Week 3

Monday 14 May

Parga to Katouma (Lefkada)
7 hours 14.1 Av. 99 kms Total 803 kms

Got op early at 06:00 and were on the road by 07:30. The day started out nice and cool with mist on the hill tops and over the sea. The first climb of 10 kms went very well and we took a break near the top for coffee at this small village.
The views were very nice with beautiful wooded hills on one side and the sea far below on the other.
We continued on to the junction with E55 turned right and headed south, and the views just kept getting better. Every time we saw something nice, we started to think of our camera, it's still sitting heavy on our minds, there were so many pictures on it. There are a couple of pictures of this road from my first ever tour of 2005.    
After a while we had a real nice decent to Riza were we stopped to get some supplies, a few cheese and spinach pies, water and some drinks.
The following climb to Loutsa forest was the same as the first but now that it was getting warmer and it felt more tiring. There were many drivers that waved and beeped at us which gave us more encouragement.
When we started the third climb and longest of the day, it was midday, and much warmer, and even though the grade was less than the first two, it felt much harder, it seemed to drag on and on.
When we finally left the hills it was pretty hot and on the long road to Preveza we tried for three campsites but they were empty and looked like real dumps so we continued on to Lefkada.
At the tunnel in Preveza we had to wait for about 10 min. for this small pickup truck to come and help carry the bikes across, it was true than what they said back in 2005 :-)   But it would still be nice to post this info. on the side of the road for other travelers.
We continued on the direction of Lefkada were we had to get over this small (but very difficult in the midday sun) hill to Ag.Nikolaos. At Lefkada we asked around for a campsite and found out that there is one a few kms south at Katouna. Oh I should mention, don't ask the police, they don't know lol.
The camping at Katouna was basic, but very clean and cheap compared to Parga and Italy.
All in all it was a difficult but nice ride, it was great to get away from Parga and just ride to get our minds off of what had happened.

 
1- This picture was taken from the road, on top of Loutsa forest.
2- This picture shows the route we took from Preveza to Lefkada.

Tuesday 15 May

Katouna to Vasiliki (Lefkada)
2 hours 40 min. 12.4 Av. 34 kms Total 837 kms

We got up at 07:00 and were on the road by 08:30. We knew it was going to be a short day so we took our time with everything.
The road was nice and winding along very nice little villages, BUT it was really built up for tourism with hundreds of hotels and B&B's all over the place. It was already crowded in the town centers, we couldn't imagine how it would be in high season. Also there were a few bad drivers who were not so kind on this island, we had a couple close calls.
After Vlycho, we started this climb not so difficult but there wasn't any wind and it was midday now and very hot.
But the views had made up for it as they were nothing less than spectacular, all the way up over and down this hill. At some points on top we could see the islands of Kefalonia and Ithaki with the very blue sea in between, it was truly breathtaking.
Vasiliki is a very nice little town which we liked very much, very nice people.
The camping also was very nice, very clean and cheap. While heading into the village center for some kebabs for diner we met this German couple on the beach who were kayaking and free camping around the islands here, at first we thought it was a great idea but than thought it would not be so nice, difficult to get re supplied and there wouldn't be much shade from the sun out there ;-)
Late night we heard this rock concert going on and thought of going but we knew it would be late and we wanted to catch the 08:30 ferry to Fiskardo, Kefalonia the next morning.
Lefkada is a must see island and we plan on returning (for a round the island tour) in the future.

   
1- This picture shows the coastline south of Lefkada town. You could just make out the coastal road we took (middle right of picture).
2- This picture shows Nydri town with some islands just off the coast. We rode from left to right. Now you see why we plan a return trip. One of those islands is Skorpios and belong to the Onasis family.
3- This picture shows the village of Vasiliki. It's fairly new as it was totally destroyed by an earthquake a few years ago. We came riding in from the left of the picture.

Wednesday 16 May

Vasiliki to Sami (Kefalonia)
3 hours 10 min. 13 Av. 41 kms Total 878 kms

Woke up at 07:30 got ready quickly went into the village bakery for some cheese and spinach pies, bought our tickets and were on the boat by 08:30. On the small ferry we met this English couple that were working as English teachers in Greece, they also did some touring in the past but for personal reasons had to stop.
We told them of what had happened to us in Parga and they said it wasn't the first time and we were lucky they didn't ruin our tent, because some thieves like to use razors as not to make much noise. So I guess we were lucky for that.
The boat ride didn't take long, about an hour and ten minutes and we were in Fiskardo.
Fiskardo is one of the nicest places we have every visited. We were first here about 15 years ago and stayed for about two weeks. This place has not changed, it is still as beautiful as it was then.
The climbing started as soon as we left Fiskardo, the grade was nice but it kept going up and up. We rode through some of the most beautiful landscape, all green with many cypress trees doted all over the place.
We stopped at this village for a coffee and the usual looks from the villagers, apparently not many touring cyclists come this way. They were more interested at our bikes and the way they were loaded, there are a few cyclists here, mostly foreigners, but none with loaded bikes.
As we kept climbing the views kept on getting better and around every bend we were treated to more spectacular vistas.
The roads were very good and the place was very clean, there was hardly any garbage on the side of the roads that we were so accustomed to seeing.
The climbing continued through winding roads along some very high cliffs, and it toped off near Assos, we could see the village far below. Soon afterwards we passed by one of the most popular beaches in Kefalonia, Myrtos beach. We went down there when we were by car but with the loaded bikes it would have been very difficult indeed.
At Divarata we turned inland and started the very long decent to Agaia Efimia. The road at first was very good but when we got near the village we had a couple of close calls as the road got real bad real fast, too fast to stop, and that woke us up from our day dream real quick LOL.
We stopped at Agaia Efimia just long enough for a quick cheese pie and continued along the coast to Sami. This road was very nice and the views were great, it was just a very nice ride along a winding road next to the see.
The campground in Sami was easy to find, very good, very clean, very cheap and at this time of year very empty, which was also very nice. After setting up our tent we saw this German couple that we had met a couple of days ago in Katouna and we had a nice chat again. They were hiking through Greece but because of the difficulty of finding transportation at times, they were very interested in cycle touring, so we gave them our card. Later on while buying our tickets to Patra we met again in the center of Sami and had diner together.
All in all this had been a fantastic ride and would highly recommend to anyone cycling near here.
I should also mention this is where we started to think of a future island hoping tour of Corfu, Lefkada, Zakinthos and Kythira, sometime in the future.

           
1- This picture is taken as you come into port in Fiskardo.
2- This is an aerial view of Fiskardo, we took the road heading towards the bottom of the picture.
3- Assos village is pictured below with the road we took high on the far hill. We rode from left to right.
4- From the same road looking back at the small peninsula of Assos in the distance. The road we took can be seen top right of picture.
5-Myrtos beach as seen from the road above, if you're ever in Kefalonia you've got to go down there for a swim.
We went down there on our first visit, but with loaded bikes you can see why we skipped this time ;-)
6- The village of Agaia Efimia as seen from the long downhill coming from Divarata. At the village we turned right and followed the coast.
7- The port of Sami, we came in from the right, the camping is also to the right as you come into the town.

Thursday 17 May

Sami to Kato Alisos
2 hours 14.6 Av. 28 kms Total 906 kms

We got up with enough time to be at the port for the 08:30 departure of our ferry to Patra. On the way we stopped at this bakery to get some supplies because all prices on all ferry boats are double to triple from other places.
The ride to Patra was short 2 hours and 45 min. and when we got there what a madhouse we found, cars, trucks and scooters everywhere. The pollution was also very bad, coming from the islands to this was a real shock.
We made our way in the opposite direction for a couple kms to find the cemetery were my dad is buried and stopped there for a while to light a candle. It is always a very emotional time for me when I visit this place.
When we were done we had to cycle back the same way we came through the center of town and port, we got on and followed the old national road heading west. Patra and the western part of this city is to be avoided at all costs, we would not recommend cycling through here, and the only reason we come is to visit my dads resting place.
The roads are very poor to say the least, there is no shoulder and some pretty huge trucks doing some speed are along this road, it was a very worrying ride.
Soon after the (head) wind picked up and some dark clouds moved in so we decided to stop at Kato Alisos for the night, the next camping was about 50kms down the road.
The camping here is very bad but cheap at 11 euro, to be honest they should have charged even less. It even belonged to the Sunshine club of Greece, we really don't know what if any criteria a campground has to meet to join this club.
Most likely just cash. so be wary of the Sunshine club sign in front of any camping, check it out first if there is a choice.
Anyway it was the right decision to stop here because as soon as we cleaned up the rain came down and quite hard.

This is a very nice picture of Patra viewed from far away, most likely taken on a winter day as there is no pollution to be seen. Probably the best time to visit LOL

Friday 18 May

Kato Alisos to Kourouta
3 hours 45 min. 16.5 Av. 62 kms Total 969 kms

Got up at around 07:00 got ready to go but it started to rain again so we decided to waited it out and left around 10:00.
The E55 (bikes allowed) is busy but very safe with a very wide shoulder or emergency lane that the Greek drivers use for an extra lane anyway LOL. But they did give us plenty of space when passing so we can't really complain.
The road after Kato Alisos (E55) is very good and fast but it can get a bit boring as it's straight and seems to go on and on.
We wanted to cycle a bit further today but we started late and pushed hard against the wind so we decided to stop at Kourouta beach camping. We had come here twice before 20 and 15 year ago camping the first and checked into a hotel the second. We were very pleased to see it hadn't changed after all these years and it was still a very nice place.
A nice camping good prices, but the only down point was the showers, very poor state.
After setting up our tent (on grass again) next to the tavern we rode to Amaliada for some money and diner and when we went back to camp we noticed all these nasty looking clouds had surrounded us. Looking south we saw this huge cloud I think they call them super cells, as they are very high and flat on top, and under it we could see some serious lightning.
We asked around and found out it was over Kyparisia. Soon more clouds moved over the North and slowly were creeping in from the West. I went over to the tavern and got some house wine in empty water bottles and we sat on the beach watching the sunset and checked out the light show from all the lightning all around us it was very nice.
A couple of hours later it started to rain so we retired to the tent.
I could not find any pictures for this part of our tour but here is a link to the campsite below.
www.campingkourouta-bangalows.gr

Saturday 19 May

Kourouta to Giannitsochori
4 hours 30 min. 15.6 Av. 70 kms Total 1039 kms

The ride today was pretty well boring at first. We rode along the E55, again very straight road with a bit of traffic but had a wide shoulder and the only problem was the noise.
We stopped at Pirgos for some supplies, it's a busy little city, very noisy and not very charming. We continued on the E55 and soon afterwards the scenery got much better. We started riding through a pine forest and the smell of the sea mixed with the pine scent was just fantastic. Shame we could not bottle it.
The terrain was starting to get a bit hilly now. When we reached Zacharo we stopped to get more supplies, again not very a very charming place even on a Saturday.
It was getting hot by now and about 10 kms after Zaxaro we decided to look for a camping. After asking some locals we were pointed to Apollon beach camping. We cycled through some very rural farmland to find the camping. It was very basic but cheap and next to one of the most beautiful beaches in Peloponisos. I should also mention Giannitsochori is a very small rural village, besides the local market and the village tavern there is nothing else there.
That night it rained quite a bit and had to get out and check for flooding but all was well.
All in all a good days ride. Again I couldn't find any pictures of this day.

Sunday 20 May

Giannitsochori to Finikounda
6 hours 15 min. 14.9 Av. 93 kms Total 1132

The plan today was to ride to Pilos but being Sunday and very little traffic we decided to push on a bit further and see where we end up. And what a day it turned out to be.
We got on the very quiet and peaceful E55 and started south. After about 15 kms we rode into Kiparissia and what a beautiful town this is, (one can tell even on a quiet Sunday morning) when a place is nice. On one side there is a huge mountain and the other the crystal clear sea, this also means that if it rains anywhere along this coast it would be here.
The roads were good and everything was clean (meaning no garbage laying around). The locals around here seem to really take care of their town. We stopped here for breakfast before getting back on the E55 heading south.
At Filiatra we got off the E55 and followed the coastal road to Pilos and for the next 30 kms we were treated to a very beautiful landscape with pine and olive trees. Now if anyone is riding in this area they have got to ride along this road, it winds around olive groves and along little seaside villages and sandy beaches, it's just a very beautiful ride that would not disappoint. At Petroxori we did some climbing and after coming around this one hill we were treaded to some very nice vistas of a bay with the island of Sfaktiria on the right and Pilos in the distance.
It was midday now and getting very warm and upon reaching Pilos we stopped to get some supplies and ask about the camping's here, according to our map there are three here but we wanted to continue.
After Pilos we started a 7 kms climb (on the E55) over this ridge, and than had a nice 10 kms decent towards Methoni.
We were tired by now and very hot so we rode past Methoni and headed over a couple more hills towards Finikounda were we knew from our map that there were at least four camping's.
The landscape around here is more windswept and not many trees. The road is very good with a wide shoulder and the last kms to Finikounda went by quick.
We checked out a couple of camping's and settled for camping Thines (meaning dunes). Now this camping was the best of the tour, very clean, next to a very beautiful beach, 10 min. walk from the village of Finikounda, free internet, cheap beer, reasonably priced and super friendly owners. Needless to say if you're looking for a camping in this area Thines is the place to go, we highly recommend this camping.

   
1- Finikounda, from the East towards West.
2-Taken from the hill in the first picture towards the South East.
3- Again taken from the hill facing towards the East.