PIONEERS
FANCY STARLIT NIGHTS IN REMOTE GREEK VILLAGES AND DAYS SPLASHING THROUGH PRISTINE SEASCAPES? GRAB YOUR WATERWINGS AND JOIN US FOR A KAYAK TRIP AROUND CRETE
TEXT HEIDI FULLER - LOVE PHOTOS NATURE MANIACS
I’m standing on a slice of paradise – sun burns down out of a blue sky, the sandy beach beneath my feet stretches to crystal-clear sea, but I hardly notice a thing. Along with our five-strong group of kayak neophytes, I’m listening nervously as instructor Russ explains that we’re going to capsize our lightweight Rainbow Lasers, then unsnap the spray skirt holding us in and eject from the submerged cockpit in a forward-rolling somersault. “I didn’t come here to become James Bond,” quips ginger-bearded Chris.
“Doing this is the major fear of most novices – once you get this over with, you can settle down and enjoy the trip,” Russ says reassuringly.
Popping out of the bath-warm Libyan sea beside my turned-turtle kayak a few minutes later, I’m wondering what all the fuss was about. The sky seems a few shades bluer, the sea looks gorgeous and I’m raring to spend the next seven days kayaking along the rocky southwest coastline of Crete.
The coastal resort of Paleochora, dominated by its Venetian fortress, recedes in an early mist as we paddle out in single file behind Russ. “Keep together; don’t use your paddle like a coffee spoon; keep your body centred and bend from the waist; think of your kayak as a mermaid’s tail – let it become an extension of your body,” Russ chivvies over the lapping whack of the waves.
As the slowest paddler I’m promoted to pack leader. “This way no one gets left behind and there’s no competitive behaviour,” Russ explains. My strokes are awkward at first and I’m constantly soaked to the skin, baked in the hot sun, then soaked again, but by mid morning I’m getting into my stride over a sea so clear I can see starfish tiptoeing along the bottom.
Around midday we beach at Elafonissi, a Bounty-island islet with a shallow lagoon and pink sand, where we spend the afternoon snorkelling and sunbathing. At sunset we beach at Kedrodasos, an hour’s paddle away. We pitch tents in a deserted cove fringed with astringent-smelling eucalyptus trees and cook our first castaway dinner: tinned tuna mixed with pasta boiled in water from one of the kayak’s 10-litre emergency bladders. Tongues loosened by firelight, a few slugs of 60% proof raki and a wall-to-wall deco of stars, we compare our reasons for taking this trip.
Laure, 22, from Lyon, confides that she’s just split up with her partner and needs a challenge. Chris, 30, from Manchester says he’s an adrenalin junkie and needs his fix. Jim and Andrea, both in their mid forties and from Liverpool, reveal they needed a sea change from their hectic lives running a hotel. As for Russ, our bleach-blond kayak instructor from Colorado, he set up his company, Nature Maniacs, to escape the ski slopes. “After years of teaching ski my feet were a mess – I don’t have that problem with kayaking.”
I’m roused the next day by what I assume is someone throwing sand at the tent, but when I stagger outside I see the wind has whipped up and the waves out at sea are capped with white. Despite the blazing sun, Russ tells us to pull out our waterproof paddling cagoules. “Sounds ominous,” Andrea says nervously.
A few strokes out and we’re battling through huge swells and wind gusts, called microbursts, that threaten to capsize us. The waves are barely more than a metre high but they seem huge from sea level. I remember the Minoan civilisation that flourished along this coastline was wiped out in 1450BC by a 20m-high tsunami wave provoked by the eruption of Santorini, a volcanic archipelago some 100km north of Crete.
Luckily the sea calms within an hour and we can relax and enjoy our trip from Paleohora to Sougia. Cut off from the world by the Lefka Ori, a chain of mountains towering to 2,200m, the coastline here has no roads, and its glittering coves and sandy beaches are deserted. “It’s like they’ve been nuked,” Chris jokes.
We paddle in awed silence, serenaded by the lapping water, the bells of mountain goats and the hum of cicadas, until we reach Asklipios. After exploring the ruins of a temple where Greeks once flocked to be cured of their ills in the miraculous springs, we hike further up into the valley, and discover a Roman cemetery with tombs that look like tiny houses.
Over the next few days we slip into a comfortable rhythm: early launch, stunning scenic paddle, mid-morning pause for a pick-me-up of bitter black coffee, called ellinikos, stops-offs to visit booming sea caves and atmospheric ancient sites. Best of all are the lunchtime tavernas serving meze snacks of salty olives, yemista tomatoes stuffed with spicy rice, crumbling slabs of feta, and Sfakian pie – filo pastry oozing with salty mithizra cheese and drizzled with honey.
After these long lunches we wend our lazy way towards the next night’s stopover, alternating between proper beds and good food in popular resorts, and improvised barbecues on deserted beaches.
On the penultimate day we squeeze into a minivan that rollercoasters us up into the mountains that have glared down at us for the past six days to hike the 16km Samaria gorge. Legs feeling strangely wobbly, we skitter from Omalos (1,250m above sea level) to the black sandy beach of Agia Roumeli down below.
Paddling from Agia Roumeli to Loutro on the last leg of our trip we’re all sad to end our odyssey. At Marmara beach Chris gets a final adrenalin fix diving off the sheer cliffs, while we scoff crisp rusks soaked in olive oil and sprinkled with crushed tomato and crumbled feta, called dakos. Russ asks if we enjoyed the trip and Andrea sums it up: “Well, I’ve got blistered palms and pains in places I never knew existed, and I’ll be glad to use my legs again, but I’m really going to miss having a mermaid’s tail.” Indeed.
TRY IT
KAYAK TIPS
Kayaking is a great way to chill out on the sea, but novices should join a group and let the guide worry about the weather conditions, tides and currents.
When you spend five to seven hours paddling every day, you’re wet by the afternoon and whacked at night, so don’t bother packing any little black numbers. Instead, fill your pack with back-to-basics items such as quick-dry shorts, swimwear, sport sandals, a sun hat, a waterproof cagoule and lashings of suntan lotion.
KAYAK HIRE
Nature Maniacs runs kayak tours for novices and experienced kayakers around the coastlines of east and west Crete.
www.NATUREMANIACS.COM
East Crete magazine has information about kayaking and other local adrenalin sports.
www.EASTCRETEMAGAZINE.COM
Move It
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