Slow Walking on Antipaxos
My six nights on Paxos was nearly at an end. Before I headed back to Corfu I really wanted to visit Antipaxos. It would be ridiculous to get so close and not make it. Thankfully I’d found a boat that would enable me to visit Antipaxos for the day – not a tour boat to the beaches the island is famous for but a boat that enables the locals to tend to business and then return to Paxos at the end of the day.
The boat Achialos was due to depart at 0830 so I made sure I was in Gaios in good time. I opted for the taxi rather than relying on the school bus which had been a little hit and miss. I arrived in Gaios just as the sun was beginning to rise. There must have been a high tide the night before because the harbour and Plaza de l’Ascension had been flooded creating some photo-worthy reflections.
I walked to the office of Zefi Travel half expecting it to be closed. Their office opening hours were advertised as being from 0900 but the boat was due to depart at 0830. Thankfully they had opened early to sell the tickets. The lady told me that once the boat had departed they would close the office again. Tickets cost 1.27€ per way.
The Achialos has the look and feel of a local boat with padded vinyl seats and matching curtains. Just a handful of us are going to Antipaxos today- all locals except me. As we boarded we were greeted by an excitable dog kept in check by the crewman. Several boxes of produce were loaded up and soon we were sailing out of the harbour towards our destination.
The sun was still making its ascent, painting the buildings along the waterfront a warm, egg-yoke yellow. There’s something about that golden glow when it hits your skin that makes you feel healthy and alive. In most instances, after travelling for more than a month I begin to feel exhaustion creep up on me. On this trip, I couldn’t have felt better. I felt such a strong sense of wellness both mentally and physically. I wish I could put my finger on what has been different about this trip but I’m maximising on its effects before I return to the dreary grey weather back home.
We bobbed and bounced our way over to little Antipaxos and in 15 minutes we were there. We disembarked at the tiny port of Agrapidia. A couple of locals were waiting to retrieve their deliveries from the boat. The men who had boarded the boat in Gaios jumped onto waiting motorbikes and headed up into the hills. There were a couple of tracks leading up from the port but looking at the map, they all led to the main arterial road that ran from north to south. It will be impossible to get lost on this island.
Just as I reached the top of the track, a man in a jeep stopped to ask me if I needed a lift anywhere. I told him that I was going to walk the island and asked if he could recommend the best direction to go. He told me that there wasn’t anything of interest on the island except a church and the lighthouse. Well, both of those will be good as a starting point. I wondered if he was trying to set my expectations low so I wouldn’t be disappointed. Little did he know that I’m eternally curious and could find the smallest of things interesting.
From the tip of the island in the north at Paralia Vrika to the Akra Ovoros lighthouse in the south, it’s 4 kilometres in distance which will make walking the island very doable. Most people will come to Antipaxos for its spectacular beaches primarily Paralia Vrika and Paralia Vroutoumi which offer those incredible turquoise waters that send most people into raptures. During the summer, a stream of water taxis ferry tourists from Gaios to these beaches which I imagine get very crowded in peak season. But I’m not here for the beaches. I want to see the landscape which I hope will give me much more sense of the place.
At the top of the track, I decided to head north. The first part of the route was along a gravel track flanked by imposing stone walls and clusters of pink and lilac cyclamen. At some points, the walls towered above me giving no indication of what was behind them. It felt quite maze-like. Walking towards me was a middle-aged Italian couple. They asked me where I was going and I told them nowhere in particular. They asked me if I had enough water with me as there would be nowhere to buy any. I reassured them I’d be fine. We said our goodbyes and I continued on towards the church. Here the road began to open up a little though ‘track’ is probably a better description for it.
The island didn’t seem to have a centre. Old stone cottages and a couple of villas were dotted around some with views of the bay below. Many had extensive plots thickly planted with fruit trees and grapevines. Of course, Antipaxos is famous for its red wine and it seems that the properties are well protected not only by high walls but all manner of security systems. I even saw one high wall embedded with huge shards of broken glass – is that still a thing here? I don’t think I’d seen anything like this level of security on a small island before and it was a bit of a surprise.
Once I’d reached the north of the island I was tempted to walk to Vrika or Voutoumi beach. In the end, I decided against it as there are 200 steps down to Voutoumi Beach. Getting down wasn’t the problem but getting back up in the midday heat would have been. At this point, I was aware that I needed to conserve my remaining water and I didn’t want to go off-track. The couple of tavernas that operate on the island had closed for the season. I turned around and began to walk south towards the lighthouse.
As I reached the centre of the island again, I passed an interesting ‘art installation’. These abandoned items had been placed with intent and my imagination ran wild with the story behind it and the significance of the items. Of course, there may be none there’s nothing wrong with a little creative interpretation.
After walking for 3km, I could see the lighthouse poking out from the top of a dense pine wood. I had to push my way through a thick undergrowth before I arrived at the entrance where two rusting wrought iron gates were clinging onto their hinges for dear life.
The lighthouse is a typical 20th-century construction, a square design made from local stone. It was inaugurated in 1906 making it the younger brother (or sister) to the Lakka Lighthouse. Like the Lakka Lighthouse, it was initially powered by oil and then converted to electricity in 1985. In 1992 it became fully automated protecting the vessels that sail through the busy shipping lane below.
The ground floor building which used to be the lighthouse keeper’s residence is locked – a shame as I like to have a nosey around. One of the outbuildings however is open. It seems to be a storage room doubling up as a workshop probably harking back to the days when the lighthouse keeper was responsible for maintaining the building.
Back on the track I headed onto the main arterial road which took me past several holiday villas and again lots of well-protected grape vines. I followed a different path back down to the now deserted port. I realised that since arriving on Antipaxos I’d only bumped into the three people that I’d mentioned.
Along the back of the harbour, a row of motorbikes were parked along the roadside. Some waiting to be picked up by locals arriving on the island and others left to die.
A small stone shelter with a public payphone was the only facility there. Standing next to it was a battered old plastic chair which I took to the small stone beach adjacent to it. I had another hour or so to kill so I found some music on my phone and spent the rest of the afternoon beach combing, reflecting and chasing butterflies. I wanted to remember this moment. One that was free of stress and worry and to embrace the much sought-after feeling of wellness.
Just before 1600, the Achialos came bobbing across the sea towards the harbour. As if out of nowhere the three men that had caught the boat with me in the morning had gathered by the jetty, parking their motorbikes alongside the other ones.
We sailed back to Gaios and my thoughts turned to returning to Corfu in the morning for the final few days of my trip. ❤️
You do well to go all day without eating Stephanie – I’d have needed my picnic !! Lovely peaceful walk.