Walking and Trekking on Corfu. Gillian Price
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the only ATMs en route are at Kavos and Paleokastritsa
don’t expect everyone to speak English: find time to learn some Greek expressions (see Appendix C). This will endear you to the Corfiots.
Avoid treading on the nets under olive trees
Emergencies
In case of emergency call:
ambulance tel 166
police tel 100.
Using this Guide
This Guide describes a selection of 22 shorter walks designed to fit into a single day. The majority are circuits with a return to the start point. They are listed under four chapters: northeast, northwest, centre and south. Each chapter begins with an introduction outlining the area’s main features, villages and transport and accommodation facilities.
The Guide then describes the Corfu Trail (CT), which has been split up into 10 stages, each corresponding to a reasonable day’s walking, and always concluding at a village where meals and accommodation can be found. Walkers with less than 10 days’ holiday can slot in or bail out at the many villages linked by bus to Corfu Town. Handy places include Potami, Agios Georgios south, Pelekas and Agios Georgios north. Otherwise one of the island’s reliable and reasonably priced taxis can be used.
Not many walking routes on Corfu are waymarked so the detailed route descriptions and maps in this guide need to be followed carefully.
Each stage for the CT and the day walks have an information box containing the following essential data:
Walk start and finish point
distance (given in kilometres)
ascent and descent: this is important information, as height gain and loss are an indication of effort required and need to be taken into account alongside difficulty and distance when planning the day
difficulty – each walk has been classified by grade, although adverse weather conditions will make any route more arduous:Grade 1 – an easy route on clear tracks and paths, suitable for beginnersGrade 2 – paths across hill and mountain terrain, with lots of ups and downs; a reasonable level of fitness is preferableGrade 3 – strenuous, entailing prolonged ascent/descent, possibly with orientation problems: experience and extra care are recommendedWalking time: this does not include time out for rests, picnics, views, photos or nature stops, so as a general rule double the walk times given when planning your day. Every walker goes at a different pace and makes an unpredictable number of stops along the way, so the ‘skeleton’ times given are a guide.
Compass bearings are abbreviated (N, S, NNW and so on). Reference landmarks and places encountered en route are in bold type. Altitudes are given in metres (m) above sea level (100m = 328ft).
Arrows are also used to mark the Corfu Trail
CORFU’S NORTHEAST
The descent path below Old Perithia (Walk 3 and Corfu Trail, Stage 10)
Life in the island’s northeast is lived in the shadow of the sprawling limestone massif of the Pandokratoras. Soaring to 911m above sea level, for the most part this is arid pasture land for wandering goats who can survive on thorny scrub. For walkers the rocky mountain means lengthy slogs across rugged terrain with little shade – but the upsides are solitude and huge views over the sparkling Ionian Sea to scattered islands and the mainland. The mountainsides slope down through dense woodland and extensive olive plantations to beautiful coastlines. To the east the sheltered coast juts out into the Straits of Corfu, mere kilometres from Albania. Thousands of escapees swam to Corfu or paddled across on tyre inner tubes in 1990, after communism in the country collapsed and its borders opened up. These days the shore is a string of enchantingly small, secluded coves with pebble beaches and inviting tavernas. It is a favourite with upmarket yachting types, which is sometimes reflected in accommodation and restaurant prices. The main coast road links Ipsos and Barbati with Kassiopi and Aharavi, and is served by buses throughout the summer months.
Walk 1 takes a stroll along the delightful coastal path that links up all the lovely bays between Kaminaki and Kerasia. Places with accommodation en route include Nissaki bay (sometimes referred to as Krouzeri beach), with apartments and a large multi-starred hotel. Kalami, on the other hand, is located a short way off the main coast road (15min on foot from the bus stop) and is a quiet place to stay. At one end of its beach stands an attractive landmark villa, The White House, former home of the writer Lawrence Durrell. Its other claim to fame is as the bay where Sir Timothy Havelock and his wife are assassinated in the Bond film For Your Eyes Only. Kalami is also the start point for Walk 2, a memorable circuit embracing both coast and mountain.
Kaminaki beach where the coastal path begins
In surprising contrast is the northern coastline, with beautiful long sandy beaches flanked by low rocky headlands culminating in Cape Agia Ekaterinis, the northernmost point of Corfu, which encloses Lake Andiniotissa, a protected nature area and haven for birds and otters. The headland is explored in Walk 4 and the long-distance Corfu Trail concludes nearby.
Not far inland – 8km due south but 420m above sea level on the mountain’s flank – is the atmospheric village of Old Perithia, reputedly a Byzantine settlement but in all probability much older. Only a handful of people call it home during summer, and they run local restaurants, cafés and a boutique B&B. The CT transits here, as does Walk 3.
Down at sea level, the sprawling township of Aharavi (also spelt ‘Acharavi’) makes a good base for the area, with plenty of shops, accommodation and year-round bus links with Corfu Town, not to mention a lovely 7km-long sandy beach. Walk 5 begins there.
WALK 1
Kaminaki to Kerasia coastal path
| Start/Finish | Kaminaki |
| Distance | 10.5km |
| Ascent/Descent | 50m/50m |
| Grade | 1–2 |
| Walking time | 3hr 30min (1hr 45min one-way) |
| Refreshments | Kaminaki, Nissaki bay, Agni, Kalami, Kouloura, Kerasia |
| Access | Kaminaki – and indeed all of the main beaches visited during the walk – are accessible by car, mostly down steep narrow roads off the main coastal artery. If you catch the bus (Kassiopi line), tell the driver you want to get off at the turnoff for Kaminaki; from the bus stop it’s 15min on foot down to the waterfront where the walk starts – either follow the yellow Corfu Trail markers or take the road. At Kerasia, it’s 2km up to the road and the bus stop, if you conclude the walk there |
This divine wander along Corfu’s rocky northeastern coast drops in at a string of pretty coves and bays. The mountainous Albanian mainland, only kilometres away across the straits, is a constant companion. Allow plenty of extra time, as you’ll be constantly distracted by seafront eateries and inviting swimming spots. The main beaches have pebbles rather than sand and are equipped with the usual sun beds, umbrellas and laid-back tavernas, but walkers are likely to have the other coves all to themselves. Don’t forget your swimming costume and sun protection.