Bay Wonder

 

Photo©Nigel Summerley

The big sunny day that had been forecast for Sikinos finally arrived and looked perfect for the big walk – from the Kastro all the way west to Malta Bay, said by some to be the finest spot on the island.

As this picture shows, it's a dramatic place. And though much of the hike there, is on a good and straightforward path, the descent (and later ascent) to the bay is over steep and rocky terrain with no clear way marked – a challenge, one might say.

Two peaceful hours spent on this deserted beach looking across the sea to Ios were well worth the five hours spent getting there and back. And the day's exertions made tea and biscuits back at the Kastro all the more wonderful.

Photo©Nigel Summerley

The Long And The Shorts Of It

Photo©Nigel Summerley

Neither the weather nor I could make our minds up. It was an unpredictable day on Sikinos. In the end I packed some lunch and thought I'd head out from the Kastro, through the narrow streets of the neighbouring Chora and into the countryside to look for a place for a picnic.

What happened was no picnic.

On the footpath south-west of the Chora, in the area known as Stamatini, the day began to brighten up and I was tempted by a signed path to Agios Pandeleimon down on the south coast.

All went well for a while until the path began to peter out and storm clouds began to darken above. Heading down a ravine where the rocks became ever more treacherous, I felt the rain suddenly become intense. The downpour was cold and so was the wind whipping into me. I continued, looking for somewhere to shelter, but there was nowhere.

Respite only came when the rain eventually stopped, the wind dropped and I came down to a place that I figured couldn't be far from the coast. Wherever I was, there was no one else for miles. So I stripped off my sodden clothes and put them out in the sun which had now started to appear.

I used a stick to prop up my shorts (pictured here) in the vain hope they would become dry enough to wear. After a near-naked lunch, they were still wet through. So I carried them with me, flapping in the sunshine, as I finally found a decent path, made it to the church of Agios Pandeleimon, and then went north-east to Alopronia – where I put them on again briefly in case an arrival in underwear caused alarm.

The shorts came off again on the beach there, for a final bit of drying before the hike back north to the Kastro. What had started off as a short excursion for lunch had ended up as something of an endurance test.

Photo©Nigel Summerley