collect water as it sinks. If it does not, try again. Shepherds have the better knack of raising water without dropping the bucket face down, but this takes practice. If you use the shepherds’ bucket, do not allow it to overfill unless you can raise this heavy weight easily – this is not the moment to wrench your back.
If you do not have a bucket, form one by putting a plastic-bag-wrapped stone into a carrier bag and, using your length of line, lower this down the well. Water can be strained through a fine weave fabric such as a silk or cotton scarf, then filtered, treated or boiled, or drunk straight off – use your own judgement. However, as worldwide travel and recreational use increases, contamination becomes more likely. Droppings from (chemically treated) sheep may be around the collection area. Some water is clear and tastes good; some tastes awful. Vegetation near the cistern may have unattractively coloured the run-off, but in these dry mountains water of any sort is precious. Replace the logs, or other devices, put there to stop animals from falling in, and re-secure the shepherds’ bucket if you have used it. Buckets are tied up because strong winds can occur at any time.
Be careful not to contaminate or waste any water. If supplies dry out too soon flocks must be taken down to be fed on (stinted) supplies of purchased fodder. If a water trough is empty, goats will let you know if they are thirsty more readily than sheep. They emerge from the shade and look at you with big, pleading eyes. Unless the place is obviously very remote, give them no more than a bucket or two, in case the shepherd is saving this particular cistern for supplies later in the year.
Shepherds may call any water supply simply ‘nero’ (‘neh-RO’), so you may not know whether to look out for a well, cistern or spring. They will warn you by saying ‘it isn’t good’ (‘then ee-neh ka-lo’) if it is only fit for animals, in which case you would have to boil it thoroughly.
Water allowance
In hot weather and on backpacking treks make a point of replenishing your body reservoir, like a camel, before you set off. Start drinking water, or other liquids, from the time you get up. Supplement your morning tea or coffee with glasses of water. During the day, top up your body reservoir with 100ml gulps, or more, rather than small sips to alleviate a dry mouth. If this is an uncomfortable problem, suck a small (smooth) fruit stone or similar to keep producing saliva in your mouth.
Backpackers especially need to rehydrate in the evening. Sports rehydration tablets, which are now widely available, can be useful. For an overnight camp between water sources, allow a minimum of three litres per person. This has to cover dinner, breakfast, hot drinks, ordinary drinking, teeth cleaning and minimal washing, so there will not be much left for your start next morning. Plan to stop at the next water source for a big brew up.
The path in the Samaria Gorge crosses the river in many places (Walk 2)
Along with your water supply, plan your food. For example, a staple like pasta needs more water (and gas cylinder time) for cooking than couscous. (Couscous is seldom found locally – bring your own if you want it.) In remote places aim to keep one litre of water in reserve in case of mishaps or delays. If you are short of water do not eat as this draws on body moisture reserves – being hydrated is much more important than being well fed. Plan gas cylinder supplies to cover daytime brew ups or water boiling as well as cooking.
Types of pathways
Wherever possible, walks in this guide follow footpaths or mule tracks rather than roads.
Unsurfaced shepherds’ roads
These roads link shepherding villages to traditional grazing pastures in the mountains. They enable shepherds to pursue a modern lifestyle: instead of staying up in the mountains for long periods, especially during the milking season, they can drive up in the early morning and bring down the day’s milk yield to the village dairy in the evening – or the other way round. In many places road-making is ongoing according to demand. Maps and route notes are not always able to keep up with it. New access roads slice through former footpath-only routes, leaving a walker having to pick up remaining sections by working out where they went, perhaps now in between loops of a new road. On south-facing barren hillsides new roads take about 40 years to blend into the landscape, but in places where rainfall is higher this process is much faster; any disused tracks are soon overgrown and so become pleasant walking routes.
Looking east on the climb to Vitsinela pass (Walk P17)
Major road building, or projected routes, in the Cretan mountains include a south–north road over the Lefka Ori. It may eventually access the main high-level grazing pastures around Katsiveli (Trek 8), Livada and Potamos, and provide a link to the Omalos Plain, with a branch to meet the Theriso shepherds’ road (Trek 1). However, for many years this road has terminated at Roussies and its extension no doubt depends on various factors. Many Cretans, aware of beach areas already ‘ruined’, regret this type of project. The Lefka Ori central massif, which is roughly circular in shape, is the last wilderness area in Greece yet to be crossed by a road. On Psiloritis the 18km road from Anoyeia to the Nida Plain is surfaced throughout, as is one from Livadia to the Lakkos Mygerou trailhead. New road access (E4 Trail) from Nida to the Amoudara Valley, southwest of the plain (Walks P3 and P15), was made in 2005. In 2004 an unsurfaced road linking the Lassithi and Katharo Plains was made. This road forms a shortcut connection between Kritsa and Lassithi. Presumably, given time, any roads that qualify as busy may be asphalted.
Roads between villages
Naturally, these roads have been asphalted before agricultural access roads and it is now unusual to find one that is unsurfaced. Taxi drivers are relieved, but walkers must now find alternative routes.
Cobbled mule tracks
In their heyday around the time of the Turkish occupation (1669–1898) these kalderimia served villages, terracing and grazing pastures. Nowadays most of these old trails, which so delightfully followed the lie of the land, are in a broken-up state. Sections with gradients suitable for vehicles have often been replaced by new roads. This policy spares mule tracks routed up steep ravines, or crags (for example Walks 41, 45 and 47) but these, in turn, are subject to weather erosion.
Old roads in Greece were always made with zigzags at gradients suitable for pack animals. Therefore, if you are following this type of trail and find yourself climbing straight up or down a steep hill, check the route again, since you may well have missed the path. Two examples of old mule tracks still in practical use, and in need of repair, are found on Walk 41 and Trek 7. The Zaranokefala location is too remote and almost disused nowadays, but Sellouda might eventually qualify. Hopefully (for tourists glad to be free of cars) the shoreline of Sfakia is too unstable to make a coast road project worthwhile.
Footpaths
These are footpaths used by local, or recreational, walkers, as well as animals. Nowadays most of these paths in the more vegetated areas of Crete have become overgrown through disuse and lack of maintenance. With any luck, brambles are not involved and you can still get through in spite of various unwelcome plants such as Jerusalem sage or spiny broom. If you get caught in this undergrowth, don’t panic – move through it very slowly and you won’t get scratched. South-facing hillsides of Crete, having lower rainfall and terrain classed as steppe, have been able to keep, and even re-develop, many old footpaths for ‘walking tourism’. There are ‘splintered paths’ formed by flocks of sheep as they pass up and down mountainsides and you will see other paths, such as those made by goats crossing scree slopes and crags, which are unsafe for walkers. See ‘Maps’ for further information on footpaths.
Fences
Many people who own fields and mountain grazing areas have taken to fencing off their land. Unfortunately, this has blocked-off many footpath routes and even access tracks. Fences may be made out of (rusty) steel wire sheets (otherwise made for use with concrete) supported with iron rods at intervals, the whole fixed together with wire, or, alternatively, seriously tough galvanized netting. As a rule, gates are not fitted unless a fence crosses a car track,