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Thursday 18th June 2009
Walk from Loutro to Chora Sfakion

After a good night’s sleep we started the day like we had done on Wednesday morning with bread and honey/jam provided by our hotel. Once our tummies were full, we headed to buy our ferry tickets which took us from Chora Sfakion to Loutro. Loutro was the neighbouring village to Chora Sfakion and could only being accessed via ferry/boat. Once we had paid our 4euros each for a ticket, we boarded the ferry along with numerous other tourists, who we presume came from the North. We came to this conclusion because Chora Sfakion was a very remote region with few tourists. 72km from Chora Sfakion was the North of Crete which was supposedly attracted more tourists. The ferry journey lasted approximately 20 minutes and during this time we were able to appreciate the spectacular scenery along the coast.

On arrival in Loutro, we paused for refreshments in a local bar and noted a few differences and similarities between the two villages. We wandered through the village until we reached a hidden staircase which bought us to the start of our long coastal walk back to Chora Sfakion.

The video below shows the village of Loutro. As you can see the buildings are all white with blue shutters and windows making them all blend in. In comparison to Chora Sfakion, the buildings are all down near the sea. In chora Sfakion however, the buildings go a lot further up the cliffs.

As we walked along the predetermined route, we stopped to make observations of the biogeography and geomorphology. We also tracked our route using the GPS and marking waypoints to show the difference in land elevation.

Below you can see our route from Chora Sfakion to Loutro on the ferry and then coastal walk back to Chora Sfakion. Our route was tracked using a GPS receiver.

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Overall we were intrigued by the variation in geomorphological processes (such as mass movements including rock falls) and geomorphologic landforms. These included scree slopes, rills and gullies, gorges and erratics.

The difference in flora and micro-fauna along the walk was also noted. The difference in vegetation was very noticeable and we recorded changes in vegetation with elevation.

To put it lightly…. were all very relieved to reach Sweetwater Beach which was a nudist beach two thirds of the way along our challenging walk. We stayed for a while in Sweetwater beach to cool off in the sea and take in the beautiful scenery. The sea was refreshing to say the least!!

Sweetwater Beach

As we reached the end of Sweetwater beach, we filled up our water bottles in the natural spring. We were looking out for springs, as Peter Trudgill had mentioned in his book “In Sfakia” about “very drinkable water” (Trudgill, 2008, p.10).

After our break at Sweetwater beach we then started the final but most challenging section of the walk. We had to negotiate a bouldered track and scramble over large rocks to lead us across the coast. We were anticipating a path that cut into the cliff as described by Trudgill as “narrow and jagged with an overhang.” And he wasn’t exaggerating or joking!! The walk was very mentally and physically draining. We were competing with the heat and trying to take in the surrounding but had to also concentrate on where to place our hands and feet next. If we didn’t do this, we could have fallen off the vertical cliff into the sea!

The path we followed which was cut into the cliff

When we reached the top of the cliff and approached Anapolis road there were scenes of jubilation!! We all felt we had made personal achievements.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped via the Ilingas taverna to interview the owner about his experiences during the 5th December 2000 flood. The owner was able to give us an insightful account about the flood which threatened his business. We looked at photographss and held a informative conversation about the impacts on the flood. We discoved that the sea has actually moved backwards as a consequence of the flood bringing more sediment to the beach. The height of the beach also increased. Although the Ilingas taverna was not destroyed “water came up to the first floor” and the material underneath the taverna were removed.

Ilingas taverna on Ilingas beach was affected by the 5th December 2000 flood

On arrival back to the hotel, we have a well deserved cold shower which was soon followed by a lovely meal and ice cold beverage!!

After all the physical activity we were all completely shattered and so we had a nice relaxing evening in the hotel taverna and then headed for bed.

Another successful day came to a close.

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