Week 4 of our 2023 travels and we are finally in Greece. Hopefully, we can slow things down and spend more time actually exploring rather than just travelling. This week we are in Northern Greece and exploring the area from Agathoupoli to Portaria.
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The Detail:
Distance Covered: 262 miles
Financial: Fuel £117; LPG £22; Groceries £65; Alcohol £9; Laundry £13; Entrance Fees £7; Total £233
Stopovers: Agathoupoli; Litochoro [2 nights]; Leptokarya; Sykourio; Portaria [2 nights]
Although we have visited some of the Greek Islands in the past, back when we took normal holidays, we have never been to mainland Greece.
I’d never given it much thought before so hadn’t realised that Greece is essentially a mountainous country, with around 80% of the area being mountains of various heights. As it is still technically winter here, there is still some ice and snow around. Especially the higher up you go. Main routes are kept clear, but some of the minor roads aren’t, as we found out.
Asprovalta to Nea Agathoupoli
We had a somewhat slow start to the day and the week. Guess all the driving has caught up with us.
For our first morning in Greece, we were treated to a lovely morning, bright sunshine but a little chilly.
We stopped for lunch on the banks of Limni Volvi at Madytos Lakeside Grove. A large lake, well known for watersports during the season.
Absolutely beautiful spot with the lake framed by the forested hills behind. A couple of fishermen were unloading their catch when we arrived.
The area had probably been a site for watersports in the past, with toilets and what looked like a taverna. Quite run down now and obviously not been used for some time. Possibly because a new road has been built on the opposite side of the lake so taking most of the passing traffic away. Just for context, the lake was fairly large, being over 20 km long.
After lunch, a long (ish) drive to our chosen stopover. Got stung for tolls again. €5.50 for less than 1 km on the toll road.
Stopped at the Birdwatching Tower at the Wetland of Nea Agathoupoli. Very quiet location.
Walked Zeus after dinner. Did a loop up a cycle track through the wetlands and back via the access road.
Walking out there was evidence of wild boar. Coming back down the road Zeus stopped and stared into the scrub at the side of the road. After a few moments, there was a snort and something quite large moved. Guess it was a Wild Boar. Zeus was definitely up for chasing it and started barking. Needless to say, I persuaded him to move on quickly. Whatever it was kept pace with us for a short while through the undergrowth before moving away from the road.
A little further on and Zeus startled something else large on the other side of the road. I suspect it was another boar by the noise it made as it ran through the wetlands. Time to get back to the motorhome asap!
Nea Agathoupoli to Litochoro
Laundry day. Unfortunately, we have to take care of the practical things too.
Took Zeus for a walk back around the same route as last night before we hit the road. If there was any doubt what we encountered last night was a wild boar it was blindingly obvious in daylight that there was no way it could have been a domestic animal. Also found fresh prints in the area.
Drove to Paralia to use the launderette in the town. So glad it is out of season. The town was very quiet, thankfully, so it was easy to stop outside and then move round the corner to park.
It was very obvious that this is a tourist destination. So many hotels crammed along the front, and for several roads back too. The main street has so many shops, restaurants, and takeaways aimed at the tourist market. Mostly closed at this time of year, but I can imagine in a few months’ time it will be heaving.
The harbour area where we parked up for lunch was quite pleasant, with some better-class establishments nearby.
On parking, we almost immediately attracted about half a dozen stray dogs. All seemed reasonably well fed and they didn’t really bother us, but they were clearly hoping for a few scraps.
We had a couple of choices for where to go for the night. Dion, where there are a number of archeological sites, or Litochoro, from where there is good access to the Mount Olympus range of mountains.
In the end, we opted for Litochoro because the temperature was dropping to about -10 in Dion, but was only just below freezing there. Seemed a little bit strange as they are only a few kilometres apart. Guess it is something to do with the cold air coming off the mountains.
Parking in Litochoro is in a car park next to the tennis club. Flat and level asphalt, with bins and a water tap. The town itself is quite sweet. Nothing special, but clean and tidy with a good range of shops and restaurants. It too relies heavily on tourism, but it doesn’t have that tacky feel of so many other places.
Some evidence of processionary caterpillars in the trees nearby so will have to be vigilant when walking Zeus. Also, there are a number of loose dogs not far away. Not strays as they are too well-fed, but maybe community dogs?
There is a military camp very close by. We were serenaded by heavy gunfire while we ate our supper. Hopefully, it won’t continue too late.
Had our first takeaway tonight. Pork Gyros. Essential what we think of as a Donner kebab. Chunks of meat on a skewer on a rotating vertical grill. Served on (not in) a soft pitta with sauces and a few chips. The feta cheese sauce was particularly yummy. Delicious, and only €3 each.
At 11.30pm we heard The Last Post being played at the military base.
Our second day in Litochoro was a day of rest.
We had a lazy morning before walking up to Zeus’ Bath Tub.
This is essentially a waterfall of the Enipeas River where legend has it that Zeus was looking for such hidden places to enjoy with his lovers out of reach of his wife Hera.
The place is accessed via a walk along the top of the Levada which supplies the town with drinking water. It’s pretty easy walking, mostly level and although there are sheer drops into the canyon there is a sturdy guard rail along most of the route.
Purchased a couple of Greek sweets to try. Basically, filo pastry stuffed with pistachio and drenched in honey. Incredibly sweet but delicious.
Heard The Last Post being played again at 11.30pm. Lovely end to the day.
Litochoro to Leptokarya
The plan for the morning was to visit the Old Holy Monastery of Saint Dionysios. A drive of about 15 km into the mountains.
It all started fairly easily. A decent road, quite steep and winding, but in good condition, dry and clear of any ice or snow.
As we climbed we started to see a few patches of very light snow at the edge of the road. The higher we went the worse it got. Decision made. Find somewhere to turn around and call it a day.
Continued on, knowing that there was a viewpoint and refuge not too far ahead where we hoped we could turn round. The road conditions were getting worse and worse. Finally, I could go no further. Wheels were no longer getting any traction and it was too dangerous to try and go forward.
Too narrow to turn around, and not possible to go forwards. No options left. I would have to reverse back until I could find somewhere to turn around. Reversing 1.4 km down a steep mountain road, covered in ice and snow, round hairpin bends, is absolutely terrifying.
The slowest drive of my life but probably the most memorable. Eventually, I got to a wider part of the road which was partially free from ice and snow. After a 24-point turn, we were heading in the right direction again.
Plan B. Drove to Dion and visited the archaeological site there. Absolutely huge, and totally fascinating. We could have spent much longer there, but unfortunately, they closed at 3 pm so we had to go. Shame as there was still so much more to see.
Finished up at Olympian Bay Beach, near Leptokarya. Parked almost on the water’s edge, with the Olympus mountains behind us. Absolutely lovely location, and the only ones there, so only the sound of the waves to lull us to sleep tonight.
Leptokarya to Sykourio
Whilst where we were parked on the beach was a lovely location with the Aegean Sea in front and the Olympus mountains behind there were a couple of things which let it down
Firstly the rubbish. The bins were full to overflowing. In addition to this, the beach was covered in driftwood. I’m sure that it will be sorted before the season begins but as of right now, it doesn’t look great.
Secondly, the area just back from the sand had some kind of little plant growing all over it which produces little thorny seed pods. Quite vicious little things which got everywhere. Zeus hated walking on them and had to stop every few seconds to pull another one out of his paws.
The first stop planned for today was the Byzantine Castle of Platamon. We initially stopped at a small car park on the beach under the castle, but this was a bit of a trek to get there. So we moved on to the car park specifically for the castle.
However, there was broken glass all over the place and evidence that people’s vehicles had been broken into. We, therefore, took a few pictures and moved on. We didn’t feel comfortable leaving the motorhome there unattended.
Next up we drove up to a pretty little village called Palaios Panteleimonas. Very much a tourist destination, and the base point for many hiking routes. Absolutely gorgeous place, and thankfully the road up was clear.
However, as we were walking around there were several loose dogs. That in itself wouldn’t be too bad but unfortunately, they wouldn’t leave us alone. Zeus isn’t always great with strange dogs so we never know how he’s going to react.
Many of the dogs we have come across in Greece appear to belong to someone. However, they don’t seem to let them into their homes. Instead, they seem to be left to roam wherever they like. Or maybe they are community dogs, where many people will leave food out for them.
Because of the dogs stressing both Zeus and I we decided to move on once again.
One nice thing we have seen in many places is the availability of drinking water fountains. These are often fed by mountain streams. We stopped at one such fountain on our way back down to refill our water bottles.
Lunch was at Neoi Poroi. Another small seaside tourist town, currently closed for the winter. As there really wasn’t anything we wanted to do there we literally had a bite to eat and moved on.
We finished the day at a small reservoir in the hills above a little village called Sykourio. Could be a lovely spot, but currently spoilt by rubbish and debris from BBQs and fires.
Sykourio to Portaria
Actually turned out to be quite a peaceful night. A few dogs barked early on and one or two cars came and went but overall we got a decent night’s rest.
Our chosen destination today was a small mountain village called Makrinitsa. After doing a little research we decided to go to Portaria to park as it’s not too far to walk from there.
When we got to Portaria we tried to find somewhere to park but without success. Reminiscent of the mountain villages in Spain when we tried to visit one weekend. You would think that I might have learned, don’t visit these kinds of places on the weekend!
JCBs were busy trying to clear parking spaces along the roadside and in the car parks as we drove past. We ended up driving almost into Makrinitsa before finding somewhere to turn around. There was a police car pulled in there and they kindly moved to give us space when Carol said what we wanted to do.
We were about to give up and move on, but as we drove back to Portaria we found a space and were able to park up.
They had had a lot of snow over the last week. There were more than 12 inches laying on the cars which hadn’t moved for a few days. Piles of ice and snow along the roadside over three feet deep, burying the safety barrier and narrowing the road.
The temperature has obviously gone up a degree or two as the snow is now starting to melt. Falling off the trees in great clumps.
We passed a chap digging his car out of a snow drift. I made a passing comment that he might be there a while, not really expecting a reply. Turns out that he was originally from New England and we ended up having quite a conversation. I think he was glad for a break from shoveling snow.
By the time we had walked the 2km or so to the village there was traffic chaos. The chap we had just spoken to likened the village to a lobster pot. Easy enough to get into, but almost impossible to get out again. So glad we turned around when we did.
Makrinitsa is a very picturesque village climbing the slopes of the mountain. Picture perfect with stunning views over Volos and the Pegasetic Gulf.
Of course, that means that it is a destination for locals and tourists alike. And with that comes the shops and businesses which vie for the tourist Euro.
Narrow cobbled streets wind up the mountainside. Great plazas with breathtaking views. Gift shops selling medicinal herbs, preserved fruits, and pasta alongside the usual tacky tourist tat. Restaurants, cafés, and tavernas all offering “traditional Greek food”, often at inflated prices.
But hey, for all that it’s a beautiful village in a stunning location. Made all the more picture-perfect in its deep coat of white snow, looking like something from a Christmas Card.
By the time we had walked around the village and started making our way back again, there were cars everywhere. Double and triple parked in places. Made worse by coaches bringing dozens more people up the mountain roads. Without really having anywhere suitable to park and only just enough room to turn around. I can only imagine what sort of chaos there might be on a sunny summer’s day.
Carol wanted to rest when we returned, so I decided to have a quick recce around Portaria. There is a trail starting close to where we were parked called the Centaurs Path. Supposedly a 30-minute walk to a natural spring. However, the path is covered in about 3 feet of snow, in places compacted to solid ice about 1 foot thick. Don’t think we are going to be able to walk it.
The town of Portaria itself is quite nice. Not quite as picturesque as Makrinitsa, but clearly also trying to make a few Euros off the back of its idyllic neighbour. Traffic was at a standstill here too. Literally, nothing was moving. Caused by coaches trying to come up the winding mountain road.
Just a side note: it seems that most shops are closed on Sundays in Greece, including the supermarkets. No so in these two villages – most places were open.
On our second day in Portaria, we had a very lazy day. Didn’t really do much at all.
We still couldn’t get along the Centaurs Path. The outside temperature was -7 when I woke up so the snow hadn’t melted at all overnight.
Just had a wander around the town. Stupidly busy again. Took about 2 hours to just get a short distance, what with playing dodge the cars, people, cats, and dogs. Pavements are a premium item in Greece it seems.
Tried to see if there was anything else we particularly wanted to see in this area, but doesn’t seem to be much so we’ll head toward Athens tomorrow. It’s still about a 5 hour drive from here. Probably take a couple of days at least to get there.
Some menu highlights from this week
Click on the picture for further information. If you would like recipes or further information let me know in the comments
And that was week 4 of our current adventure. We’ve had some very memorable times already, sometimes for the wrong reasons. We have seen some beautiful places, despite the ice and snow, and cold temperatures.
As before, There is so much more we saw and did that I haven’t included here – you’ll just have to go see it for yourself!
I haven’t gone into great detail about anything in particular in this post, so if you would like me to expand on anything please leave a comment and I will endeavor to write another separate post on the topic.
Happy Motorhoming.
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