Maintenance is being carried out and we’ve just completed the portion that runs between Diakopi and Pirgos (near Anania).
The Retsina Trail
LOVE FOR EVER
For those of you who think they know Skopelos, this is an area you may not have stumbled across. I remember it as being a small footpath beside a narrow brook that lead to the spring of Lalaria. I couldn’t believe the change due to the floods of 3 years ago. Now we have a wide canyon, forged by the water pouring down from Palouki. The Spring has gone. We are left with beautiful plane trees lining a dry (at the moment) river bed, which ends at a sheer rock face with a natural spring, the waters of which are being harnessed by someone to supply water to their nearby vegetable garden. This route can be used to get further up the Old Stafilos Road. See my sketch map page 19 of the guide book and page 21, image 4. 
MKO
Skopelos Trails is now an official non-profit organisation. We are in the process of opening a bank account should you wish to make a donation. We have also made our first official complaint to the council regarding fenced areas on the trails. They are obliged to look into the matter and discuss at the next council meeting. In the meantime, no response to my request to take one of the council rooms on the port; offered several years ago when I wasn’t able to accept due to lack of support (which I now have).
We are still working a few hours a day at Kimissia, trying to create an extreme cycle route which will also help the walker as it entails widening the trail in general.
Why Not Apple
Since introducing the Map App, several people have asked ‘Why only android? Why not Apple? Well, I didn’t know, so I asked the app developer and this is his answer.
In order to develop for Apple, you have to pay royalties. For android, there are no costs. Also I don’t personally have an Apple laptop. If you have an Apple application, it can’t be free.
So there’s your answer.
Blockage
When writing about blocked trails, it’s usually regarding a mean land owner but this time, we are the culprits!! Whilst trying to cut down and remove a tree and use it as a bridge in the remma on the Kimissia trail, everything went a bit wrong. So for the moment, the trail is blocked although it is possible to crawl under the foliage. We’ll get back there asap.
Non Walkers Support
A very big THANK YOU to Tam Nightingale for inviting us to his home and for cooking a fantastic meal and to Eva Karras for providing us with a huge pasta meal. Generous gestures of this nature mean a lot to Skopelos Trails and we do not take them for granted. To have this support from non walkers is humbling and saves me from preparing and cooking for the volunteers after a hard day on the trail, so much appreciated on a person level.
If you’d like to donate a meal, please contact me.
Skopelos to Papou (Monk’s Trail)
We’ve been working very hard with maintenance work but over the last three days have actually reopened a portion of calderimi that has been closed for at least 35 years. I’ve walked by it many times but only recently got to thinking that this portion of the trail just didn’t make sense. So, I started sniffing around and in fact one of my volunteers discovered a wide, cobbled (calderimi) in the bushes. This year I was able to get it reopened. It’s behind the Tzukala spring, Glysteri. The reason it was detoured is because a portion of the supporting wall had collapsed. For hikers this is no problem but I guess if you had a mule it would be more problematical.
Latest Volunteers
Please welcome David from Spain and Jenna from the USA. We’ve been working for several days now, joined on Saturday by local Emmanuel Paleologos, on the trail between the heliport and Prof. Ilias, Kokola. Please be careful at a small holding near the water tank at the Prof. Ilias end as there are some free and rather aggressive dogs.
Sam & Monique
Sam and Monique were excellent volunteers and we were able to clear all of section 49 of walk 11, although we did have to make our own exit/entrance at the high end of the trail. A few days off now until the next volunteers arrive.
TAKING A BREAK
Skopelos Trails is taking a break for July and August although we will still be available for online help and advice. See you in September when trail clearing will begin again. Our first volunteers are already booked in; Debbi and Jay from the USA followed by Cristian and Fabio from Italy.
