Category Archives: Landscape

Nisyros: giving in to addiction

Posted on September 4, 2015 by BarryH

Some places are addictive. Nisyros is one of them. My wife and I visited the island first on a day trip by high speed cat from nearby Tilos in 2001. Along with the herd we took the bus to The … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Photography | Tagged Alexandros crater, barrel-arched houses, fumaroles, Greece, hiking, kalderimi, Kato Laki, lava bubble, lava plug, Nisyros, Paleocastro, photography, Polyvotis crater, sulphur, Volcano | Leave a comment

Symi and the Glamorgan coast: compare and contrast

Posted on August 23, 2015 by BarryH

We were taught in school to prepare for exam questions of the type ‘Compare and contrast’ …. ‘The Hundred Years War and the Blitzkrieg’, ‘The East Coast of England and a South Sea Atoll’, ‘the character of Jane Austen’s Emma … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Photography, Wales | Tagged cliffs, Glamorgan Heritage Coast, Greece, hiking, limestone, Macross, Monksnash, Nisyros, photography, Plough and Harrow, rock pools, Severn Estuary, Symi, tidal range, Wales, wave-cut platforms | 2 Comments

Symi: Old ways and a long way back

Posted on August 9, 2015 by BarryH

But one day at a time they say And if you’re knowing where you’re going You’ll be finding your way. ‘Long Way Back’ from ‘Freedom Run’ by The Rifles, 2011 Some years ago, more than I care to remember or … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Weather | Tagged ancient routeways, Byzantine Stone Wine Presses, Four Peaks Challenge, Four Peaks Walk, Greece, huking, kalderimi, Lake District, Long Walk Back, Megalos Sotiros, Panagia Panaiidi, Panormitis monastery, photography, SKAI maps, Stavros Polemou, Symi, Symi Polar Bear, The Rifles, trekking | Leave a comment

Symi: high points

Posted on July 25, 2015 by BarryH

Having been identified as the Third Man and knowing he was pursued by Joseph Cotton, Orson Wells took to the labyrinthine sewers with a multiplicity of escape options and made the most memorable Sewer Speech ever. Unfortunately most Hollywood villains … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged Butterflies, castles, Greece, hiking, limestone crags, mountains, movies, Symi, The Mani, tortoise, tower houses, treks, Turtle Dove, Viewpoints | 3 Comments

Symi: I lost my shirt ….

Posted on July 8, 2015 by BarryH

…. and I wasn’t even in Las Vegas! Nor does it have anything to do with the Greek economy which, despite the attempts of the IMF and the ECB to undermine it, and the grossly inaccurate and morally reprehensible scaremongering … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged bee hives, bees, dry waterfalls, Greece, Greek economy, Greek Island Walks, Gully bashing, hiking, Lapatonniou Castle, monasteries, mountains, photography, Symi, The Hot Rock, thyme, trekking in Greece | Leave a comment

Symi: The Day I Shrank, and other adventures

Posted on June 30, 2015 by BarryH

One: The Shadow Sunday 21 June, the summer solstice, time to climb Oros Vigla, highest mountain on Symi. The summit is barely a mile from the house as the crow flies but I’m not a crow so the 500 metres … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged ancient settlement, Coin-marked snake, Emborios, Greece, Greek economy, photography, snakes, Summer solstice, Symi, Vigla | Leave a comment

Symi: into a hidden valley, the past and beyond

Posted on June 20, 2015 by BarryH

I am increasingly fascinated by not just going ‘off piste’ on the Greek islands, but trying to understand the faint signs of the rich cultural past, trying to tread softly and see the wildlife and the plant life. There is … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged Greece, hidden valley, limestone, Little Owl, Oertzeni lizard, Pelagic, rift valley, Symi, thyme, tortoise, white mulberries | Leave a comment

Symi: coast to coast

Posted on May 27, 2015 by BarryH

There is a certain smug satisfaction in casually dropping into conversation in the taverna over an end-of-trek beer “I walked across the island today”. OK, so on a small island like Symi it’s not exactly Wainwright’s 192-mile epic but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Spring | Tagged Agios Vasilios, arid flora, coast to coast, Flora, Greece, Greek Island Walks, herbs, hiking, mantis, photography, Sage, Symi, trekking | 2 Comments

Symi: the island in colour

Posted on May 17, 2015 by BarryH

Most visitors to Symi come in the summer months. During the day they lie sweating in the sun coated in Factor 50 and then, showered and perfumed, in the evening sashay to the taverna or restaurant of choice. And have … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Spring | Tagged April, Flora, flora and fauna, Greece, photography, Scarce Swallowtail, spring, Symi, Turkish Ghecko | 1 Comment

Symi: a trek beyond the economic fringe

Posted on May 5, 2015 by BarryH

The deserted village of Gria set in limestone crags high above Pedi Bay has fascinated me ever since first ‘discovering’ it 15 years ago. The fact that it has a permanent pond, seemingly lost not only to sight but to … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Spring | Tagged deserted villages, dought, Drakos Fortification, Greece, Greek Spiny Spurge, Gria, Holy Orchid, orchids, Pyramid Orchid, Red Darter, Symi, Tongue Orchid, water, wild gladiolus, Zoodohout Pighis monastery | 7 Comments