Three Points of the Compass hiked the Corfu Trail in April 2024. Typically for so early in the year, weather had been variable, deteriorating from hot and dry, to firstly rain at night, then during the day too. Following a rest and resupply day at Liapades, it was time to get back on trail and continue northward for the remainder of this beautiful island trail.

Day six- 20 April: rest and resupply

I slept well and never even noticed the rain that apparently kept falling most of the night. However it dawned bright and sunny, perfect hiking weather in fact! But today was my rest day, though there wasn’t a great deal of rest, at least not at first. I had booked two (quite expensive) breakfasts for the next two mornings and while the Corfiots don’t really ‘do’ breakfast, I at least wanted to see what was on offer. Hard boiled egg and self-made cheese and ham toastie with orange juice had to suffice. After that, back to the room as everything that had been soaked in yesterday’s downpour had to be dried off. I had to carefully separate the soaked pages of my dismembered guide book and spread them to dry. I had done my washing the previous night so that all went on an airer on the balcony. The quilt got aired out too and once the Duplex was dry, having been hung out on the balcony, I brought it in to repair some holes that had been poked through the floor on the last wildcamp. Holes in my shorts then required sewing. These were an old pair when I brought them out here and this was not their first repair.  Time for a new pair I think.

Then it was time to venture out and try and find somewhere for a small resupply of food and provide the makings of a meal tonight. The little supermarket in Gefira was closed so I walked into the neighbouring village. The equally as small shop there had no fresh food, only dry and tinned, but at least it was open. Having carried my small haul back to my accommodation, I managed to fit in a bit of a nap, and then catch up on trail notes in my journal. And that was about it. I cooked (heated) a poor evening meal of tinned stuff, ventured down to the Taverna bar that was enjoying its opening night, having been closed since last October, but didn’t stay long. I retreated to my balcony to enjoy the remainder of my bottle of red wine. And that was my day off. Showered and clean. Freshly washed hiking clothes for the morrow, repairs done, a full belly and an early night. Back on trail tomorrow.

Day seven- 21 April: Gefira, Liapades to Drosato

I didn’t linger over breakfast, just long enough to eat a toastie, drink some lukewarm tea and snaffle a banana and some honey for later. Spiros was there, with one member of his previous group of two remaining, but now joined by four new hikers, just walking the northern section. They all ignored me though I heard Spiros say that more rain was forecast and they would likely start their walk around midday. As it was, I never saw any of them again. Back to my room and shoulder my pack. Then hand in my key and walk down to the little beach. From there it is a clamber back up the northern cliffs, which wasn’t particularly difficult.

Today was a particularly lovely section, with frequent views over Paleokastritsa bay and the rocky coastline and islands beyond. I met a couple of Czech backpackers at Lakones and we walked together for a short while until I waved them on, preferring to walk alone at my own pace.

There was a particular gem of the Corfu Trail today. The old donkey track, the ‘kalderimi’, is followed down to the olive groves and then the beach that leads into Agios Georgios north. This path is cut from the cliff rock, it gently descends with hairpin bends. I met a German out for a day walk and we stopped to chat, discussing the likelihood of the rain out to sea coming in and hitting us. As it was, he no doubt got soaked later, back up on the path I had just descended, while I had some shelter lower down through the olives. But on emerging, it was heavy rain all the way into town. I met the Czechs again, and the three of us sat out the rain in a café, drinking strong Greek Coffee and chatting about past and future walking plans. I found that the two of them had decided to skip the climbs on the trail over the next two days and head north instead, before swinging round and following the coast to the end. We waved our goodbyes and I went out to find the trail again, the sun now strong and the humidity sky- rocketing as a result. I had a bit of a dip in humour at this point. One of my poles had broken and I would have preferred having them both on the slippery clay path climbs. My shoes were heavy with clag, I was passing far too many fly-tipped piles of rubbish and my mood darkened. But, the sun stayed out, the track dried out, the terrain became easier and I brightened up considerably.

Typically, the trail decided it had spent enough time on the west coast, it was time to cross the island yet again. More hills to climb, more hills to descend, It became quite a long day but now drier, very pleasant walking and I also managed to fit in a taverna halt at Pagi for a decent, if late, lunch. After Aspiotades I began thinking about finding a halt for the night and having passed the monastery at Agios Stefanos I walked up into the olive groves in search of an OK wildcamp spot. There were quite a few properties around so I had to hide myself away a bit and there was no view. It wasn’t the best of sites but was level. There were also quite a few mozzies flying around but the Duplex has good bug netting and plenty of room so it was no hardship to live inside the shelter, with all four doors open, on an airy good evening. With care, I brewed up inside the shelter as dusk fell. Again, the fireflys came out to intermittently light up the gloom and yet another Scops Owl began its persistent call from the trees.

Day eight- 22 April: Drosato to Mount Pandokratoras

Again, a bit of rain overnight but nothing dramatic. I never even bothered closing the tent doors. It was dry by the time I packed up. From there it was easy and enjoyable walking. I had occasional views of the Greek mainland, the snow and recent avalanches clear on the peaks of the taller mountains. Reaching a junction of roads I paused at a café there, every coming and going local taking care to politely greet me. Soon after that I came across yet another small group of abandoned vehicles, amongst them a decrepit old Reliant three-wheeler pick-up, a model I didn’t even know existed. It was only after completing the trail that I found out a large number of these had been supplied to Greece back in the 1970s.

I had a destination in mind today. I knew the next day was going to deliver poor weather so wanted to get over Pandokratoras, Corfu’s tallest peak, today as I didn’t want to be navigating across the plateau in the cloud and rain. But for now, it was a lovely day.

Many of the olive groves had a plastic gallon container hanging from a branch. This is the local way of showing that the ground has recently been sprayed with herbicide, and strong stuff it is too. It kills off every bit of competing greenery below the olive trees. It is not only a warning not to wildcamp in these areas, for who wants to be getting that stuff on them. But also that in the unlikely event you do find running water, to steer clear of it, as no filter is going to get those chemicals out of the water. Just for a change from the plastic container, I passed a grove with a skull and crossbones sign nailed to a tree.

On reaching the tiny village of Sokraki I again found an open taverna. It does seem as though there were more places open the further north I went. But, again, not looking a gift horse in the mouth and not knowing how fortunate I might be later. I decided to have a decent meal and call it breakfast/lunch/dinner. I sat outside the establishment while the proprietor rattled together my order within. One of the many village cats, more properly a kitten, joined me. If it expected pickings from my plate, it was disappointed and I frequently had to shoo it away from climbing up on to my table and putting its nose in my plate. I managed to eat my omelette and fried potatoes, but most of the Greek salad was transferred to my cook pot to be consumed later that evening in the tent. Just as well as it was dark by the time I finally ate it.

This provided the necessary energy to finish my day. Having left Sokraki there was a crossing of a valley and its vineyards to finally reach Spartillas and from there it is a steady slog up 600m of limestone to cross Mount Pandokratoras. The true peak loomed ahead to my right, unclimbed, as the Corfu Trail skips around its upper flank. The views are excellent on the ascent and I took advantage of them frequently. You are advised by the guide book to follow the occasional splashes of red paint on the rocks but be warned, a lot of them are faded, almost completely in places and having reached the scrubby flatter false top, it became ever more difficult to follow where the trail actually went. I lost it frequently but it isn’t difficult to keep in the general direction as the aerials on its summit act as excellent points of reference, on a fine day that is. On reaching the rocky karsitic plateau, it is quite difficult underfoot and my weariness manifested itself in often catching my toes crossing it. If I had wanted to, I would have found it impossible to camp amongst these close placed rocks and even the very few flatter grassy dips occasionally encountered are inadvisable as cattle roam the top and descend to these at night.

The summit road it finally reached. The paint daubs head off right but they are the wrong paint and wrong daubs. The trail heads left until then striking northward. The end of trail coastline was now in sight. I was running out of daylight and kept testing the narrow verge for suitability. It was too narrow, and it was solid rock beneath the sparse vegetation, I walked on. Then, lucky me, on a bend was a tree, beyond the tree a slight rise and the most perfect of small grass and herb enclosures with soft easy soil and a level platform for tonight’s slumber. Attempting to avoid any orchids, the tent was up in two minutes. I had very little water left and saved what I had for a brew the following morning. Night fell, and I ate my salad saved from earlier from my cook pot, watching a bat flying around the tree beside me. Further off, I could hear a goat herder cursing his charges as he attempted to gather them together.  The clanking of their bells muffled by his exasperation as dusk fell. I then settled for the night. Teeth brushing would have to wait, and if ever there was the most cursory of body wipes, it was tonight, and I hoped I hadn’t picked up any ticks in this goat grazed area. It had been a long but good day.

Day nine- 23 April: Mount Pandokratoras to Agios Spiridonas

Needless to say, I slept well. It did rain, but only slightly. My morning brew was very welcome and I packed quickly as I wanted plenty of time to find my overnight accommodation later. Just for a change, it is almost all downhill today with very little ascent. Good walking all the way down to ancient Old Perithia, where just about every one of the 150 buildings is a historic survivor. I could see no café amongst them and thought I would have to about face and simply carry on down the hill to the coast when I saw a couple sitting eating a breakfast in a small courtyard.

I walked on to the small fenced terraced courtyard, a lady walked out of a building and asked “can I help you?“. “Yes, can I have a coffee please?” A moments hesitation, “Yes, certainly“. “…and a toastie perhaps“, “No, we don’t do those. I can give you some Greek yoghurt if you like“. “Thank you, and some freshly squeezed orange juice please“. I went and sat at an empty table in the courtyard. And slowly, ever so slowly, realised I had just walked into an upmarket bed and breakfast establishment and demanded serving. The breakfast was excellent, the yoghurt accompanied by strawberries and dotted with pumpkin seeds, with a small jar of local honey for drizzling over. When I went to pay later, the husband had no idea what to charge me. I do know it was a very small amount.

After brekkie it was continue off down the mountain to the coast. It is a lovely walk. First through a flower clothed valley, then into woodland with oaks and ferns. A final section of olive groves and then the trail loses its beauty as it crosses a road and heads into an area of scattered homesteads.

Finally reaching the coastline and turning to follow the sandy vehicle track alongside it, to pass houses with their fenced gardens, with the usual frantic dogs barking and running up and down. Onward, to Almiros beach and its white sand. This is a tourist hotspot, even at this time of year and families and couples were here in good numbers. I finally reached Agios Spiridonas and the end of the Corfu Trail. I first visited a shop for water, drinking one large bottle the moment I stepped outside, then asked a couple attempting to mind their own business to take my end-of-trail photo. And that was about it. I went into one of the tavernas here for celebratory pizza and beer, afterward asking them to call me a taxi. It was while sitting at the table that I found two ticks crawling up my leg. The only ones I had seen all trail.

Looking back up toward Mount Pandokratoras from my coastal town, I couldn’t see the top two-thirds. It was now cloaked in angry looking clouds, carrying rain, brown in colour from the dust the winds had carried here from the Sahara. I was glad I wasn’t still up there.

The taxi later delivered me to a cheap apartment in nearby Acharavi. What I had originally booked as an overnighter had been extended to three nights as I was ahead of schedule. Time for some rest, some sightseeing, some good food and, perhaps, a couple of beers. Corfu Trail, done!

Navigation:

At 592km² Corfu is fairly small, the 13th in size of the Mediterranean islands. Just the right size to make for a decent walk over a week or more. The Corfu Trail starts at Kavos in the south and wends its way north to end at Agios Spiridonas. There is a variant path that wanders off toward the end but I never followed that, choosing instead to stick to the 150km route as laid out in the excellent Walking and Trekking Corfu, guide book from Cicerone. Only about a quarter of this 227g volume covers the Corfu Trail so I did something I can’t recall having done before, which was to destroy a book. Cutting out the relevant pages, which reduced both volume and weight to just 56g. I know I could have a digital version, but wanted hard copy. Freytag & berndt produce a good 1:50 000 ‘road and leisure’ map to the island that shows both trail and variants but I left that 189g non-waterproof map at home so that Mrs Three Points could follow my progress. I took instead, the far lighter and waterproof 1:40 000 map from Discovery Walking Guides and was pleased I did as not only is it accurate and very helpful but it was soaked through on many an occasion, drying out without harm.

Despite a couple of longer days, I pretty much took my time on the Corfu Trail. Knocking a few miles off later afternoon/evening following arrival on the island from the UK made quite a difference. It would be easy to walk it over less days than I, especially if also wildcamping, and forego the rest day I took, but I would urge you not to. Take time to enjoy the island, trail and the friendly people you will almost certainly encounter.

I did take a hard copy book with me to read in airports, days off, possibly even on quiet evenings in the tent, the latter time never materialising. However my choice of volume was poor. Deciding something relevant to the trail might be apt, Walking the Corfu Trail, with Friends, Flowers and Food by John Walker is recommended by many but was not to my liking at all. I found the writing style self aggrandising and the trail itself deserves better. The book has its fans, I am not among them and I should have ditched the extra weight rather than carrying the paperback the distance.

Around 12 500 people walk the Corfu Trail each year but I saw few during my time on trail. Just five backpackers walking south to north, as I did. Days later, six people as part of a guided party, same direction, and four backpackers walking north to south, which is an inadvisable direction, being both into the sun and making it difficult to follow trail markers. I walked the trail in April, which is pre-tourist season and few establishments are open, there is also more chance of inclement weather. I felt I made the right call. It is cooler for walking (high summer can be punishing) and a more solitary experience can be enjoyed. You take a chance with the weather, and should go equipped for just about anything. I carried my typical three-season UK backpacking gear with the exception of carrying no water filter, but included a useful solar panel.

One final note. You might read about the rubbish encountered on the Corfu Trail. It is true. There are a great many places suffering from illegal flytipping or simple laziness. But it isn’t universal and when found, quickly passed. Without trying to diminish such a vulgar act, I have seen just as bad on many trails in the UK. The simple fact is, the Corfu Trail is a beautiful gem of a walk, go and enjoy it.