Chania – Platanias – Maleme – Tavronitis – Voukolies – Kantanos – Kakodiki – Palaiochora; return from Souyia via Rodovani – Temenia – Maralia – Epanochori – Ayia Eirini – Prases – Skines – Alikianos – Part 2

In Palaiochora, we should not omit to visit Gavdiotika, the old part of the town, built with narrow alleys by fishermen from Gavdos, beneath a hill on which are the ruins of a Venetian castle. There is an interesting Historical Museum in the town, with important exhibits from the period around the War of Independence.

Nearby is the Anydri-Yaniskari gorge, and to the west of the town is the superb beach of Pacheia Ammos.

Little boats ply back and forth along the coast each day, linking Palaiochora with Souyia, Ayia Roumeli and Chora Sfakion, and sailing out three times a week to Gavdos, the most southerly inhabited place in Europe. According to the myths, Gavdos is Calypso’s island of Ogygia, where Odysseus was shipwrecked.

We continue in a northerly direction, coming first to the village of Moni and then to the upland settlement of Rodovani – with interesting churches – and next Temenia.

If we carry on along this dirt track we will arrive in Souyia, thus avoiding the need to take the boat from Palaiochora. Souyia stands on an attractive site along a pretty beach of small pebbles and is a popular tourist resort. The modern church of a village contains a fine mosaic which originated in a sixth-century basilica.

We return to Rodovani and head back to Chania along a different route which takes us through Maralia, Kampanos, and the beautiful village of Epanochori with views to the White Mountains and the Libyan Sea, and Ayia Eirini, a tiny hamlet on the banks of a seasoned river.

Beyond Ayia Eirini is a passable road through the White Mountains to Omalos.

If we take this route we will go through the mountain villages of Prasies, Nea Roumata and Skines before reaching Alikianos. There, among orchards, are the ruins of the magnificent Da Molin tower, and there is also a Byzantine church of St George, built in 1243 and with fifteenth-century wall-paintings by Provatas.

We travel on through Ayia, where there was an open prison for Greek patriots during the German occupation, and thence back to Chania.