Wednesday 6th September 2017

During the night, there was a huge storm; the loud booming bursts of thunder seemed to shake the whole building.

We woke, however, to beautiful clear skies and a few small white fluffy clouds.  We are lucky that the storm occurred before dawn!

After our breakfast, we set off in the hired car to explore the island.  To begin with, we headed north in the direction of the airport and then turned west and drove along the picturesque coast road.

 

We passed through beautiful green pine forests and down to quiet pretty bays with turquoise waters.

A kestrel flew a few yards ahead of us for a while before disappearing over the treetops.

We stopped at the aptly named Πεύκος Κόλπος which translates as Pine Tree Bay.  This small horseshoe bay is surrounded by hundreds of the coniferous trees.

 

We walked along the bay and spotted a kingfisher, it was too late to approach silently and its spectacular bluey green wings shimmered as he flew quickly away.

A few steps further and Dave spotted a cormorant and we stood and watched him fishing for a while. 

The beach kantina was closed so we stopped for coffee at the bay’s only open taverna.  We watched two fishermen transporting goods backwards and forwards to their boats, both were using a tiny rowing boat to do so.

We continued south and drove through the small port of Linaria.  We decided not to stop but to return later for lunch and a saunter.

The landscape started to change, becoming more rugged and dramatic.

 

We pulled over when we spotted four Skyrian Ponies. Indigenous to the island of Skyros, these now endangered animals are believed to be descended from the same horses that were depicted on the frieze at the Parthenon in Athens.

 

Close by, we saw a signpost which gave information about a twelve kilometre walk around the wetlands area and details of the flora and fauna that could be seen.

The information boasts of the likelihood of seeing half bred or pure bred Skyrian Ponies; it adds that if you walk between the months of April and October, your other companions could possibly be Eleonora’s Falcons, soaring high above you.  The steep cliffs are apparently home to the largest colony in the world of the now sadly endangered hawks.

The notice continues to give information about a lighthouse that can be seen on the walk. It is, apparently, the only lighthouse in Greece that has a two storey structure at the base of its tower.  It goes on to say that, years ago, the lighthouse operated on rotating mirrors which required winding every fifty minutes.

Sounds like an amazing walk! Especially the chance of spotting Skyrian Ponies and Eleonora’s Falcons in the wild!  Maybe, another time…

The scenery continued to be barren with ‘outer-space like’ weird shaped plants and bushes.  We entered the ‘Naval Area’ and saw more signposts, this time warning that photography was prohibited.

We drove a little further to the poet Rupert Brooke’s grave.

His famous poem, ‘The Soldier’ inscribed on a plaque was quite poignant, ‘If I should die…’.

Rupert Chawner Brooke passed away on a hospital ship in a bay close by, while waiting to go to Gallipoli in 1915.

We returned to the port of Linaria and chose a taverna on the harbour front for a bite to eat.

The timing was perfect. As we sat there the ferryboat FB ΑΧΙΛΛΕΑΣ – FB ACHILLES sailed in to the tune of ‘Thus Spake Zarathustra” blasting out from one of the nearby cafes. We had read that the cafe bar welcomed every incoming ferry boat with a rendition of Strauss’s famous classical piece.  Now we have experienced it. Fabulous!

 

We sauntered along the sea front admiring the yachts and other sea faring vessels.  Placards offered boat trips and information on the birds that could be spotted on and around Skyros. They explained that the uninhabited islets close by are perfect breeding grounds for many species of birds.

We took the quickest route, which was just 15 minutes back to the Chora and continued to the beach named Magazia for a swim before we returned to our room.

Later, we returned the hired car.  We have enjoyed seeing a lot of the beautiful island of Skyros today, at our own pace.

The island is more or less untouched by tourism; we have seen no large hotels.  We have heard only three English voices during our stay (apart from each other’s!).  Oh and ‘Mr Sheffield’ of course, whom we chatted to at the monastery and bumped into again in Linaria.

I recall reading that the islanders don’t wish tourism to take over their island and that therefore, they limit the availability of touristic accommodation. Maybe this is true, maybe not; we have found the Skyrian people to be friendly and helpful.

It is, we think, the quietest Greek Island that we have visited.

 

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