range, at scale 1:30,000:
Mt Idha (Psiloritis) (11.14), ed. 2013
The Lassithi Mountains, at scale 1:35,000:
Mt Dikti–Mt Selena (11.15), ed. 2014
Older editions of the Lefka Ori and Psiloritis maps (showing fewer paths) may still be available in some shops. Some users prefer these older maps.
Two 1:100,000 scale Harms Verlag contour maps are recommended as back-up and for their wider coverage. They are also the second best choice for walking:
Map 1 – Western Crete (includes the Lefka Ori and Psiloritis)
Map 2 – Eastern Crete (includes Heraklion, Lassithi and Sitea).
Anavasi also publish ‘Touring Maps’ at 1:100,000 scale.
Since new maps may appear at any time it is worth asking Stanfords for the latest publications (12–14 Longacre, London WC2; tel: 0207 836 1321).
In Chania, Pelekanakis on Halidon Street may have sold out of walkers’ maps by September, or, at least, the particular map you want. Anavasi maps are also found in Hora Sfakion, Loutro and Ay. Roumeli (where, naturally, the Samaria map is popular). Rethymnon old town has a well-stocked bookshop near Plateia Martyron. In Heraklion there are likely bookshops in the vicinity of Plateia Eleutherios Venizelou, including a foreign-newspaper stockist near the fountain.
Emergencies
There is no official mountain rescue service. The Police and Fire Brigade may be called upon to provide this service but they can be disadvantaged by not knowing an area as well as the local shepherds. This is why it is very important to leave the place name of where you intend to go (see below). Shepherds are often best at finding lost people, long after search parties have given up, unfortunately. In places where the landscape is made up of large stones and prickly plants, or forest, finding anything can be difficult – including your rucksack, if you leave it for a while. (GPS users should waymark the spot.) Cretan shepherds expect you to have a mobile phone at least – as they do – especially if you are alone. Save the Cretan ‘emergency’ telephone numbers into your phone (see Appendix D). And remember to take local accommodation telephone numbers with you. Unfortunate accidents can happen to anyone but, in general, Cretan opinion on trekking ventures is ‘if you can’t handle it, you shouldn’t be doing it’. This guide has been written to give you the necessary information, but the message must always be to take extra care on all routes. Injuring yourself and then running out of water is the chief danger.
EU nationals should keep their European Health Insurance card with them. Keep a whistle on your person (although it may be ineffective in wind); ideally, supplement it with a strobe or flares, or at least a good-quality torch. Flares are said to be best for attracting attention.
Mountain villagers are well aware of the risks involved, as bad accidents occur even to those well used to the terrain. Before setting off on a mountain trek leave a note of your plans (with dates), in your own language, with your rooming house proprietor or at a central kafeneon.
If you are ‘wild camping’ and have nowhere to leave a note, send a text to a friend or relative that includes the name of the place where you are going and when you expect to be back, especially if this is a place where mobile phone contact is unlikely – such as a gorge or a remote mountainside.
Using this guide
Grading system
Each walk is graded as follows:
Grade A Short walks, easy underfoot, with hamlets or destinations in sight, for example Walk 1.
Grade B Walks on roads or tracks and popular, well-tramped, easy-to-follow paths, for example Walk 2.
Grade C Walks on less-frequented mountain footpaths, for example Walk 3.
Grade D More demanding day-walks, on remote terrain, for example Walk 6, as well as any of the backpacking routes, as these are mini-expeditions that need careful planning. Confidence and route-finding experience are essential.
Grade E Very remote and rugged mountain routes.
Note ‘Remote’ means that although final destinations – villages or coastlines – may be in sight in the distance, the underfoot is rocky or steep, so that getting there safely will take a lot of time and effort.
Anopolis: mules are still needed in the Madares
CALCULATING WALKING TIME
The walking times listed are calculated using this simple formula.
Allow the following times for every km (approximately) along the ground:
15mins on roads
20mins on easy-to-follow rough footpaths
30mins on very demanding rocky terrain
plus 15mins per 100m of height gained.
Many routes combine sections of all these underfoot conditions. Also, rocky downhill paths may need the same time allowance as linear routes.
Walking times
The time allowance given on some rocky footpath routes may be similar to that listed for well-defined ascent paths. In general, remember that a new route always takes longer to walk than one with which you are familiar or that is clearly defined. EOS times on E4 Trail signposts in the mountains are probably matched to the club’s strongest walkers, who are already familiar with the routes. Where backpacking is mentioned, this refers not to ‘gap-year’ travellers but to trekkers who are purposely equipped to camp in the mountains.
Monitor your pace on your first couple of walks to check whether you need to reduce or extend the above formula. Firstly, reduce the formula by allowing 10mins per 100m of ascent. Some may find the times listed too generous, but it is wise to take your time on rocky terrain.
On all routes allow extra time for any sort of rest stop – picnics, sitting down, taking photographs – an additional 1hr (at least) on most walks. Using Walk 30, The Ascent of Kastro, as an example: if there are 10hrs of daylight, you may have only 1hr 30mins to spare for preparation and stops. On some other routes you may need to work to a bus or boat timetable.
The kilometre distances are an approximate guide to be read in conjunction with the other data. Many routes include zigzagging footpaths. For a very quick guide to the effort involved on a walk, divide the time allowance figure by the kilometre distance. For example, the most well-tramped footpath in Crete, the Gorge of Samaria, works out at 18mins per km, while Trek 7A works out at 50mins per km due to the long, steep ascent and care needed on that remote and broken-up old mule track.
In the route notes, the year when a point was last seen by the author, or last reported to the author by others, is sometimes given in brackets. Hopefully, this will add interest to what you see, and could also be useful if you have the impression that things might have changed since that date.
PART 1 THE WHITE MOUNTAINS (LEFKA ORI)
The path to Gingilos passes through a rock arch (Walk 3)
There are three quite distinct massifs in this mountain range: west, central and east. The Gorge of Samaria and the Omalos Plain divide west from central, and the Askifou Plain divides central from east. The central massif provides the greatest variety of walking and trekking routes, although routes in all three regions do link up. The Gorge of Samaria National Park is often the main focal point of a walking holiday in or around the central massif.
For professional mountain-guiding services contact (multi-lingual) Jean Bienvenu, who lives near Chania (see Appendix D).
Route