Diapontia 1 – Arrival on Erikousa

The main event of my trip to Corfu was to visit the Diapontian Islands a name meaning far away or overseas. The Diapontians are part of an archipelago of islands, islets and rocks and sit about as far West as you can get in Greece. When I flew into Corfu just over 2 weeks ago I’d spotted the three little gems from the plane window and was excited to imagine what each one would bring.

I had no particular plan for Corfu because there was a big supply of hotels and studios – wherever I decided to stay I was confident that I would find accommodation. However, I had to put a bit of forethought into my visit to the Diapontians because of the limited accommodation supply and the irregular boat connections.

My original plan was to stay on each Diapontian island travelling on the Kerkyra Lines ship Evdokia. The ship departs from Corfu’s main port so it is easy to access. Whilst checking out the accommodation options on the Diapontians I found that it was expensive and hard to find availability for my dates. I also didn’t want to stay too long on an island that would cost over 100€ per night. I always prefer to stretch my budget so that I can travel for longer.

I also had a Plan B to consider. I knew that Aspiotis Lines ran tours on the boat Pegasus which left from Agios Stefanos Port. One tour departs twice a week and goes to Erikousa and the other goes to Othonoi and Mathraki. It was a reluctant option as I wanted more than a ‘hit and run’ experience of the islands, but at least it was an option.

The closer it got to my arrival on Corfu, the more pressure I was under to make a decision. When I saw that Aspiotis Lines had updated their itinerary and that the day trips were being reduced, I decided to book my stay in Agios Stefanos and go for the Plan B option. That didn’t work out very well for me as during my whole stay in Agios Stefanos, the weather was very problematic meaning that the Pegasus didn’t sail during my stay. I decided at that point to cut my losses and head to Gouvia to see a bit more of Corfu. Before I left Agios Stefanos, someone had mentioned in a San Stefanos Facebook group that there was another boat called the Vamos which sailed from Agios Stefanos to all three Diapontians – not a tour boat but a regular service for local people. This wouldn’t have been an option during my stay because it also didn’t sail due to the high winds but it did make a difference when I came to revisit my Plan A.

The ferry Evdokia departs from Corfu Town every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I could easily do 2 days on the first two islands but then I would have to do either 1 or 5 nights on the second island which wasn’t ideal. When I found out about the Chania Lines boat Vamos, it meant that I could spend 2 nights on the first two islands and then three on the third. This worked out much better.

Before I booked anything I contacted Chania Lines to see if they knew whether the boat from Othonoi to Mathraki would sail on the Saturday. The reply was followed by a couple of praying hands emojis! It looks like it may be in the lap of the Gods though Zeus hasn’t been very amenable of late!

In the meantime, I began to look at accommodation. I was able to find accommodation on Erikousa (rather expensive at 110€ per night). Finding accommodation on Othonoi was a bit more challenging which surprised me as it’s the larger of the 3 islands. I had to dig a bit deeper and on Google Maps I found a couple of accommodations which I contacted via their socials. I got an immediate reply from Tonia at the Calypso Hotel who had a room for 45€ per night. This was great because if the Vamos didn’t run after all, I could stay on Othonoi longer without breaking the bank.

I booked ferry tickets Corfu – Erikousa – Othonoi and I booked 2 nights accommodation at Erikousa Villas on Erikousa and 2 nights (or whatever) at Calypso Hotel on Othonoi. It didn’t make sense to book accommodation on Mathraki until a day or so before because all the accommodations seem to have a non-refundable booking policy.

https://kerkyralines.com/en

https://sites.google.com/view/chanialineseng/routes/diapontia

https://www.aspiotislines.gr/arxiki/

So after that bit of a preamble back to departure day which also happened to be my birthday. Not that birthdays have any special significance for me but I’m rather happy to be celebrating my 65th heading to the first of those elusive Diapontians!

I’d asked the hotel receptionist the evening before to book me a taxi for 0530 in the morning and checked that someone would be around to check me out. She confirmed yes. At 0515 I crept from my room as quietly as I could and to the reception. A gentleman on duty was preparing the dining room for breakfast. He checked me out and told me to take a seat until the taxi arrived. At 0535 there was no sign of the taxi. The man checked the handover notes and told me that he thought there had been a mistake. It looked like the lady had booked me a taxi for 0530 in the afternoon even though I’d made it very clear to her that I’d be leaving early in the morning. Anyway, another taxi was called and 10 minutes later he was there. Thank heavens I always add a little bit of contingency time into my travel plans.

I told the driver that I was catching the Evdokia. “Ah the Diapontia” he said. Corfu Port is large so this enabled him to know exactly where to take me. There were just a couple of locals waiting by the boat with bags and boxes piled up by their feet after stocking up in Corfu Town. The crew arrived and switched on the ship lights. First, small utility trucks took it in turn to reverse on and unload a whole array of items. By the time this had been completed others had arrived and we were allowed to board, stashing our bags, boxes and whatever along the side of the car deck.

It was still pitch black and a bit chilly so I joined a couple of elderly ladies in the salon. A large plastic crate like the ones supermarkets carry bread in was brought out full of cups of coffee. Everyone took a cup of the steaming hot magic elixir giving them the early morning boost they need. I felt half dead but I haven’t drunk coffee in over 20 years.

During the journey, the ladies and I take turns at swatting mosquitoes that somehow managed to get on board. I’m still a bit traumatised after my visit to Vido Island and I just can’t afford to be bitten anymore. My legs look diseased! One of the ladies asked me if I was going to Erikousa and I told her yes. She pointed to herself and said “Mathraki”. Pointing to myself I told her “Erikousa dio meres. Othonoi dio meres. Mathraki tria meres”. She counted on her fingers and said “See you Saturday!”.

As the first slithers of light began to appear I went out onto the deck to get a blast of fresh air to keep me awake. I can spot what I think is Kassiopi in the distance with a string of lights along its coastline. I conferred with an elderly man who was having a cigarette. He confirmed that it was Kassiopi. I could just about make out the Kastro in the early morning haze.

Eventually, the sun began to rise and cast its rays over the inky black water. With Corfu’s Mount Pankrotor backlit by the rising sun and the endless mountain range of Albania looming from the mist. It was quite a sight.

We began to follow Corfu’s Northern coastline and the sandstone escarpments that made up Sidari’s unique coastline were very clear. Evdokia now headed out into the open sea towards Erikousa. She began to gently roll with the waves, lulling many of the other passengers to sleep. Several had spread themselves out onto the vinyl padded seats whilst others slept upright in their chairs. The elderly ladies that I was sitting with were still fully awake and chatting and swatting. Every so often they stood to look through the window, pointing at all three islands which were in view. They even took a few photographs on their phones which touched me. This is a trip that they must do regularly and they were still in awe of their home islands.

The journey from Corfu to Erikousa is 2.5 hours. Evdokia gave two loud blasts on her horn to announce her approach to the island. I told the ladies that I would see them on Mathraki and they waved me off as I headed out of the salon. The walkway to the steps was slippery after another bout of heavy rain last night so I walked cautiously, clinging onto the wall and the railing. Once down the steps and onto the car deck I retrieved my case and waited at the exit for that first view of Erikousa. The ship’s mouth slowly opened to reveal what would be my home for the next few days. There is no other feeling like the arrival on a new island!

Passengers disembarked first onto a small concrete platform. We then walked along a narrow walkway where several yachts were moored. Behind me was a lorry revving its engine keen to follow, but passengers must clear the walkway first. I can’t believe that the lorry would fit along this narrow stretch of concrete but it does and is soon behind me by the time I reach the harbour.

It was a bit of a walk actually and I had to take a breather now and again. I watched the Evdokia leave the port and head off to Othonoi. As I reached the entrance to the village my phone rang. It is my host from Erikousa Villas asking where I was. I told him that I was just entering the village. He had been waiting for me at the port which I didn’t know and somehow he hadn’t spotted me. He told me to wait and he would be there in two minutes.

He arrived in his utility truck and introduced himself as Christos. Bags were put into the back of the ‘ute’ and we drove the short distance to the villas. He parked the truck outside the bakery which I had read belonged to Christos and his wife but he told me that it was now closed. He advised that the only place open was the taverna which also had a minimarket attached to it. I was sure this would be ample to cater for my two nights here.

Christos showed me around the villa which is a duplex apartment set in a beautiful walled garden. He told me that the storm covers had been put onto the upstairs windows and asked if it bothered me. I told him that it didn’t and confirmed that I was a very low-maintenance guest. Actually, the the storm covers made the bedroom feel quite womb-like so was hopefully conducive to a good night’s sleep. Before leaving he told me that the hot water had been switched on and to give it a little bit of time to heat up.

The access to the bedroom is via a spiral staircase so I decided not to carry my case upstairs. Instead, I took the coat hangers from the wardrobe and hung a couple of dresses from the wrought iron stair railings. This is not for the sake of aesthetics. I don’t mind if my clothes are crumpled but I like my clothes to be clean and fresh smelling. Hanging them up gives them a bit of an airing. As I was only going to be there for 2 nights everything else stayed in the case in their respective packing cubes – an absolute godsend whilst travelling.

It seemed that I was the only person staying at Erikousa Villas and they had probably closed up some time ago. TBH I struggled to see how the price of 120€ per night at this time of year could be justified. It was the only place that I could find with availability so maybe that is what they had capitalised on. It is a very similar property to one I stayed in on Oinousses at the same time of year and I paid 70€ per night. Anyway, I had expected my stay in this part of Greece to be higher than in the Dodecanese and Northern Aegean so I will have to suck it up.

I’d decided at the last minute to bring the kettle that I’d bought in Gouvia with me so I relished that first morning cup of tea!

As exhausted as I was, I needed to get some breakfast and walked the short distance to Oasis Bar/Taverna/Supermarket to see what was on offer. I was surprised to see that almost every table outside had been taken – and these weren’t locals. Where on earth had they all come from? As it looked busy I decided to purchase some breakfast items from the the little shop. Stocks were low but I was able to buy some pain au chocolates, crisps, retsina and water. That did for starters though the man told me that I couldn’t pay by card so cash it was. I returned to the apartment to have a pain au chocolat with another cup of tea.

I did attempt to do a bit of exploration down by the harbour but as soon as I’d got there, dark clouds arrived over the island and rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance. It was time to seek refuge back at the apartment. By lunchtime, I’d remembered that it was my birthday so I cracked open the retsina and crisps and sat and watched the weather show. The thunder continued getting closer and I saw the odd crack of lightning but nothing as spectacular as what I’d witnessed on Corfu a few nights ago. Then the wind picked up and brought with it the rain which was torrential but short-lived.

It was now time for a long overdue shower. Unfortunately, the water was still stone cold. I sent Christos a Whatsapp message to let him know that the water hadn’t heated up. Several minutes later he was calling me from outside. He said that there was a problem with the water. He said that he needed a plumber but there wasn’t one on the island but he’d have a go at fixing it himself. I left him to it fully prepared to have to boil a kettle and have a stand-up wash.

In the meantime, I had a brief sleep to recover from the 4.30am alarm call. Later that afternoon I tried the water again and it was still cold. As the weather had brightened up I decided to go out and explore. Christos was outside in a soaking wet T-shirt and told me he was doing his best to fix the hot water and hoped that he’d finally done it. He said that I needed to allow a bit of time for it to heat up. He offered me a ride up the hill behind the village. He was taking his wife so I could come along for the ride and then walk down. So off we set.

During the drive up, he told me a bit about the island and that it has about 400 residents. He asked me which was bigger, Erikousa or Othonoi. I replied Othonoi as I’d been studying the map of the Diapontia for some time. He then asked me if I’d visited Kythira and Santorini and if so, which was the bigger. The answer was simple – Kythira as Santorini is small. “Ah” he said “but which one is the most important?” I wasn’t sure what he meant by important but he went on to tell me that despite its size, Santorini was most important because of its tourism. In the same token, Erikousa is the most important Diapontia because it gets the most tourism.

When we arrive at the top of the hill, Mrs Christos and myself get out of the car and she continued to walk up another steep road. I wish I’d asked where she was going but looking on the map there is a village called Gitonies in that direction. After perusing the landscape, the first thing that I noticed was the unusual geology. There are swathes of smooth grey stone that appear like lava flows frozen in time.

I tried to find out more about the geology of Erikousa and the only information I could find came from an academic paper that studied the Diapontian islands. There was no mention of Erikousa being volcanic but what it did suggest (if I’ve understood it correctly) is the islands were borne from the Pindus foreland. Thrusts of sedimental deposits were formed in the late Oligocene period which occurred 23-33 million years ago.  Known as a slump, it occurs when a mass of loosely consolidated materials moves a short distance down a slope. This is exactly what it looks like – but I’m no palaeontologist! What is incredible is how Cyprus trees manage to grow out of nothing but rock! I haven’t seen anything quite like it.

The island is lush and green with vegetation including several agave plants whose sword-like leaves look a little out of place. The bright yellow and purple autumn crocuses are already in full bloom and clusters of heather can be seen in abundance. The island Erikousa was named after the heather which is part of the Ericaceae family also known as Erica to us gardeners.

I began to make the descent down the narrow concrete road, sometimes crossing onto other paths that form a network over the island. At one point I had a clear view over to Sidari, easily recognisable by its sandstone escarpments. Something struck me as I walked around the island – all of the houses were new. I did stumble across the odd ‘older’ building but nothing traditionally built. I will have to investigate this further.

Once down at sea level, I followed the road around to the old port of Porto Vecchio. There was nothing there except a closed-up bar called Fiki Beach Bar but I’d read that this is the best location on the island to view the sunset. Further around I found myself back at the port area of Porto with its rather desolate-looking beach. I’m sure it looks far more appealing during summer but now there is nothing enticing me on to it. Close to the harbour, there were further examples of that smooth rock which resembles the body of a sleeping walrus with its huge folds of grey flab.

By then I was hungry so I took a slow amble to Oasis Bar/taverna/mini market to eat. Once again the tables were full and I realised that everyone was from one of the many yachts moored in the harbour. There is a certain look with yachties. The men – shorts, polo T-shirt with the collar up, baseball cap and wrap-around sunglasses attached with a cord. Women – shorts, polo T-shirt with the collar down and a sweater slung over the shoulders tied at the front with and without a baseball cap. It’s the classic look. Before you think I’m being disparaging about yachters, my father built, sailed and raced his own yachts.

The man who seemed to single-handedly run the mini market and the taverna was running back and forth like a madman. When he wasn’t serving trays of drinks he was carrying more tables and chairs from the back. There was a group of 6 people before me waiting to be seated. They seemed to get the last extra tables available. I followed him into the taverna building and asked if there was a chance for me to get a table. He shrugged his shoulders and told me “No, I don’t think so”. I was both shocked and disappointed. The petulant 4-year-old in me wanted to stamp my feet and tell him that it was my birthday, that I was hungry and I wanted a nice meal. Instead, I told him very calmly that I’d arrived on the island very early that morning and that I needed something to eat.

He told me to wait a minute and miraculously found another table from the back which he squeezed onto the edge of the outside area and grabbed a chair from another table. He continued to race around the tables still taking orders and running with plates of food from the kitchen. I kind of felt sorry for him but I was still a bit peeved. What annoyed me even more was that most of these yacht people weren’t even having a meal. They’d just come for beer including the 6 that arrived just before me. And I was nearly turned away from much-needed sustenance! Anyway, he didn’t have half of the things on the menu so I had a Greek salad and chicken souvlaki washed down with some white wine and for that, I was truly grateful. for dessert I had more wine. Happy birthday to me………………………………..