Around the Pelion

We are currently enjoying another free night in Greece, in the pretty little village of Horefto, on the Aegean Sea (N39.451769 E23.123732). This coastline/area is classed as the Greek Tuscany – lush countryside, excellent beaches, and character-packed villages.
Our spot for the day on the beach and Sonny, the motorhome parked up in the background for the night!

We have heard on the news that parts of Europe are experiencing their highest temperatures in over a decade, notably southern Spain, Sicily, Rome, and around Athens.  So, it was time to get out of Athens and head north!  Initially when we entered Greece we hadn't planned to come this far south given that we only have 3 weeks here, but we are so glad we did!

The morning we were leaving Athens we were woken at 7.30am by a tow truck at the side of Sonny.  We had been parked next to a Brit motorhome for 2 days. They had left it parked up and had taken the ferry to Crete for a few days and had returned early this morning.  They had taken the motorhome keys with them plus the spare key and had had them all stolen - what a nightmare for them!  They had arranged to have some more sent out to a Fiat garage in Athens but it was going to take 5 days - fortunately, their insurance company were footing the bill and for them to stay in a hotel for 5 nights in Athens – so it wasn’t all bad!  So, Greece’s version of the AA turned up to tow it away to the garage.

We thought we were having some bad luck lately, with another thing breaking on poor old Sonny – this time the toilet!  Mel has super glued the part together and ordered another piece for our daughter/boyfriend to bring out to Bulgaria and we will collect it off them when we meet up with them in a couple of weeks.  It has made us realise we need to treat him more gently if he is is to last the trip!

Leaving Athens we travelled 230 miles, the longest we have travelled in one day since leaving England.  It was air conditioning all the way as temperatures soared to near 40°C.  We took part motorways, but the trouble in Greece is that they are owned by about 6 different companies and prices vary.  At one point we paid €9.50 for only going 30kms, so we came off swiftly and went cross country.

Interestingly some motorbikes/scooters seem to ignore the law and don’t bother wearing helmets and this was on the motorway – what an idiot!

We had planned to stop the night at Thermopyles – the place of the Battle of Thermopylae in 780 BC between the Spartans and the Persions but it wasn’t very nice and right next to a thermal spring that stunk of sulphur!

Battle of Thermopylae monument

So we moved on and stopped the night at Nea Anchialos beside a little fishing marina (N39.27649 E22.82088) on the Pagasetic Gulf.

Little bar next to the marina

Greece, like a lot of European countries has a lot of graffiti but in this town it looks like they try and be a bit creative - Greece's version of Banksy maybe? Not sure who the first 2 are, think the footballer might be David Beckham, then its Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.

A lone fisherman sets out in his ‘old’ fishing boat at 7.30pm – we heard him return at about 5.30am the next morning with his catch!

Before setting off from Nea Anchialos we decided to do some hand washing.  There are taps all around the marina that are not locked (most marinas lock their taps and use is only for the boats) so we made use of the ‘free’ water, which was hot (30°+) as the pipes above ground are plastic!

From here we headed to Vólos, a sprawling modern city and major port on the Pagasetic Gulf. It has a pretty harbour and sea front, that sits at the foot of Mount Pílio.

Myth has it that this is where Jason and the Argonauts set sail in the Argo on their quest for the Golden Fleece.

A reconstruction of the Argo

Volos waterfront looking towards the Pelion foothills

Leaving Vólos we went a couple of kilometres around the coast to Kalá Nerá (N39.307761 E23.112424) where we parked up for the night next to a Belgium camper van and Slovenian motorhome.

Sonny, the motorhome's spot for the night

A short walk through a pretty olive grove takes you into the town, where we enjoyed a cool beer and watched the sun go down.

This morning we took the road around the Pílio Mountains – it was a slow drive as it snakes its way around with hairpin bends, zigzag roads, and twists and turns all the way.  But it was a beautiful drive although ‘bottom clenching’ at times, with sheer drops and no safety barriers.

Miliés – where a 60km narrow-gauge railway used to run between here and Vólos until 1971

We have spent the afternoon on the beach and mostly in the sea to keep cool and then this evening walked into the village, where they were having an historic celebration, with pictures, music and dance.  It was all in Greek but we think it had something to do with apples, for which it is renowned for around here and up the road in Zagori

We move on tomorrow further around the mountains to Zagorá and Makrynítsa, before heading towards Mount Olympus - fingers crossed it will be a little cooler!

Sally x