In anticipation of the arrival of the latest edition of Skopelos Trails, will those of you who have already applied, please reapply. You will receive a copy at the ‘old’ price.
Many thanks.
SEEING IS BELIEVING
The printer has promised that my book will be here by next Wednesday (14th).
The envelopes have already been written out and I’m ready to leap into action just as soon as they arrive. Thank you all for being so patient.
Meanwhile, I spent last Saturday driving round putting signs up; 40 in all. I just need to measure the distances now. Any volunteers?
LATEST ON SKOPELOS TRAILS BOOK
I have the proof back and am going through checking everything. What a job! Should be beaming it back for the corrections to be carried out, within the next few days.
Thanks for waiting – you know who you are!
Palouki
A lovely day on Sunday and was able to get out and explore a different route up to Palouki. Success! Better luck than last week when I explored one of the old tracks from Stis Stathou spring in a roundal back to Tria Plantania. There were 5 fences! We got over 4 of them but had to give up at the fifth. Also, I couldn’t find the old way from Sendoukia down to Karia. Too overgrown. All the bulldozer damage down in Cyperisi was for nothing really too. It’s growing over again. So what was the point of destroying the path?
Nearly finished the rewrite. It’s taken a while and I still won’t have time to add maps, as I’d wanted.
WORK IN PROGRESS
After planning to get the majority of the updates in place over the Christmas period, due to computer incompatibility problems, it wasn’t possible. I’ve been back 2 weeks and had further computer problems which I think are now resolved. It’s alarming just how many changes have taken place since the last publication: the old brick kiln has gone, a huge bulldozed road nearly to the lighthouse in Glossa has annihilated the track, other paths have just disappeared. For years I would walk around the island, going back time and time again and finding the paths still open. It’s a totally different story now. If I don’t go out with my clippers on a regular basis, in just six months, you wouldn’t even know a path had existed in some places.
I have a meeting with the forestry people tomorrow and hope they will remove all the fallen trees below Ag Reginos in Pirgos so that the calderimi can once again be used.
WHERE IS IT?
Sifting through some old photos, I had the idea of every month offering a free hike to locals or a half price one to tourists, who can correctly identify the location of the image. So, where is it?
Yesterday I went out to inspect the trail from Anania hill down to Kyperisi then went on Ag Reginos, Pirgos. The Kyperisi track was extremely overgrown. At the entrance was a pile of logs where a family of gungy-eyed cats were living. There must have been 20 odd discarded, empty cat food tins lying around. We gave up before long due to lack of time. Next week.
Beforehand, we’d taken the forest route to the left of Chestnut Tree junction. This was only just passable, with fallen trees everywhere. At Ag Reginos, the track entrance had completely disappeared. Just couldn’t find it. Scrambling down the bank, I could just about find it further down but there were fallen trees everywhere. We gave up.
These track must have been open 15-20 years ago for me to have found them in the first place and they continued to be open when I revisited them over the years. But something has happened over the last 7 or so years for them to have fallen into such a state.
The Ag Reginos route is on the new council’s list of The Ten Routes to be cleared within 100 days of office. Let’s hope it happens.
Gilili
From the spring area, along the stream-bed and up the calderimi to the asphalt, the route has now been cleared. It took two of us only 5 hours. There were two small fences obstructing the scream-bed and two large ones across the calderimi . Three were taken down and the owner of the other has promised to take his down tomorrow. Time to celebrate!
Mili Village to Ag Marina
This is how the trail from Mili Village up to the entrance road to the Rolex house looks. Hasn’t looked this good in years! It just needs the patter of feet to keep it clear.
Path Clearance – image 54
I’m pleased to say that the route, which includes calderemi, from Xeropigathi, Kambos up to Polimistria church, Rachis, has been cleared and signed. There’s an interruption about 3/4 of the way up where a dirt lane has been buldozed across the path, exasperated by the fact that the local water company damaged the exit. There used to be a huge bolder on the road. This has been pushed over the side, together with piles of rocks and soil, right onto the exit. It’s a bit of a scramble but is now passable. One has to turn left, walk up the dirt lane a few meters and the path resumes up on the right. Enjoy!