Walking and Trekking on Corfu. Gillian Price
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British, is especially refreshing after a walk: freshly squeezed orange juice is another contender. Portokalada is orangeade and lemonada the lemon equivalent.
Red, white and rosé wines are available, many home grown or hailing from other regions of Greece. Kumquacello is a bright orange sweetish liquor made with the rind of kumquats. This tiny citrus fruit, resembling a smaller version of a mandarin, was introduced to Corfu from Southeast Asia in the 1860s.
Tap water is fine to drink, unless specified otherwise. Bottled water shipped in from the mainland is always on sale.
Taverna at Agios Stefanos (Walk 7)
As in other parts of Greece, local restaurants are known as tavernas and they serve lunch and dinner. Rare is the village without a coffee shop, usually the exclusive realm of the menfolk who gather around a table to pass the time of day. Traditional Greek coffee is dense, short and sweet, made with ground coffee boiled with sugar: visitors are usually offered instant coffee or international styles in hotels and restaurants.
Be aware that tavernas, cafés and local shops tend to close between 2 or 3pm and 5.30pm, as many people take a siesta then.
What to take
Give careful thought to gear for walking. Here are some suggestions:
Lightweight walking boots are essential for the Corfu Trail as well as for routes over rough ground with loose stones. They will help avoid twisted ankles and sore feet and are safer on wet and slippery terrain. Good trainers with thick soles are fine for shorter simpler routes. Apart from Walks 18 and 20 keep sandals for the beach as they can be downright dangerous on mountain paths
a medium sized rucksack for the Corfu Trail, or a small day pack for the shorter walks
long lightweight trousers protect legs from a scratching on overgrown paths
T-shirts and shorts – remember that you’ll often be walking through villages so avoid anything too revealing
a light fleece
a whistle, headlamp or torch for attracting help in an emergency: don’t rely on your mobile phone as there is often no signal
snack food such as dried fruit, halva, muesli or sesame bars on sale in village shops
trekking poles are useful for the Corfu Trail
rain and windproof gear such as lightweight jacket, rucksack cover and over-trousers
sun protection – a hat, high factor sun cream and sunglasses
a swimming costume and a lightweight towel or sarong come in handy on those coastal walks when you want to stop for a swim; a mask and snorkel are a boon for exploring the underwater realms
lightweight plastic sandals for walking on pebble beaches
a compass for those places where waymarking is scarce and route directions need to be closely adhered to
a water bottle
a supply of tea bags or instant coffee and biscuits for a DIY breakfast
a first aid kit including insect repellent, as mosquitoes can be a pest during the summer months. Also take something to deal with wasp or other insect bites: the island’s chemists are well supplied.
On a paved stretch of the ‘Secret Path’ (Walk 5)
Maps and place names
Sketch maps are provided with each walk in this Guide. Key landmarks and as much useful detail as possible have been crammed in, dictated by limits of space and graphics. In most cases these maps, along with the route description, are sufficient for the walks. However, it is always a good idea to get hold of a larger commercial map for many reasons: they are helpful when planning your trip, put places in a wider context, help you identify points of interest, and are essential in orientation if you lose your way.
The Anavasi 1:56,000 scale map is the best for walking. It is widely available on the island as well as online from www.anavasi.gr and at bookshops in the UK. For a glossary of commonly used geographical terms on maps and signs see Appendix C.
As can be expected, place names on Corfu are in Greek script, although many have been transcribed to English characters and often translated on signs to help visitors. However, there are huge variations in spelling. The versions in this Guide are based on those on the Freytag & Berndt map. Note that Corfu Town is also referred to as Kerkyra.
Another thing to watch out for is the recurrence of identical or very similar names. A common example is Pantokrator or Pandokratoras – Christ depicted as all-embracing, ruler of the universe, The Almighty. Numerous chapels bear his name, and have often given the name to the mountain they stand on. The only true Oros Pandokratoras (Mount Pandokratoras) is the highest point on Corfu in the northeast. Others often referred to as Pantokrator for their eponymous monasteries are the Agii Deka massif between the villages of Agios Deka and Stavros, and Agios Mattheos further south.
The Pantokrator, Christ the Almighty
Agios or Ayios – pronounced ‘eye-eos’ – means ‘saint’ (the term gave rise to ‘hagiography’, the lives of the saints, in English). An immensely popular place name is Agios Georgios (Saint George). There are two beach locations with this name – one in the north and the other in the south. For the purposes of this Guide, one is referred to as Agios Georgios south and its counterpart Agios Georgios north. To confuse things more, there’s a Mount Agios Georgios on the west coast, not to mention the village of similarly spelled Agios Gordios to its south. Agios Georgios south is sometimes referred to as Agios Georgios Argyrades, and Agios Georgios north as Agios Georgios Pagi.
Spiridion is the island’s highly revered patron saint: however, curiously few places have been named after him – apart from the place where the Corfu Trail concludes.
Saint Spiridion
Spiridion was a 4th-century Cretan shepherd who took his vows on the death of his wife and went on to become a bishop. He was credited with some miracles during his lifetime. When Crete was taken over by the Arabs his body – still intact – was moved to Constantinople. In 1453 a Corfiot monk took the embalmed remains to Corfu, where they are still held in great awe today and attributed with miraculous influence. Spiridion is known as the Keeper of the City for his help in expelling both the plague and the Turks – on that occasion he appeared in a vision to the invaders, threatening them with a cross and a flaming torch.
Dos and don’ts
When out walking on Corfu keep the following points in mind:
allow plenty of extra time for wrong turns, fallen trees and mud after heavy rain: these can hamper progress
carry all your rubbish away with you
avoid treading on the nets in olive groves – they’re expensive
close all gates behind you
don’t light any fires and, if you smoke, put out cigarettes carefully as the vegetation can be as dry as tinder
carry lots of water wherever you go walking: villages do not have drinking fountains and streams are often polluted by chemicals used in agriculture; refreshment points – cafés and the like – are listed in the information box for each walk
remember that people live here: stay on the paths and don’t walk through private property
walkers on the Corfu Trail should carry a good supply of euros in cash as unlike the larger