A quick nip over to Crete for a bit of walking!! Great to be in sunshine and this trip has started in Chania. On the 9th we explore this Venetian town which has a busy harbour with a lighthouse on it’s wall and of course the obligatory waterfront cafes with their tempting and delicious Greek Salad – that is as long as you like tomatoes!!
We then venture up away from the town and into the White Mountains. We are heading for the Omalos Plateau which is at 1082 m. This plateau is in the middle of the massive of mountains and gives us a gateway towards tomorrows challenge of the Samaria Gorge. This area became a refuge for Cretan revolutionaries against the Turks. Like many places in this part of the world there have often been times of turbulence and influence.
So we arise for a 7.00 breakfast and our bags are left in our hotel lobby to be transported by boat to our next destination. The pressure is on to complete today’s challenge of walking the Samaria Gorge – we know it will take 7/8 hours so no illusions about its difficulty. Our transport takes us upwards further climbing at least another 200 m until we reach the drop off point for entry into the Gorge. We are lucky as this was closed at the end of the previous week due to rain and we are coming towards the end of the season for completing this walk. Slightly chilly but very quickly it warms up. Almost like steps to begin with and soon realise that poles really are going to help.
We are a large group 16 plus the guide- it very quickly becomes apparent that I will be near the back! Probably the oldest member of the group and I like taking photos. My knowledge of group walking gives me some concern as to the leadership- no chatting about what we’ve done before, any potential problems – just off. I suppose new hips make me a little cautious but I know I have good stamina and can tackle most things. Two or three of us jostle for last place! One a self professed couch potato, one with a bit of an Achilles problem and myself. Subconsciously I sort of assume a back marker situation. Really hard to have to keep looking at the ground as it’s a bit tricky and try to absorb the splendour of the surroundings.
In places there are boulders and then sections with looser smaller rocks, a bit of a respite through a more wooded section – but plenty to trip over! At the top of the gorge you have to buy a ticket , partly so they can check everyone is out at the end of the day. There are also loos and water taps on route. At the first of these I catch up with another couple of members of the group but by the time I’ve used the facilities they’ve moved on!
As you get older it is a bit disconcerting as 20/30 somethings almost run down past you. Did I ever do that? A group of loud American youngish people going on about how annoying Apple Watches were when they spoke to you and being dictated to by rings – I resisted the temptation to tell them they could put them on silent and secretly hoped mine didn’t speak whilst they were in earshot.
For a while the three of us at the back manage to walk together and then as we approach the next designated ‘rest’ spot we realise we have lost Steve who had been just behind us. Feeling slightly guilty we wait rather anxiously to make sure he comes in sight. Some of the group have clearly already gone on and I am left feeling a little that the group dynamics of this walk do lack some strategy. I’m not sure see you at the bottom and Everyman for himself is quite the right mode!
There are quite a few remains of the now uninhabited village of Samaria and we have been walking about three hours, which is about the expected time. We are not now dropping quite as steeply having already descended about 760 m. I rush my stop in an attempt to walk with the group in front of me but as soon as I stop to take a photo I’ve lost them again. Basically I come to terms with the fact it’s just me and the rocks!!! The sides of the gorge are beginning to close in a little, not at their narrowest yet. Some of the strata of the rocks is fascinating, I could spend a great deal more time just absorbing and looking but the general urge from all that pass is just to get through the gorge.
Beginning to see a few flowers as the vegetation varies slightly more lower down. Having done a couple of stepping stone crossings these are now changing to wooden bridges- some with slats missing, quite bouncy and some arched up in the middle.
As the rock cliffs narrow you begin to wonder what you will see next – what’s round the corner, through the gap. How much will it drop away and how high does the water go when it fills the gorge as it must do at times. I come to another resting area and refill my water bottle. Seeing the horse may seem strange, the park rangers use them and they have left their own evidence on the ground. Thought it was not quite right for Cretan Ibex( Kri Kri) droppings! Still haven’t spotted one of those.
Fast approaching the narrowest point of the gorge, the sidheroportes- ‘iron gates’ are only 4 metres apart but over 350 m high- not made of iron at all !!! The path is next to the waterbed in places now and for a short busy section there is a wooden walk way presumably to aid transit when there is some water in the river.
Almost at the section when it is beginning to flatten out a little and the end is in sight. There were a few sections when it felt that I must be the last person walking down the gorge but now it’s busy with people going up as well. Some stop at what for them is the first resting spot. A wide range of nationalities and ages on this walk – the one great advantage is that they path in 95% of places is easy to spot -just a few occasions in big boulders when it’s not so clear. A couple of times I’ve seen Catarina our guide along this route, when she has waited to check we are okay but as soon as she’s caught sight of all of us she’s back towards the front again. After almost 6 hours we are nearing the end and will soon come to the edge of the National Park. Having handed in our ticket we are through the gate and the last stretch is along a track which becomes a road – 2 km. At the first cafe our guide is waiting plus Yani who I’ve walked part of the way with, and we set off together to reach Agia Roumeli, which is by the sea and our stopping place for the night. On this stretch we do spot some goats , high up on the rocks but they are only goats! As we almost reach our destination I look back and see an Ottoman Castle on the hill – It is 14.48 and I really do wonder what the hurry was?
By the time we reach the village we’ve covered about 19.5 km – some of the others have already had drinks and ice cream. We take our turn and before long Paul appears, he’d already stopped at the cafe for one beer and then Steve and Catrina. A sorting out of our rooms and then a relax before fish which has been freshly caught and grilled !
So glad to have completed this particular walk at last!
Marion's 50 Walk Challenge 