Category Archives: Spring

Symi: a trek to the ridge at the end of Europe

Posted on April 24, 2015 by BarryH

One of my favourite easier walks on Symi is to Nimborio, the original harbour on the island, and then along the narrow shingly/pebbly beach and a steep zigzag climb up the razor-sharp limestone crags at the far side to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Reflections, Spring | Tagged arum lilies, Butterflies, cornflowers, flora and fauna, Greece, mandrake, Oertzeni lizard, Painted Dragon lizard, photography, refugees, Symi, tortoises, wild flowers | 5 Comments

Symi: a floriferous walk down the valley

Posted on April 16, 2015 by BarryH

Those who were on Symi over the winter tell me that the winter was the wettest they can remember. After a cloudy and cool start to my stay on the island the last few days have been sunny and increasingly … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Spring, Weather | Tagged beautiful dock, bermuda buttercup, blue periwinkle, broom rape, crown daisy, cyclamen, edible crysanthemum, Flora, flowers, Greece, leaf orchid, lupin, poppies, rock rose, star clover, Symi, tassel hyacinth | 2 Comments

Greece: Kos I was there.

Posted on April 8, 2015 by BarryH

The plane landed at Kos airport just after 06.00. Rapidly through baggage reclaim and out into the fresh morning air after having been cooped up in airports and planes since 19.30 the previous evening. I declined to wait an hour … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, History, Nature, Photography, Spring | Tagged archaeology, Butterflies, Greece, Kos, marble, old agora, photography | 8 Comments

From Grey Britain to Greek sunshine: looking forward

Posted on March 15, 2015 by BarryH

Into March now, in theory the beginning of spring. Despite the occasional day of sunshine it’s still mostly grey, wet and cold. Not much sign of the weather warming up significantly but my focus has shifted. I’ve reluctantly turned my … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Grey Britain, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Spring, Wales, Winter | Tagged Crocuses, daffodils, flowers, Greece, Large Tortoiseshell, photography, spring, Wales, winter | 2 Comments

Symi: back to a waterhole in the desert

Posted on November 10, 2014 by BarryH

During the summer on Symi and the other islands I visited, I went walking in the mountains every day. Since I have been home I have been out very little even though I live at the edge of the Brecon … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Pontypool, Reflections, Spring, Wildlife | Tagged aquifers, biarum marmarisense, brecon beacons national park, dragonflies, goat paths, Greece, Green Toads, Gria, Horio, hornets, Pedi, Pedi Valley, ponds, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, rainfall, Red-veined Darter, Symi, Wales, water hole, water levels, windmills | 2 Comments

Symi: change of season, change of focus

Posted on June 13, 2014 by BarryH

I’m back on the Hot Rock now. Straight from Cool Britannia to temperatures in the high 20s. Locals say that the weather is bizarre for June. Before I arrived there was a thunderstorm with very heavy rain overnight and strong … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Spring, Wildlife | Tagged arid landscape, eroded limestone, folded rocks, fottpaths, Greece, kalderimia, landscapes, Nimborio, panoramas, Paraskevi, SAymi, stone tower, swallows, The Hot Rock, thunder clouds, Turkey, Yialos | Leave a comment

Symi: a last look back to Spring

Posted on June 8, 2014 by BarryH

Time to confess. Though I have continued to write the blog posts about walks on Symi, for the last couple of weeks I have been back in Grey Britain. I returned for grandchildren’s birthdays, have been catching up with family … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Mountains, Nature, Spring, Wildlife | Tagged Butterflies, convolvulus, dianthus, dragonflies, Flora, flowers, Greece, mallow, orchids, SciFi, Symi | Leave a comment

Symi: an eye catching trek

Posted on June 4, 2014 by BarryH

With temperatures rising and more stable summer weather settling in, by the middle of May the wide variety of flora and fauna, though still there, was becoming less evident on the Hot Rock which is Symi. Before my friend returned … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Mountains, Nature, Reflections, Spring, Wildlife | Tagged Agios Stavros Polemou, Dragon Arum, European Mantis, eye catching, Greece, Mantis religiosa, Oertzeni liazard, Painted Dragon lizard, poppies, preying mantis, red, Red Admiral butterfly, Starred agama, Symi, tortoises | 6 Comments

Symi: a trek to a waterhole in a desert

Posted on May 25, 2014 by BarryH

A week or so ago a friend and I headed back to the deserted settlement of Gria in the limestone crags high above Pedi. As ever, the first part of the walk is through the narrow stone-paved alleys of Horio … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Reflections, Spring, Wildlife | Tagged amphibians, bellflower, Black Rat Snake, campanula, deserted village, dragonflies, Greece, Gria, Gria pond, Βρύση Ζωοδόχου Πηγής, kitchen garden, Pedi Valley, pondlife, snakes, spiders, Spring of the Source of Life, Symi, threshing circle, windmills | 5 Comments

Symi: wildlife on a (moderately) wild walk, a micro view

Posted on May 19, 2014 by BarryH

Summer seems to have settled into Symi in the last week. Temperatures in the low twenties and rising. Mostly clear skies. With a gentle breeze walking in the mountains just about perfect. Walking with a friend for who, like me, … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Spring, Wildlife | Tagged Dragon Arum, Greece, Oetzeni lizard, Painted Dragon lizard, spiders, Starred agama, Stellagama, Symi, tortoise, wild onion flowers | 4 Comments