Walking in and around Lakka – The Small Reservoir and the Lighthouse

Lakka has some fairly easy and yet interesting walking routes most of which I stumbled across with a little assistance from Google Maps. One circular walk that I did a couple of times started in the square of Lakka and followed what I called the western road (pink) as opposed to the eastern road (yellow) that I’d taken to Loggos.

The road out of the village is quiet with barely any traffic which is another good reason to visit out of season. After 15 minutes of walking, there is a place set back from the roadside where old boats who’ve passed their sell-by date come to die. Lying underneath the sprawling branches of several olive trees, a row of decaying sea vessels was becoming absorbed into the landscape as tall grass and vines weaved their tendrils into every nook and cranny. A memorial to the water taxis of the past.

Just beyond here is a sharp turning on the right which is easy to miss. From here a steep gravel track leads me up to a plateau that forms the edge of a small reservoir. Before I took this path I noticed a building above me that initially looked like an old church. I was curious about it so I continued on the steep track to explore it further. After walking its perimeter it was still hard to determine what this building had been. Maybe it had been someone’s residence or something to do with the reservoir and water treatment operation. Whatever it was, it now lay empty just to serve as a practice canvas for budding artists.

Back at the edge of the reservoir I noticed that the hedgerows were alive with dragonflies. One caught my attention right away because of its colour – bright fuchsia pink. I’d never seen a dragonfly like it before. It was a little skittish which made it difficult to photograph. The photo is a little blurry but it was the best I could do with my camera phone.

After following the path to the other side of the reservoir, another one diverged off to the left taking me past sprawling olive groves. I soon arrived at the church and cemetery of St John the Baptist.

The road from the church began to climb again and after a few helter-skelter turns, I was now on a road looking down over the church. Here I had views across the deeply forested landscape illuminated by rich green hues of fir and the smokey green of the olive groves. All of this I was able to enjoy in complete solitude.

A minute or two later, I arrived in a quiet little hamlet where one of the houses had brightly coloured pots along the wall. On the roadside was a well-tended shrine which Google Maps told me was a shrine to Agia Fotini. Inside it was a delicately embroidered lace cloth providing the backdrop for two Amstel pint glasses filled with freshly picked flowers.

Further along the road, I caught sight of the coastline on the western side of the island and the Lakka Lighthouse which was the direction I was aiming for.

Chickens roamed freely pecking and scratching at the dust. A lone pheasant ran into the hedgerow when it heard me. Aggelaya had told me that it was the season for hunting. She couldn’t remember the name of the word in English but she described it as a small bird that can be eaten. This must be it.

I came across two more churches with cemeteries, both within a short distance of each. The first one doesn’t appear on Google Maps nor can I see its name anywhere. Tied to a gnarly olive tree are two copper and bronze bells, one of which has taken on the bright blue-green coat of verdigris.

The second church does have a name according to Google Maps. The Church of St Vasilios Dalietatika has an almost identical pair of bronze and copper bells tied to an olive tree. I was reminded of the sound of funerary bells. Even if you were to hear them for the first time there would be no mistaking its solemn and mournful sound. However, weddings have also taken place here as the ground underneath the olive trees was littered with rifle cartridges.

As usual, I became so engrossed in everything that I missed a turning to the lighthouse and found myself on the path back down to Lakka. The old school house in Lakka is so iconic that I found myself spotting little vistas of it whenever I walked around the bay. Many people will recognise this building from the TV series Maestro in Blue. It was built in 1906 as a primary school, but is now home to the Paxos Nautical Athletic Club. Here children take their first steps into sailing in their single-sailed dinghies often spotted out in the bay.

Now to attempt the walk to the lighthouse again. It is easy to get there from Lakka – you’ll spot the sign in the village square. I interpreted it to mean turn right AND up rather than one or the other! It is a nice standalone walk or one that can be combined with the reservoir walk (if you don’t get lost).

Again it’s a fairly steep path up from the square but once up at the top, there is plenty of signage to point you in the right direction.

The lighthouse was built in 1825 during the time of British rule of the Ioanian Islands. It was powered originally by oil and in 1864 it became part of the Greek network of lighthouses. In 1913 the ground under the lighthouse subsided leaving a huge crater 200 metres long and 20 metres deep. In 1916 work on the new lighthouse began and in 1919 it came into operation – again powered by oil. In 1979, the lighthouse was converted to electricity.

From the lighthouse, you get good views of the rocky coastline on the western side of the island. This side of the island is subject to the strong maistros wind and although the sea here can be choppy, Plani Beach is worth visiting. Just take the path back up until it reaches an intersection and follow the other path back down.

I also walked most of the way to Kanoni Beach and the northernmost tip of the island. It took me past a couple of small holdings with the sorriest-looking turkeys I’d ever seen. A rain shower cut this walk short but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Despite the very brief shower, the weather overall has been perfect for walking and October has been a lovely time to visit Paxos.

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