Greece - Korina Miller [328]
Getting There & Away
There are daily connections to and from Naxos to the Little Cyclades but services can be disrupted when sea conditions are poor; make sure you have plenty of time before committing yourself – these islands are not meant for last-minute visits or for one-night tick lists. In recent years the big Blue Star car ferries have established a regular schedule from Piraeus via Naxos to all of the Little Cyclades islands and on to Amorgos and Astypalea and back.
The sturdy little ferry Express Skopelitis ( 22850 71256/519; Katapola, Amorgos) runs from Naxos (daily in summer, four days a week in winter) to the Little Cyclades and Amorgos. It’s a defining Cycladic experience but bad weather can blow the schedule. Most seating is open deck so, when it’s windy, brace yourself for some real rocking and rolling. In rough weather you’ll know what’s coming when the crew starts dishing out the see-through sick bags. If you’re on deck, work out exactly which side of the boat is protected from wind and sea on each section between islands and stay there, or that bracing sea air may become a bracing Aegean Sea deluge. Regardless of sea conditions, locals, the crew and this writer head straight below for the comfy saloon and bar where they become engulfed in cigarette smoke and gossip. The choice is yours…
For details see Island Hopping (Iraklia, Schinousa, Koufonisia and Donousa).
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IRAKLIA ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΑ
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Iraklia (ir-a-klee-a) is only 19 sq km in area, a little Aegean gem dozing in the sun. Dump the party gear and spurn the nightlife, the ‘sightseeing’ and the dreary souvenirs. Instead, brace yourself for a serene and quiet life and Iraklia will not disappoint. Only in July and August will you have to share the idyll with like-minded others.
The island now has the distinction of having the first offshore desalination plant in Greece. And it’s driven by solar panels and windpower. You pass it as you enter the harbour. Raise a cheer for sustainability.
The port and main village of Iraklia is Agios Georgios. It has an attractive covelike harbour, complete with a sandy beach. Turn right at the end of the ferry quay, and then go up left for a well-supplied general store, Perigiali Supermarket. Further uphill is a smaller store and kafeneio (coffee house) called Melissa’s, which is also the ferry ticket office, postal agency and perennial gossip shop. There are card phones outside Perigiali Supermarket and Melissa’s and there is an ATM just up from the harbour. A medical centre is located next to Perigiali Supermarket. The island’s website is www.iraklia.gr.
A surfaced road leads off to the left of the ferry quay, and after about 1km you’ll reach Livadi, the island’s best beach. A steep 2.5km further on is Hora (Panagia). Where the road forks at the village entrance, keep to the right for the main street.
A surfaced road has recently been extended from Hora to Tourkopigado Beach.
The island’s major ‘sight’ is the Cave of the Sacred Icon of Agios Giannis, which can be reached on foot from Panagia in a four-hour return trip. The path starts just beyond the church at a signpost on the right and is very rocky and steep in places; boots or walking shoes are essential and you should take plenty of water. At the site there is a large open cave on the left. On the right, white-painted rocks surround the apparently tiny entrance to the main sequence of caves. A torch is useful and the initial scramble along a low-roofed tunnel is worth it, leading as it does to caves full of stalactites and stalagmites. On 28 August, the eve of the death of John the Baptist, crowds of local people assemble at the cave and crawl inside to hold a candle-lit service.
Beyond the cave the path leads to the beach at Alimia, which is also served by boat from Agios Georgios in summer, offering a short-cut to the cave.
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