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WALKING
 Panoramic
views, enchanting landscapes, important wetlands, picturesque
villages, traditional olive presses, water mills, stone
bridges, archaeological monuments and sites, chapels, thermal
springs and volcanic geosites - these you will find from one
end of Lesvos to the other, irrespective of which direction
you are heading, since they are all part of the island's
fabric.
Over the last few years great
efforts have been made, by many, to record and publish "walking
trails" and maps that will take you to such sites and
landscapes, guaranteed to bring you nearer to nature and
uplift the spirit and soul. Alas this worthy endeavour seems
to have been limited to the North and West part of Lesvos.
Therefore the South and East Lesvos with "walking trails" just
as enjoyable, known and walked by the locals for many
generations still remains un-chartered territory for the
foreign visitor today.
This
was Mary Sidlewich's experience in Vatera, in the Spring of
2001:
In 2000 I retired from my job at the U.S. Postal Service after
30 years. Over the next few months I planned a trip that had
been a lifelong
ambition, to travel in Greece extensively. I've visi ted
Greece and the Greek Isles eight different times and in April
of 2001 I began my wonderful adventure. My adventure took me
to the Saronic Gulf Islands, Ionian Sea and Northern Aegean
Islands, but Lesvos has always been my favourite Island. I've
been a resident of Brewster, a village in Cape Cod,
Massachusetts for many years. I have hiked the varied trails
there and because of this, I love walking in the beauty of
nature. Here we have the great Atlantic Ocean that surrounds
the peninsula with its lovely marshes, vast forests of pitch
pine, and magnificent beaches. Cape Cod is considered one of
the great natural habitats of the world and I know how lucky I
am to live here all year. Before I moved to Cape Cod I lived
in Los Angeles, California, the other end of the United
States.
I loved driving into the deserts of the west. The natural
world of the desert is entirely different from the coastal
town I live in now. The deserts of the West are blessed with
indigenous flowers, cacti and wonderful, warm, dry, clean air.
These interests and experiences led me to travelling in Greece
and discovering lesser know trails, experiencing the
festivals, history, cultures, and customs. I have two great
passions, walking and travel. I love to search for new routes
and also return year after year to the special places I know.
Walked through meadows, remote valleys, over mountain passes
and ambled alongside serene lakes. I discovered wild flowers,
identified birds and animals, learned about local
architecture, traditions and history. During my time in Vatera
and other villages on Lesvos I ceased to be a tourist, became
a friend. There is no greater way to explore the world than
meandering under one's own power in the healthy country air.
Greece, and particularly Lesvos, incorporates the best
experiences of the seashore and the awesome beauty of the
desert. No photos that I've ever taken, or seen, can come
close to an actual trip. I arrived in Vatera, Lesvos on May 9
and stayed until June 17th at Madonna Studios.
The road entering Vatera overlooks the beautiful sea with its
lovely sandy beach 8
Kilometres long! A pleasant setting of pine trees and numerous
small isolated chapels create a classic illustration of the
Greek Islands. Over the 6 weeks I stayed on Lesvos I walked at
least 2 miles daily. After some experiences I found that
walking early in the morning (starting at about 6 am) was best
to get my walk in before the heat of the day. One early
morning I took a road to the west of Vatera where there is a
river that comes out to the sea. I walked along the edge of
the river and saw literally hundreds of turtles. They were
either mating or nesting all along the banks. They were
turtles of all different sizes from coin size to dinner plate
size. I found out later they were stripe necked terrapins.
I've been a bird watcher for many years and was eager to see
birds
i
can't see in North America. Another day I went for a swim and
while on the beach I heard a strange bird call that I couldn't
identify. I looked up and spotted a bird that I could identify
because I'd seen it in a book on
Birds of Greece. It was the Hoopoe, a rare and wonderful
sighting for me.
Some of the other birds I saw during my stay were a White
Stork, Little Owls, Cretzshmar's Bunting, Doves, Spotted
Crakes, Purple Heron, Greater Flamingos (at Kalloni Salt Pan),
Wood Sandpipers, Pipits and Little Bitterns. The natural world
is not the only beautiful part of Greece. The people of Lesvos
that I met and came to know were not just friendly hosts, they
became fellow explorers. Even if they didn't walk with me,
they listened to my experiences with interest and I think
affection. I felt I really became a part of the life in Vatera
while I was there. I wish I could relate all the remarkable
experiences I had. I can
tell
you that I will never forget my time there.
I will return to Greece, Lesvos
and Vatera. Maybe we'll meet one day while on our volta.
Mary
Sidlevicz"
Lesvos
is a part of Greece where the pace of life is slow, where
old m en
and women still ride donkeys, where the food is good and
the ouzo even better, where the beautiful countryside is
awash with flowers in spring and it also lies on a
spring/autumn migration route for birds making it the
hottest ticket in Europe for this activity.
The only way to appreciate all that is to walk the island
from East to West, from South to North and back again.
This is now possible due to the new “Sunflower
Landscapes of
Lesvos”, which was published in April 2004.
This is a countryside Walking guide ( authored by Brian
and Eileen Anderson) which features 28 good length walks,
from 5 - 14miles ( 8 - 22km), and a good number of shorter
versions. It is publis hed
in English, Dutch and German. The walks were developed
over a good number of years and they take you into some of
the most beautiful areas of the island. It also includes
suggestions for car tours to see the best of the island.
A new shorter walking guide to the Vatera area:
'Vatera, around and About',
also authored by Brian and Eileen Anderson, (in English &
soon in Dutch) was published at the same time and is
available. It describes ten walks around the Vatera Region
and four wider ranging
car tours.
Another walking guide which covers the North of Lesvos is
“On Foot in
North Lesvos”
by Mike Maunder. The latest edition was published in early
2003, in English and Dutch editions. The 2 6
walks described will guide you step by step along the
local tracks and paths through some excellent scenery and
to some interesting places in North Lesvos.
The books are available through:
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