Category Archives: Hiking

Symi: Autumn life

Posted on November 24, 2021 by BarryH

Back home in Grey Britain now. Warmer than average for this time of year, cloud acting as insulating blanket kept temperatures up through much of November – but spirits down. Mostly between what mountaineers call ‘claggy’ and ‘very claggy’ – … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Greece, Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged Autumn Crocuses, biarum marmarisense, Colchicum Autumnale, Greece, Symi, tortoise | 1 Comment

Nisyros: rambling through history

Posted on October 7, 2021 by BarryH

A week of trekking around Nisyros. So much to see. So many familiar places to revisit. Such a warm welcome from so many people. What impressed us first when we arrived on a day trip from Tilos in 2001, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Weather | Tagged Armas, Autumn Crocuses, caldera, Greece, Nifios, Nisyros, Oros Diavatis, Paleocastro, sea daffodils, Siones, Symi, Volcano crater | Leave a comment

From the Hot Rock to The Hot Spot

Posted on September 19, 2021 by BarryH

After three weeks on the Hot Rock, I took advantage of a new ferry service and travelled to Nisyros for a week. I have done this for a number of years but it has been hampered by the fact that … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Weather | Tagged caldera, Emborios, Evangelistra, footpaths, Greece, lava bubble, Nisyros, pumice, Sea squill, Volcano, Yali | 1 Comment

In the groove

Posted on September 12, 2021 by BarryH

On the Hot Rock for just over two weeks and getting into the swing of things. Walking in the mountains every day, increasingly long distances, increasingly strenuous, interspersing occasional easier days to allow recovery before the next big hit. My … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Weather | Tagged Agia Marina, Agios Emilianos, Agios Vasilios, drought, footpaths, Greece, Panagia Hamon, Sesklia, Symi | 2 Comments

At last !!

Posted on August 29, 2021 by BarryH

After three failed attempts to return to Symi this year, I have finally made it. A cancelled flight in May because of the pandemic was followed by another at the beginning and then another at the end of June. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Health and humour, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Photography, Weather | Tagged Greece, pandemic, Symi, travel | 2 Comments

Rambling through the grey and rising above it …… occasionally

Posted on February 8, 2021 by BarryH

I’ve written before on the psychology of time, about which I read initially in Thomas Mann’s book ‘The Magic Mountain’ when I was in the 6th form and more recently in Claudia Hammond’s ‘Time Warped’, published 2012, exactly 100 years … Continue reading →

Posted in Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Weather, Wildlife, Winter | Tagged brecon beacons national park, Covid Pandemic, Gwent, Holiday Paradox, Jackdaws, Magic Mountain, mist, Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, philosophy of time, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, snow, Thomas Mann | 2 Comments

Greece, Symi: Remains of the past and a hidden valley

Posted on December 29, 2020 by BarryH

There are parts of Symi which are rarely seen but which at one time were hubs of activity. I have long taken an interest on going ‘off-piste’, wandering around away from marked footpaths. In recent years I have taken an … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Photography | Tagged archaeology, fortifications, Greece, hidden valley, history, Symi, Toli, what3words | 1 Comment

Rising above the grey

Posted on December 5, 2020 by BarryH

Rather than ushering in the Mediterranean to the UK, climate change is bringing increasing greyness interspersed with ‘extreme weather events’. Gradual descent into winter in November used to be marked by a week of hard frosts, sometimes with temperatures lower … Continue reading →

Posted in Grey Britain, Health and humour, Hiking, Landscape, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Weather, Winter | Tagged brecon beacons national park, frost, Gwent, mist, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, Sunshine, Wales | 2 Comments

Locked-down in Wales

Posted on November 4, 2020 by BarryH

Since I arrived home from Greece in early September there have been various shades of lockdown. It would be more pleasant and safer to have stayed on Symi but unfortunately not to be. I would have been tempted to stay … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Grey Britain, Grumpy Old Men, Health and humour, Hiking, Landscape, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Weather | Tagged acers, autumn, books, Brugmantsia, Covid-19, fruit and veg, gardens, Wales | 3 Comments

Greece, Symi: there ……. and back!’

Posted on September 14, 2020 by BarryH

Despite a few nervous twitches as the UK government had Greece on the ‘watch list’ for potentially banning all except ‘essential travel’ I made it safely back to Symi, via Athens and Rhodes. Great to be there again. Some things … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Weather | Tagged Ag Marina, Ag Vasilios, Covid-19, Greece, Gria, Rhodes, Symi, Toli, Zoodohou Vrisi | 4 Comments