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.
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.
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.
Over the years, I’ve discovered some 17 different varieties of orchids and so it’s great when I find something new. This Orphrys tenthredinifera is a real beauty.
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.
I’m delighted that we’ve started work after, what seemed, a very long winter. The trails have got off lightly due to mild weather conditions. Again, I have Workaway volunteers to help me. Our first of the season are Monique and Sam from Canada and they are being hosted by the ever generous Regas House hotel (Spirou Group).
I selected a trail that was easy to reach and one that I have in fact never cleared! I’d forgotten how beautiful it is. It’s part of Walk no. 11 where it cuts the corner from just beyond Stavrodromo and Potami. I believe this partial calderimi was created as a way to the Potami spring. Sadly, the calderimi portion that existed in the actual Potami valley as been asphalted over. As usual, what remains is well placed with shade.
Workaway.net hasn’t disappointed and teams for the spring are being assembled. Volunteers from Northern Ireland, the USA, Canada, Spain, Germany and the UK have been booked in and I can’t wait to get started again around 12 March. I’m also excited about the prospect of new pictorial signs for the Retsina Trail and the Monk’s Trail. An app is also in the pipeline that will enable hikers to buy single hikes for use with their smart phone.
Apart from tidying up existing trails, we hope to reopen an old section of trail from Glossa village up to TACAN (it then continues down to Taxiarkis), the trail to the tower at Loutsa and the continuation of the trail to Kalogeros.
If you notice any particularly overgrown trails, please let us know and we’ll do our best to get them cleared.
It’s been a pleasure having Debbi and Jay around. We got so much work done in a happy and enthusiastic atmosphere. Doesn’t get much better than that. We cleared just about all of the old calderimi that runs from the main road at Palio Clima up towards Ag Iannis. This is a beautiful, wide, well-made calderimi which was hardly visible when we started. Not only did we have to cut away the vegetation and vines, but we also had to dig down, loosen and then remove the top layer of sandy soil that was covering it.
Thanks also to Hotel Dionyssos for hosting them. Without the support of the hotels, this continuing project just wouldn’t be possible.
Before setting off, remember to take water with you. Check with the Skopelos Trails guide book if there’s a spring enroute from which you can replenish your water bottle. There’s also a list of all the springs across the island on page 11. If the water is running, it will be safe to drink
It’s been a very busy and successful year. We’ve had 20 volunteers from 8 difference countries: Australia 1, Canada 1, France 1, India 1, Italy 3, New Zealand 2, Sweden 1, UK 4, USA 6. We also had help from 3 UK and 4 German ex pats, 1 South African and two regular tourist visitors.
We have cleared and reopened all of the Skopelos to Panormos trail which was blocked throughout with fallen trees, the small portion of calderimi at Profitis Ilias, portion of trail below Sotiris monastery, part of the trail from Mili hamlet up towards Ag Marina, portion 2 and 3 of The Monk’s Trail, Glysteri, the trail to Petrovrissi, the Petrovrissi spring itself and a spring on the Old Stafilos Road, part of the Retsina Trail at Anania and Pirgos, the calderimi above Palio Clima toward Ag Iannis and the calderimi between Machala and Palio Clima.
Thanks must also be given to hotels Dionysos, Regas House and Pension Sotos plus Glossa Houses for donating accommodation, all the people in Glossa and Skopelos town who provided meals and last but not least, to Nick Orfanos for sharpening the chainsaw blade etc. We also received a donation which enabled us to buy two new pairs of loppers to replace the two pairs of Gardina ones that snapped.
We will be back again 1 March 2018. Have a good winter!
