peterandlinda Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Greetings from Finikounda on the south coast of the Peloponnese in Greece. We travelled overland from the UK through France and Italy and then from Ancona to Patras via ferry. We were due to “Camp on Board” but due to rough weather were given a free and very comfortable outside cabin for the 21 hour crossing. We spent a couple of weeks at Ionion beach camping in Glifa and then came south via Olympia (visiting the ancient and very interesting site) and free camping at Katakolo harbour and at Kakovatos. The weather has been a kind of English Summer, a week or so of hot weather followed by a day of thunderstorms repeated several times. The temperature is around the mid twenties during the day and mid teens at night, very comfortable and no need to use the van heating. The campsites are very quiet and laid back; we are finding them to be generally cheaper than Spanish sites in winter. Here at camping Thines (TINES in Greek) we have been quoted 14€ a night including 6A electricity, hot showers, free washing machine and (good) Wi-Fi. The eventual cost may well be less, depending on how long we stay. It’s not really too easy to pin down a price and we have really stopped trying! Shopping is generally good with local shops and LIDL and Carrefour in major towns. Wine is very cheap, very pleasant Greek Rose, Red or White for €1.50 for I.5 litres in LIDL. They do a very tasty range of frozen Tyro pitas (Cheese Pies) too. Driving in Greece has been an interesting experience. We used to think that Portugal was bad but here double yellow lines are for parking on, double white lines are for overtaking on and the hard shoulder is for driving on (well, people have to overtake, don’t they?!) but once you get used to it is rather fun – though we could have done without the pick-up parked across a tight junction that resulted in a scratch down half the length of the skirt on the van. I don’t think the owner of the pick-up will even notice. The intention now, after a week or so, is to go to Kalamata (famous for its olives) for a night or two on the way to Tripoli, where MagBaz travels think there is an LPG supplier. I hope so, as otherwise we will have to brave the roads of Athens to replenish the Gaslow cylinders. Not something we want to undertake lightly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Just reading your post made me feel warmer. Cold and miserable here in blighty and I have to leave the relative comfort of my office and drive to manchester soon. Wish I was were you are instead. Have a great time you lucky so and so. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 I am surprised the weather seems so decent...always thought Greece a bit grim in depth of winter :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted November 17, 2010 Author Share Posted November 17, 2010 Judge We thought that too but given our experience of Spain and Portugal over the last two winters we are very pleased (so far !) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Hi P & L, See http://www.gas-tankstellen.de/menu.php?jump=land&mode=lpg&land=GR&sort=PLZ for LPG in Greece. If LPG is available in the area the local taxis usually run on it so chat to the taxi drivers. We have used the system a couple of times it works well. If the weather get too bad head for Crete it is a wonderful place to spend a winter especially on the southern coast. Safe travelling. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted November 17, 2010 Author Share Posted November 17, 2010 Thanks Don, I have this funny feeling of deja vu! It is reassuring that the Tripoli dealer seems to be still in business. If not I will post again! P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD1 Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Just to let you know that there is definately LPG available in Tripoli, as we filled up my Gaslow bottles in September this year. We are now back in Spain for the Winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted November 17, 2010 Author Share Posted November 17, 2010 Thanks for the confirmation abou the LPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted November 17, 2010 Author Share Posted November 17, 2010 Thanks for the confirmation abou the LPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Bit of a coincidence having now just read this post as only a day or two ago we were perusing the BBC world weather pages on the Internet. Madrid was no better than UK although Valencia and South East Coast was considerably warmer. However, Malta, Greece and Sicily were having some deliciously warm weather. This post has confirmed the BBC weather information pages, which as we all know we should not rely on. Just makes you wish that you were out there doing it with them, you lucky, lucky blighters, ENJOY :D :D B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted November 17, 2010 Author Share Posted November 17, 2010 Good news about what the weather in Europe as a whole is doing and for once we have made a good choice. But if it changes we have wheels and can travel, one of the joys of this lifestyle. Best wishes for all members in Cornwall, hope you are OK. P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojitoes Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 We had thought about Greece for the winter before now but were under the impression that ferries did not run in the winter months and that places closed down. Obviously wrong! I am now going to imagine sipping 5 star Metaxa in the sunshine next year. Keep us posted - and very envious! bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted November 17, 2010 Author Share Posted November 17, 2010 Hi We haven't had a chance to try the Metaxa yet, but distant memory suggests that there is even a seven star! I never even found that on sale on my (flying) trips to Greece in the eighties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 peterandlinda - 2010-11-17 4:43 PM Good news about what the weather in Europe as a whole is doing and for once we have made a good choice. But if it changes we have wheels and can travel, one of the joys of this lifestyle.P&L One of the many good things about our homes on wheels :D Do you have a 'blog site' ? if not, great if you could keep us updated on your travels, places you visit and find to stop, prices of sites, diesel, LPG even the ferry fares would be useful. Have you got a set budget for the trip and are you managing to stick to it. Sorry for the spanish inquisition but it is good to hear about other peoples adventures :D Don wrote a very good travel blog all about his trip to Greece and Crete, it is on the blog site 'Magbaz Travels' and gives excellent information including I believe GPS co-ordinates. Anyway, have fun and enjoy B-) B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shell181 Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Hi Sounds like you are having a great time, am soooo jealous! We are hoping that hubby can retire early (at age 55) in 5 years time and we are hoping to do what you are doing, enjoy and take care Michele :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted November 26, 2010 Author Share Posted November 26, 2010 Hi We are now overnighting on the promenade north of Githio (N36°46.3’ E22°33.8’) on the eastern side of the Mani peninsula. It is still warm 20° but windy and showery today. A couple of days ago we drove around the Likodhimo Mountains from Finikounda, via Koroni to Kalamata. We had been told that on the waterfront, a couple of Km west of the harbour, we could get LPG but it was not to be. We drove up the dirt track up the side of the depot and enquired, but were told that they could only refill bottles, not Gaslow cylinders. We didn’t push the point but suppose if we’d shown them the yellow cylinders they may have had a suitable adaptor – in any case we weren’t too impressed by the two operatives having a break, fags on the go, in the middle of a propane tank farm! We did some grocery shopping at LIDL and Carrefour in Kalamata and then headed to the beach south of Analapsi (N37.00556° E21.97250°) for the night. This was very quiet, a car park shared by one German van. Yesterday we set off for Tripoli in search of Autogas, taking the route due North towards the new motorway extension west from Tripoli. Our map suggested that we would pick the motorway up at Loutro, north of Meropi but it is nowhere near finished. We stayed on the old N road over the mountains until, just North of Paradhisia we did join the motorway which is now open all the way to Tripoli and cost €4.50. We left the motorway at the Teghea/Sparta junction and followed the instructions given by Andy Newton (see MagBaz travels) which were spot on. The GPS co-ordinates are N37.496108° E22.38783° but our TomTom tried to take us via dirt track, so be careful. The LPG station is actually on a dirt track beside the motorway. We needed our (French) dish adaptor and they were happy to fill loose bottles as well as cars and our Gaslow installation. Autogas was €0. 78c a litre. From Tripoli we drove to Sparta, covering 165 km for the day and it was an interesting drive. We stayed at Camping Mistras Paleologica between Sparta and Mistras. We were not impressed with the campsite and it was expensive, however as it was raining and we only planned to stay for one night we couldn’t summon the enthusiasm to haggle over the price. We intend to try a campsite here in Githio for the next couple of nights before driving South into the Mani for a few more nights wild camping. P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted November 26, 2010 Share Posted November 26, 2010 is is a great thread, keep us posted please! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted November 28, 2010 Author Share Posted November 28, 2010 Hi In the end we didn’t find a campsite, though we did look at the two that were open. They were both similar, with small pitches which really were not designed to cope with a 3 metre high motor home, they appeared to be unkempt, weed filled and with dubious electrics. Yes, they would be shady in the summer but at the end of November were just cramped and dismal. Instead we drove down the East side of the Mani, and an interesting drive it was. The main bit of the road was fine, if a little twisty and winding but when you come to a village, the road goes back to the width and surfacing of the Century before last, there is room for one vehicle between the buildings, and that vehicle is a donkey cart. This part of the Mani is like Scotland, North West of Ullapool and parts of Harris and Lewis although there are no barriers or marked passing places on the mainly single track roads here unlike in Scotland. The other difference is that it is warm and sunny. The Diesel prices have gone up from around €1.28, at best, to about €1.50 in the small outlets down this road. We made it to our destination despite some drawing in of breath from the co-pilots seat on the last bit of the journey to Marmari. Marmari is the most Southerly ‘resort’ in mainland Greece; though there are reportedly Tavernas nearer to Cape Tenaro probably only open in the summer (co- pilot refused to travel down this road in the van so cannot verify this!). At Marmari there are 2 beaches (both looked quite good for swimming but were covered in flotsam), a 24 room hotel and some (very nicely) renovated holiday rooms which may well be part of the hotel complex. There are still a couple of the original residents here, we met them buying bread from the Bakers van (11.30 each weekday) which stops at the bus turning point just above the hotel. The sign-posted stopping place for motor homes is on a right hand bend before you reach the hotel, a loosely surfaced space which looks as though it has been a quarry. It also serves as the turning point for the dustbin truck and parking area for those dropping off rubbish in the village’s bins, enclosed in a rather elegant stone enclosure. (N36°25.6’ E22°28.8’) The sun set fairly early over the village, but earlier in the year it would set, spectacularly, over the gulf of Mesiniakos. The hotel (Marmari Paradise) was open, just about, and we managed to buy a couple of beers but we were the only customers and it was Saturday lunchtime, so we wouldn’t want to guarantee service. It was 23° during the day with squally winds dropping to a minimum of 19° overnight. Today we travelled the grand distance of 14 km to Gherolimenas, passing the very picturesque village of Vathia, a kind of ancient Manhattan with seemingly every building a tower, some of which are restored but many are still ruins. The place has a gruesome past though, and the towers were defensive. Restoration of ancient buildings is clearly the thing hereabouts and though the purists complain about towers being converted into desirable holiday homes, complete with carefully mortared ‘ruined’ castellations, the local planning laws insist on all buildings being finished in the local limestone and the law is seemingly being enforced. The newly restored buildings certainly look a lot better than the concrete ones of the 1970s. In Gherolimenas we parked next to the beach by the Hotel Akroyiali (N36°28.95’ E22°24.0’). It was Sunday and all of the seven bar/restaurants were open for lunch, we did have coffee in one and drinks in two and none was busy. There are also three hotels here including the very posh Kyrimai, but that too seemed to be empty. There is a small supermarket and it was open but we didn’t venture inside. Surprisingly, the village gained its fortune by exporting Quails to France in the 19th Century not from fishing, but the restaurants had neither fresh fish nor fresh fowl on offer! We made do with a sandwich in the van a little disappointed as we had been looking forward to lunch out. P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted December 2, 2010 Author Share Posted December 2, 2010 Hi To continue... We drove North through Areopoli where we bought groceries and a very hot traditional loaf straight from the oven and treated ourselves to fresh cheese pies before settling down for the night on the North shore of Limeniou bay at Porto Vitilo in a field of crocus signed as free motor home parking (N36°41.757’ E22°22.686’). There were no facilities but a taverna a few hundred metres away and a pleasant flat walk along the bay to the headland. From Porto Vitilo we crossed the Mani back to Githio, where we filled up the water tank by the sports ground just north of the centre where the Friday market is held. We then went through Skala after stopping for coffee by the ship aground (thanks PeeJay). We then crossed the top of the Laconian peninsula to Monemvasia on the Myrtoo¨n Sea – three seas in half a day. Here we parked for the night on the fishing harbour south of the causeway to the ‘rock’ (N36°41.009’ E23°02.290’) but we think that at this time of year we could have stayed on the parking area right by the causeway, where there is another, tiny harbour. North of the causeway is a place with plenty of space but a large, forbidding sign pointing out the dire consequences of ‘free camping’ and there is another, similar, sign at the parking area at the other side of the causeway. In any case we were quite happy by the harbour and the locals seemed happy with us there. There were a couple of water taps, one with a hose, and we even managed to wash the van, which was filthy. With our WIFI booster we were able to access what we thought to be free town access. We also talked to a German motor home owner who had plugged into the power supply for the coastguard cutter – nobody seemed to mind but it did to us appear that he had forced the supply cupboard. The harbour area is floodlit at night and has a steady stream of fishing boats coming and going at dusk and dawn but overnight and during the day it is deserted. The next day we walked over the causeway to the walled town at the end of the ‘rock’ and had a wander round inside the walls. It is a bit touristy but very interesting and everything is taken into the town by donkey, there is no room for cars. Back across the causeway, Today we drove down the Laconian peninsula expecting to take the ferry to Elafonisos, but there were a fleet of cement mixers and trucks of various sorts waiting to cross and we guessed we would be waiting for hours, so we had a quick look at Neapoli and headed back north, eventually ending up back at Monemvasia as we hadn’t found anywhere better to spend the night. P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Thank you peter & Linda, lovely to read your post , I was there with you in spirit. Keep us up to date with your fantastic journey whenever you get the opportunity ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Great thread, well done and thanks. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Big Momma - 2010-12-02 6:47 PM Thank you peter & Linda, lovely to read your post , I was there with you in spirit. Keep us up to date with your fantastic journey whenever you get the opportunity ;-) dittto from me..... what are your plans for Christmas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tof Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Thanks also Peterandlinda I needed warming up and have always wanted to go to Greece and read Magbaz regularly to keep up my spirits. Great thread. B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 JudgeMental - 2010-12-02 7:14 PM Big Momma - 2010-12-02 6:47 PM Thank you peter & Linda, lovely to read your post , I was there with you in spirit. Keep us up to date with your fantastic journey whenever you get the opportunity ;-) dittto from me..... what are your plans for Christmas? Er...Christmas - hadn't really thought about that. Suppose we'll just chill out a bit more - but not as chilly as in the UK! P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 tof - 2010-12-02 9:32 PM Thanks also Peterandlinda I needed warming up and have always wanted to go to Greece and read Magbaz regularly to keep up my spirits. Great thread. B-) Hi It seems that we are now published by MagBaz in their 'other contributers' and 'new in 2010' sections - an honour indeed! P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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