14 Mar 2018

Spring 2018 Trail Clearing Programme has started

by | posted in: Spring 2018 | 4

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.

 

Potami

Monique and Sam from Canada
21 Jan 2018

TRAIL CLEARING 2018

by | posted in: Spring 2018 | 2

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.

by Erik

6 Nov 2017

Good-bye Debbi and Jay – better late than never

by | posted in: Autumn 2017, path clearing | 0
6 Nov 2017

Springs

by | posted in: Winter | 0

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

24 Oct 2017

End of the Clearing Year – 2017

by | posted in: Autumn 2017 | 0

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!

18 Oct 2017

Good-bye Flaminia & Hamish

by | posted in: Autumn 2017 | 0

Together with Emilie and myself, these volunteers worked so hard on The Monk’s Trail and I thank them so very much. As if the wasps weren’t enough, we had to contend with invisible, biting insects, smilax vine and household rubbish. The exit/entrance to the trail was totally overgrown and it took us a few hours of chopping and garbage removal to find it. This was particularly unpleasant as there was the constant pong of rubbish in the air. But they never complained and just got stuck in. Once the trail had been found, it was full steam ahead. We are so close to meeting up with cleared trail approached from the Glysteri valley but encountered a mass of fallen trees in a gully that blocked our way. Such a pity they won’t be around personally to see the final chop that will join the trails together. Bon voyage/kalo taxithi guys.

Thanks also to Regas House hotel for donating their accommodation.

 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B3gnVLzsuZGbYWFpa3JGc0xZM1k?usp=sharing

 

6 Oct 2017

All Going Well

by | posted in: Autumn 2017 | 0

We’ve been working hard on the Machala trail. It’s very beautiful and much wider that I though. Yesterday many people came to see us! Tasoula brought us frappe, juice and snacks, Tom came and helped (he chopped brambles back and found a wall), then Harald and Martina passed by and finally Lisa came and helped. We feel very supported. The evening meal system is working well too. Thank you so much.

 

 

29 Sep 2017

5 Reasons you should do a Workaway

by | posted in: Autumn 2017 | 0

1. Every cause needs a person like Heather. She is passionate about her project, incredibly focused on her mission of clearing trails, and is determined to make sure her workawayers have a quality experience.

2. The project is so interesting. What could be better than working very hard to uncover stone trails that have been hidden away for decades. It’s like a scavenger hunt/archaeology dig where you are constantly finding treasures. (If you think that finding hidden stone trails is a treasure) Thinking about the islanders who used donkeys to transport themselves and their goods from place to place on these trails makes you realize how hard working the people were, as well as what good builders they were to create these trails. I think the project is tremendous.

3. Heather is awesome. She is the perfect host(ess). Not only did she provide dinners on the evenings when we worked, but she brought us around with her on the island, invited us to join her on her hikes, took us to the beach every day, took us sightseeing, introduced us to her friends, showed us what tsipouro was and oriented us to Greece, island life, and Skopelos. She made us feel so comfortable in Skopelos and prepared us for the rest of our time in Greece.

4. The people on the island who support the project are awesome: Heather has enlisted the help of many people who help make the volunteers’ time very comfortable and feel well taken care of. The hoteliers union has donated rooms for the volunteers to stay in and people cooked us food, bought us drinks, transported us from one part of the island to another, and generally made us feel welcome and valued. 

5. The whole thing is just a lot of fun. Jay and I had a blast on Skopelos. When we left, I actually burst into tears and even Jay was a bit choked up when we waved good-bye from the ferry. I LOVED Skopelos and our workaway experience.

Debbi Perkul