Tag Archives: trekking

Canadian Rockies: what to do when you’re not skiing

Posted on March 13, 2019 by BarryH

Spring is on its way and I’ll soon be heading for Greece again, but before I get there, a last look back to winter and the Canadian Rockies. One of the great things about Banff, apart from the skiing, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Weather, Wildlife, Winter | Tagged Banff, Bow River, Canada, canadian rockies, frozen rivers, snow, snowshoeing, Spray River, trekking | Leave a comment

From Symi to my back garden

Posted on August 21, 2018 by BarryH

I’ve been experimenting with the technology to record some of the treks I’ve been doing on Symi, using a combination of apps to record routes and then create a 3D ‘fly-over’ incorporating photos taken along the way. It’s not entirely … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Pontypool, Uncategorized, Wales, Weather, Wildlife | Tagged cabbage white butterflies, caterpillars, drought, Eyed Hawk-moth, gardening, goldfinch, Greece, Kokkimedes, monasteries, mountains, Nimborios, photography, Pontypool, rainbow, Stavros Polemou, Symi, Symi walks, trekking, Wales, wildlife, yucca | 7 Comments

Symi: focus ….. and losing it

Posted on November 30, 2016 by BarryH

I don’t consider myself an adrenalin junkie, though I know some who disagree. But one thing which I have learned from ‘adrenalin sports’ (white water kayaking, paragliding, climbing ….) is the importance of maintaining focus. Lose it and there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged adrenalin sports, Agia Paraskevi, ancient olive press, bees, Caetopelma Aegyptiacum, dehydration, eucalyptus trees, Greece, honey, kalderimi, photography, Symi, Symi Spider, trekking | Leave a comment

Symi: Going wild again

Posted on June 25, 2016 by BarryH

Flight back to Rhodes Saturday. Ferry to Symi early Sunday morning. A few hours putting the house back to rights after leaving it packed up in a hurry not knowing when, or if, I would return. Sunday afternoon I took … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Photography | Tagged footpaths, Greece, hiking, Horio, kalderimi, Symi, trails, trekking | 2 Comments

Wales and Greece: life on the wild side

Posted on April 7, 2016 by BarryH

I first became fascinated by birds of prey when I was a research student and lived with friends in a tiny former lead-mining village in the mountains inland of Aberystwyth. The closest house was about half a mile away. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged Aegina, bird calls, Bonelli's eagles, brecon beacons national park, Buzzard, Eleonora's Falcon, Golden Eagle, Greece, Imperial Eagle, kestrel, Little Owl, Mid Wales, Nisyros, ornithology, paragliding, photography, Red Kite, Sparrowhawk, Symi, The Mani, Tilos, trekking, Wales | 1 Comment

Banff, Canadian Rockies: climate contrast

Posted on January 3, 2016 by BarryH

Completing my blog posts about the summer in the Greek islands I wrote about Kalymnos that it was: “only a short stay but a good way to round off the summer and pause for thought before heading for the Canadian … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Greece, Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Photography, Uncategorized, Weather, Winter | Tagged Banff, Bow River, Canada, climate, Grey Britain, Mount Rundle, photography, skating pond, skiing, snow, trekking, Tunnel Mountain, weather | 2 Comments

Nisyros: rocking round the rim

Posted on October 5, 2015 by BarryH

People don’t visit Nisyros for the beaches. There are beaches, very pleasant for a swim after a trek in the mountains, but not of the best. People visit Nisyros drawn by the allure of ‘The Volcano’, by which they mean … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Photography | Tagged Agios Stavros monastery, Breccia, caldera, Emborios, Greece, hiking, hochlakos mosaic, kalderimi, lava, lava bubbles, lava pinnacles, lava sculpture, Nikia, Nisyros, Paleocastro, Parleta, photography, Stephanos crater, trekking, volcanic conglomerate, Volcano | 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: 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: to the past and on the edge

Posted on October 30, 2014 by BarryH

I’m back home now, trying to stop the cold seeping into my bones and prevent the grey seeping into my brain. But there are many bright, warm memories of Symi to look back on, more Symi-based blogs to post. One … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains | Tagged Byzantine stone wine pressses, Greece, history, hochlakos mosaic, Megalos Sotiros monastery, Panormitis monastery, Symi, trekking, viniculture, wood carving | Leave a comment