the Panormos hotel but were met with shaking of heads and blank looks.  There was a lot of gesticulation and mutterings to each other before the lady (Zoe) suddenly said, ah....Kathy!  At which point we were herded across the car park and down another driveway to a slightly less salubrious set of apartments, up some steps and into our? room. This will always remain a mystery as these weren't the studios we booked but hey...that's Greece for you!
That afternoon we started looking for a hire car but to no avail.  Apparently there would usually be plenty of cheap cars for rent at this time of year but this year Skyros was still full!  We gave up for the evening and walked, or rather hiked, from Molos into Skyros town where we found a myriad of alleyways with all manner of shops, bars and tavernas.  We found a lovely bar playing decent rock music and decided to stay there for the night before weaving our way back home, downhill all the way...:)

Skyros town from Molos

Covered Skyros town street

The following morning we were back on the hire car trail and went next door to see if Zoe could find anything for us where we had failed.  We were offered coffee and biscuits while we waiting for her husband to ring around and hey presto, he finally found a car that had literally just become available and was delivered to us within 10 mins!!  So, armed with a map and a car we set off to explore the island.  First stop was Atsista, a beautiful bay on the west of the island.  It had one beachside taverna and a rather lovely looking hotel and was picture postcard pretty.

 

 

View towards Atsitsa

 

Atsista bay

Atsista hotel

Next it was across the island to Kalamitsa....a huge pebbly beach that curved for miles.  As we were both rather hot and sticky after the drive, we spent a happy hour having a dip in the clear blue sea and drying out again on the beach before heading towards the south of the island.

Toasting on Kalamitsa beach

Endless beach at Kalamitsa

 This is where the drive turned into a less pleasurable experience!  Skyros has lots and lots of pine trees, many of which grow right up to, and lean into, the road.  This meant that the more pine trees there were, the narrower the road got as no-one seems to trim these things back!  At one point the road had been narrowed to practically a single lane when to my horror a large 4x4 came round the corner.  I stopped in my tracks and tried to reverse to a slightly wider part of the road but soon had a re think when my right rear wheel dropped into the unseen ditch at the side of the road!  I frantically shook my head at the driver of the other car and pulled forward again.  Luckily he was obviously a local and inched his truck into the trees on the other side and managed to wriggle around me....phew!

Photogenic Skyrian goat

Pine trees from Kalamitsa

As we drove on, the landscape changed and got more and more barren.  As we climbed higher, the road turned into a dirt road and the drop at the side got bigger and bigger with no barriers or netting to stop you falling 200ft if you missed the edge.....it was at this point that I discovered I have a major fear of falling of cliffs!!  My heart was hammering, I was sweating and shaking and was sure I was either going to cry or be sick or both....but with some encouraging words from my husband I managed to keep driving over the crest of the hill and make it down to the flatter region on the other side. 

Road from hell to southern Skyros!

Barren southern Skyros

Once there, we drove a couple of miles to find the olive grove where the WW2 poet, Rupert Brookes, is buried.

The Soldier - poem

Rupert Brookes grave

From there we headed back to the north and across to Agios Petras to a taverna that had been recommended to us by some friends back on Alonissos.  By this time it was 3.30 in the afternoon and we were both very hungry.  The taverna was actually rather busy for that time of day considering it is in the middle of nowhere and with only one poor waiter we thought we might be in for a bit of a wait.  Happily he was very efficient, fetched our wine straight away and then apologised for the wait when the food came (which actually wasn't that long).  I had said we were hungry but we had ordered the Syrian goat with spaghetti and Imam to start so that would have been fine....however, when he brought the food there was also a plate of Skyrian cheese and local sausages too and when we asked for the bill it was accompanied by a fruit platter of grapes, honeydew melon and water melon.....all this for about £15, crisis, what crisis!!!
We handed the car back the following day having first checked out the church hewn into the rock at Girismata just up the road from Molos and then had a leisurely day at the beach. 

Inside Molos church

Molos church hewn in pumice stone

For our final evening we caught the bus into Skyros town and spent a couple of hours exploring the back streets of the Hora all the way to the castle at the top.  We found our way back down and sought out a place to eat.  We stumbled on the cheapest taverna/ouzerie ever with a menu of over 20 ouzo's and Tsipouro's which Paul felt he just had to sample! He was also convinced that this must be the place to eat as Tom Conti was on the table behind us...or perhaps not!

View from top of Skyros town

Tom Conti ???

Kastro of Skyros town

So after a final meal of Octopus salad, courgette fritters, fresh fish and prawns washed down with 2 different types of ouzo and half a litre of wine for 20 euro's, it was back to Molos and then back to Linaria the following morning for the ferry back to Alonissos. All in all a lovely way to spend a few days exploring a new island....that's another one ticked!