hot water, so long as sunshine heats rooftop solar panels. If it does not, hot water supplies will sustain for one further day (depending on demand). Certain hotels, such as those that are open in the winter, are equipped to switch to alternative power if rain sets in for several days.
Note that while much of the following information applies to the Cretan countryside as a whole, please also see relevant chapters for notes specific to Mount Ida and Lassithi.
In and around the White Mountains walkers on a continuous route need not necessarily make reservations, because it is unlikely that all village accommodation will be full at any one time. Omalos hotels, for the Samaria Gorge, could be full on certain days of the week with group bookings, but the hamlet also has rooming houses.
If your overnight accommodation does not provide meals, there is normally somewhere nearby that does. In villages where customer turnover is not continuous, landladies produce simple home-cooked meals to order. The choice will be limited, but the food will be wholesome – eat what is on offer. Travelling food vans supply villages with fresh produce to supplement what is home-grown. Order chickpeas, beans or lentils in advance, but spaghetti and cheese or omelette and pork grills with chips are almost always available. Salad, fruit and vegetables vary in availability. Home-made wine is preferred locally, but if no other is available your own wine bought elsewhere would not offend in an informal village taverna (but ask). In mountain villages sheep’s milk yoghurt (all milk is boiled) is made in the spring. Breakfast, not usually included, will be bread and jam, tea or coffee (instant, or Greek), or ‘mountain tea’ made from local herbs. Fresh orange juice, commercially made yoghurt, eggs and local honey may also be available.
Since the mountains are unfrequented, except by shepherds, ‘wild camping’ is not a problem. However, remember not to get in the way of shepherds and their work. Cretan sheep move around in close-knit flocks. They are gentle, nervous creatures and will be afraid to come to drink (which they should do) if they see something unusual beside the cistern or near the footpath.
Noise pollution
Thanks to traffic, two-stroke engines, live music, revellers and pre-dawn garbage collections, Cretan towns are noisy at night. Coastal villages, and some mountain villages, tend to be free of church clocks, and traffic noise in the countryside ceases quite early. However, this is likely to be replaced by a cacophony of barking dogs, crowing roosters and, in the autumn, chainsaws by day. In general, loss of tranquillity due to the modern faster pace of life is fully acknowledged by all Cretans.
Backpackers might think they have solved it, camping out in the mountains, but as sheep graze after dark when it is cool flocks may pass back and forth all night, ringing their bells. To be sure of the rare luxury of silence, aim for the high mountains in the spring before the sheep arrive, or in the late autumn, after they have gone.
Crossing the Gougoutha tou Spathiou (May); Spathi in the background (Trek 2)
Mountain refuges
Other than Kallergi Refuge, above the Samaria Gorge in the Lefka Ori (Walk 4), which is run as a commercial enterprise, several mountain refuges (but not all) are looked after by the Mountain Club of Crete (EOS), which has branches in Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion. The refuges are unwardened, but kitted out with bunks, mattresses, blankets, kitchens (bottled gas), washrooms and wood stoves, and so have to be kept locked. These refuges can be useful for groups – perhaps those based in Cretan towns – but otherwise booking arrangements (with local EOS branches) are seldom convenient for visitors who are travelling around.
The EOS of Chania club premises (tel: 28210 44647) is in the basement of the same block as the Olympic Airways office opposite the Municipal Gardens. It is usually open on weekdays 1900–2200. In the Lefka Ori the refuges are Volikas above Kambi (Walk 13, Trek 2), Takis Houliopoulos near Katsiveli (see Mountain treks 4, 5 and 6) and Tavri near Niato (Walk 29). On Psiloritis, Rethymnon branch (tel: 28310 23666, Tuesdays after 2100) runs Toubotos Prinos above Kouroutes (Walk P10), and Heraklion branch, 53 Dikiosinis Avenue (tel: 2810 227609), operates Prinos above Asites (near Avgeniki) and the refuge above Limnakaro (Walk L5) in the Lassithi Mountains. Nowadays, Greek mountaineers visit mountain ranges worldwide and local refuges tend to be used for club meets in the winter.
The Chania EOS has lately waymarked EU-LEADER-funded ‘Green Initiative’ footpath routes, several of which extend the repertoire of walks within the treeline. Various colours are used. Here, it is relevant to say that paint waymarks on rocks, unless they are regularly maintained, are soon ravaged by the year-round climate. Stone-built cairns are the most long-lasting waymarks. Made by walkers stopping to take the time, they can be a welcome sign that someone else has passed by.
For details on backpacking and camping in the Cretan mountains, see below.
Insects and other hazards
Mosquitoes
These are present from the spring, especially in low-lying areas. Mountain accommodation may be free of them, at least until summer. On white walls, they are fairly easily located and swatted. Supermarkets sell anti-mosquito products – coils are low-tech and lightweight. Some hotels issue plug-in devices on request. If they do not, it is because guests have taken all the stock. Bring a good insect repellent. Alternatively, a mosquito net can be very useful in the spring and summer months. Micro mosquito nets for travel may need an additional hanging kit. Add a good length of lightweight line, some self-adhesive plastic hooks, pads or clips (from tool shops and ironmongers). Leave the hooks behind – wrenching them off spoils the plaster.
Midges
Depending on the type of vegetation nearby, midges are found in some low-lying parts of the coast. When these midges bite, the impact will wake you up but the irritation is not long-lasting. This insect appears to be unable to get through mosquito netting. If you plan to spend time camping at sea level, consider a hooped self-supporting type of net.
Cockroaches
Stamping on a cockroach apparently causes its eggs to disperse in all directions. Shovel it out of the window, in the hope that the cat will get it. Cockroaches do not bite, they are just unhygienic.
Hornets and wasps
Hornets look like large wasps and the locals say their sting is severe. Luckily this insect is not aggressive, but be careful not to provoke it. Wasps, also, do not normally attack.
Fleas and flies
Many footpaths are also sheep routes, and from the summer fleas may be in full swing in the shady sections. In the mountains, choose your camp spot carefully away from anywhere that has provided shade for animals during the day. Fleas target the warmest parts of the body and are the worst of any bites because they can irritate badly for several days. You will notice that many chapels and huts are fenced-off to keep animals from using adjacent areas of shade. If there is no breeze, flies may also spoil picnic sites that have filled up with droppings since the spring. In late September, when shepherds have burnt patches of hillside, these areas are free of insects, other than ants.
Anopolis: milking sheep at Limnia
Honeybees
Beehives are located in groups, usually beside shepherds’ roads, remote from the villages. Bees are very active in the spring, when flowers appear, and worker bees occasionally sting passing walkers. Protect the back of your neck and, if stung (quite rare), locate and remove the shaft immediately or it will continue to dispense venom. Beekeepers advise against running away – walk away quietly.
Sea urchins
Sea urchins are small, round, jet-black spiny creatures that live on rocks near the seashore. However, in recent years these environmentally sensitive creatures have been absent from much of the south coast, probably as a result of the busy ferryboat schedule. If you do happen to step on one, you will not be walking anywhere for six months, as the spines are almost impossible to extract. If in doubt, wear Velcro sandals in the sea.