can attract fierce gales, even in summer. Strong billowing gusts hit below the knee and toss you over. Do as the locals do – wait out the worst of the storm since, with any luck, it should ease in half a day. Alternatively, in summer, ordinary northwesterlies cool the mountains, making trekking routes and summit ascents more attractive than low-level walks.
Mist
When the notos or the sirocco – warm winds from the south – cross mountains recently cooled by a north wind, or vice versa, a period of up to three days of mist and rain may follow. (Northern slopes are more prone to mist.) In the high mountains, always assess your next day’s route and the whereabouts of the next shelter and water source. From June to October shepherds’ huts may be in use. Some shepherds are more sociable and welcoming than others, but all would make space for walkers in bad weather.
The winter months
Although Askifou, Anopolis and Hora Sfakion are inhabited all year, many coastal facilities in the White Mountains close after October. Building construction and maintenance goes on at this time, so that some facilities need to remain open. However, for accommodation it is wise to expect to camp.
On the path to the Katharo Plain in April: a short-lived springtime snowfall has transformed the landscape (Walk L4)
Depending on conditions, the Gorge of Samaria National Park will close to the public from mid- to late October, and will reopen on 1 May (but this, too, can vary by a week either way). The New Omalos Hotel is open at weekends in winter. Although November is a good month for off-season walking in Crete, it is also the kri-kris’ mating time, which can be dangerous because they may disturb loose rocks on the high crags. Whatever the regulations of this national park, the gorge will always be tempting to trekkers as a north–south through route and it is not fenced-off. Omalos and Ay. Roumeli people are very knowledgeable about the gorge and its hazards; listen to their advice. Conditions in the gorge can change at any time, but it is seriously impassable when winter snow starts to thaw. Flash flooding due to thunderstorms is now a potential danger all year. Do not start up (or down) it unless you are fully prepared to retrace your steps. The best secondary trail has long been closed to the public as a result of the death of one lone off-season walker who had the misfortune to break his leg.
The Mount Ida trailhead villages featured in this guide are all workaday places and at least some facilities will be open all year. The road to the Nida Plain will normally be under snow in winter.
On the Lassithi Plain many people escape the winter by moving down to their ‘second homes’ on the north coast. A few facilities remain open in Tzermiado, and no doubt at least one kafeneon in the other villages. The same will apply to Kritsa but Ay. Nikolaos, like all coastal resorts, will be closed up and primarily engaged in maintenance works. Selakano closes up from December to February. All mountain roads could be blocked with snow at times.
Shopping
In towns
While shops in the countryside stay open most of the time, in towns there are midday closing hours, three late night shopping days and two early-closing days. These are likely to be: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 0830–1330 and 1700–2000; Monday and Wednesday 0830–1330; Saturday 0830–1500. On Sundays only patisseries and tourist souvenir shops will be open.
On the ascent of Gingilos the path turns into the re-entrant, heading for the rocky pinnacles (Walk 3)
Chania
A farmers’ market (and cheap clothing) operates on Saturday morning in Minos Street beside the old city wall, east side, and on Wednesday mornings in Solomou Street about three blocks south from Chania bus station; anyone will direct you because townspeople are very keen on small-scale home-grown produce. All food supplies are available in the Agora and the supermarket opposite its west-facing entrance. Convenient to the bus station is a branch of Inka supermarkets on the west side of Plateia 1866.
Corner shop Karistiyannis has a selection of outdoor equipment as does a ‘survival’ shop opposite, in Skalidi, one block west of Plateia 1866. A cheap clothing shop can be found opposite the north entrance of the bus station. A plastics shop that sells sheet polythene by the metre (camping mattress protection) is found opposite the bus station pedestrian entrance, northeast corner. Mountain trekkers are advised to bring their own cooking pans since cheap lightweight pans are not easy to find nowadays. For tools, gas stoves and cylinders there are various household goods shops near the bus station. A foreign books and newspapers shop is near the corner of Skalidi with Halidon. Also at the top of Halidon there are ATMs and money-change agents. A short way down on the right the bookshop Pelekanakis stocks walking maps and foreign books. There are various travel agencies for flights and ferryboat reservations in the downtown area including one on the NW corner of Plateia 1866.
The Tourist Information and Tourist Police office is in the Town Hall, a modern building in Kydonias, east of Plateia 1866. The National Bank of Greece, opposite the Agora, has an ATM; the GPO and OTE (public telephones) are close by in Janakaki Street. OTE operates telephone booths: some street kiosks sell phone cards, as well as stamps. A phone shop, just west of Plateia Makris Kritis (Battle of Crete Square) deals with cell phone requirements as does Vodafone, in Skalidi.
Walking sticks, or katsounas, shepherds’ crooks, traditional to Sfakia, are on sale in souvenir shops in or near Halidon. When choosing one, turn it upside down to check the length from the handle. Even if cut down, it should be a minimum of 5cm (2ins) above the waist to be useful on descents.
Heraklion
A range of similar shops, including a fruit and vegetable street market, are found in and around the ‘honeypot’ downtown area of Dikiosinis Street and Plateia Venizelou (Morosini fountain).
Rethymnon
In the old quarter head for the Porta Guora (Plateia Martyron) to find a useful bunch of shops: household goods, fruit and vegetables, a bakery and a bookshop nearby (enquire) stocking maps and foreign language books.
Note Shops and other commercial enterprises in all the Cretan downtown areas can change from year to year. This is partly due to proprietors reaching retirement age and partly to rapidly changing customer requirements.
Chania: the old harbour
Roussies, showing the cistern and stone-built shelter hut (Trek 8)
In the countryside
With the exception of bakeries (which close on Sundays) village shops stay open every day, and close at about 2200. In western Crete, Sfakia district has several village bakeries, which together supply the busy south coast with its massive daily needs. The boat service transports fresh food supplies daily from Hora Sfakion to Loutro and Ay. Roumeli. Currently there is no pharmacy in the district, but village supermarkets stock non-prescription essentials. For Psiloritis (Mount Ida), villages of the foothills all have grocery shops although Mires, to the south, may be the only place large enough to support a pharmacy. The larger villages of the Lassithi Plain all have grocery shops, but Tzermiado is the only one to have banks, ATMs and a pharmacy.
Accommodation
In the countryside
Tourist accommodation is inspected, graded and price-regulated by the Ministry of Tourism. Proprietors are permitted to drop a price grade at their discretion; there is certainly a better chance of this during non-busy periods. Discounts for large groups may be offered. In 2014, rooms in the countryside ranged from €20 (for very simple rooms) to €50. For latest details visit village or regional websites, or those of individual establishments (see Appendix D).
All the walking areas featured in this guide offer family-run rooming houses (‘Rooms’)