PALOUKI

 Had a super hike to the sumit of Palouki this morning. Wanted to see what work the council had done. Well, with a bob-cat, they have made a path all the way from the water tank/goat station on the dirt road to Ag Anna/Taxiarcon to the sumit. In some places you will need clamp-ons. The bob-cat has dislodged bolders that could have been used as foot-holds and straightened out meadering portions  so it's a very strenuous slog to the top in places but at least, easy to find. I hope they are going to do something with the surface as with the first rain, the whole track will be washed out.  We returned via the second trig and then took a very goaty track down to the lower mast road., at the end of which, I had parked the car. The whole hike, including sandwich stop, took just about four hours.

Back on the Rock

It's the hiking season again but I can't get back to Skopelos from UK until Wednesday 14th. The first hike will be to Panormos Bay on Thursday morning!!! at 9.30 outside the bakery/cafe opposite the car park/junction, next to Motor Tours. Just turn up if you fancy joining us. E20 per person, around 4 hours duration, time for a dip/refreshments at Panormos beach before returning by bus.
On Saturday 17th, 12 noon, Baramares Cafe (sit near the kiosk) I'll be having a drink and chat with a few folk about hikes for the coming week. If interested, just turn up- it will be lovely to meet you.
Heather

The spring hiking season went on much longer than usual due to the cooler weather, the last one taking place on 29 June. I met some wonderful people from all over the world. If you were one of them, thank you very much for walking with me; it was a pleasure to have met you.

Swallowtail butterfly - Papilionidae

Eastern Monpellier

Spotted this handsome fella near Sotiros monastery yesterday.

PATH CLEARING PLATANAKIA, ELIOS TO AG REGINOS, PIRGOS

Here are some lovely images of students and staff from the Georgia Perimeter College, USA in association with the Sporades Islands Preservation Foundation. There is still a lot of work to do, but we certainly made a dent. Very many thanks guys. You're great!

KERAMOTO, GLOSSA

 If you get the opportunity, please do this short walk down to the beach via Keramoto. It's cobbled all the way down to the little harbour. I'd been told the route was closed and so decided to take a look for myself. It wasn't.  You have to cross over the stream twice. The first one is rather smelly. It takes less than an hour to get to the sea. Just one place is a little overgrown but it is just stunning. The steam was in full flow yesterday and the walk down extemely pleasant, although it's quite a slog back up.

WALKS AND FLOWERS

Carried out my first walk with a couple from Germany on Saturday. He had some expensive photographic kit with him so I asked him to get some shots of the bee-eaters that were flying around overhead. I took them on the Petrovrissi hike and was shocked to see how overgrown the track has become beyond the pile of sand at the end of the dirt road. There was also the remains of a dead goat there!
On Sunday I took a very long investigative hike on Palouki hill. I found the old way through to Palouki (via the goat station and The Cross). All very overgrown and I'm glad I took it out of this edition of the book. If it.were cleared, one could walk practically all the way there by track. I was also trying to find a way through to Mili from the end of the Lower Mast Road. After 3 attempts, gave up... this time. What I did find (after a tip off) however was a couple of Violet Bird's Nest Orchids, in the strangest place, just beside the road.
Yesterday was the first Coast to Coast hike. I had 5 people and it was a great day out, ending at Asterias, Panormos with mixed mezzie plates. On the way we saw amongst other things, a variety of orchids, include the white bee orchid, Heart-Flowered Serapias and Tongue plus a leopard snake.  One point to note, page 57 image 110. Don't follow the good path off to the right and up (after you enter the olive grove). Keep left, almost paralel with the gully (down on your left). The next time I do this hike, I'll put up another sign.

purple bird's nest orchid

Calderimi - Ag Reginos, Pirgos to Platanakia, Elios

Today I showed a new friend the above stretch of calderimi. He is Greek but not from here. He's from Crete. The way is as bad as it gets; totally overgrown with rock rose, sage etc. plus trees upright and ones that have fallen across the path.  He's volunteered to start clearing it, starting at the bottom. Whenever he has a couple of hours to spare, he will go there.
At the end of the month, students from the Georgia Perimeter College, USA will be arriving to give a helping hand.  Whether we'll get the entire segment open remains to be seen.
So where is the forestry department I ask? Playing backgammon of course...

ORCHIDS IN APRIL

Sombre Bee - Ophrys fusca

Yellow Bee Orchid - Ophrys lutea

SKOPELOS TRAILS 3RD EDITION

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?

Pounda Bulldozer damage

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!

SKOPELOS TRAILS 3RD EDITION

The draft was delivered to the formatter yesterday! Thank goodness! I should get it back in a week to do last minute tweeks. It will then be away to the printer and they have promised it back in speedy time. Thanks to all of you for waiting. I'll let you know when it's in my hands.

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.