Cretan wilderness, from Sougia to Agia Roumeli

Hello everyone,

Among the three main mountain ranges in Crete, the Lefka Ori is the only one that has a coastline. The south side of the mountains is like a balcony on the lybian sea. The coast line is rugged, with barren cliffs cut by deep gorges. Among these, Samaria is the most famous gorge, but there are half a dozen more. The nature is wild and as a consequence, the place is not well developped. There are few infrastructures and ferry boats are the only way to travel between villages on the coast. The lack of roads, however, is a blessing for trekkers. Between Anidri beach near Paleochora, and Sfakia, three villages are linked by footpaths: Sougia, Agia Roumeli and Loutro.

Unspoiled nature for 50 kilometers. The E4 path, that crosses Crete from west to east, follows this stretch of coast. Four days would be required in order to reach Sfakia from Paleochora. Paleochora, Sougia and Sfakia have a daily bus service, and other villages are linked by ferry boats, therefore the trek can be divided into several one-day walks, except for the stretch between Sougia and Agia Roumeli that requires two days (11-12 hours walk). Walking the E4 trail there is usually quite easy, the path is undulating and well-defined. Of course, in summer, these walks can become streneous with the heat. Keep in mind that you need water, lots of water. One section of the E4 path, however - from Sougia to Agia Roumeli - offers a different challenge. Its profile is alpine and it is seldom walked, compared to others.

Planning the walk is not too difficult. You have to sleep in Tripiti gorge. This is the only reliable water point. Whether you'll be coming from Sougia or Agia Roumeli is up to you. But here are some remarks to take in consideration:

• Tripiti gorge is close to Sougia, only 4 hours, that makes for a short and easy day
• Starting from Agia Roumeli, you tackle the main effort first
• For the best photographic results, I think it's best to start from Agia Roumeli
• Sougia can be reached by bus
• You must take a ferry (from Sougia or Sfakia) to reach Agia Roumeli (or walk down Samaria gorge)

Thanks to Gavdos island, you will be able to use your mobile phone and, at Tripiti cove, you will find and advertisement for a taxi boat located in Agia Roumeli. Should you get too tired or have a problem, this would be handy. Speaking for myself, I walked twice there, and each time from Sougia. The bus from Chania is most convenient, so I'll describe the trek from Sougia.

First day

You need 4 hours to reach Tripiti gorge, so a start in early afternoon is possible. Finding the start of the path can be tricky, however here are some directions. From the seafront, turn east and pass the parking lot,then engage into the Agia Irini gorge bed. Walk for 200m up the river bed and cross the river bed. Try to pick up a footpath on the right bank. The footpath ascends to join a dirt road. Now turn right on the road and walk until it ends. From there, look for waymarks indicating the footpath. The path is undulating, parallel to the sea. The first gorge you'll meet is Keratidhias, that's more a ravine than a gorge. Few minutes after the ravine, you'll pass parallel to Agios Antonios chapel on the shore. Some moments later, the ascent of Pikilassos starts. Pikilassos has a chapel on top (profitis ilias) and also the ruins of a turkish fort. From Sougia beach, this is easily seen, and if you fear a two day trek to Sougia is more than you can take, a round-trip walk to the chapel would make for an entertaining day.

Near the top of Pikilassos, right on the path, you will meet a spring. In summer this will be almost dried up, however you'll find a cistern at the top near the chapel. The climb up is the only (small) difficulty of the day. You have to climb 300 meters in altitude, and then walk down to the bed of the Tripiti gorge. Once in the gorge, walk towards the sea. Soon you'll find a house, fenced, and a chapel (Agios Nikolaos) with a cistern nearby. There is also a concrete platform to moor a boat. If you decide to sleep in a tent, you will not find suitable ground to pitch a tent. If you have a freestanding model, that won't be a problem, but try not to place it too close to the rock face (stones may fall). You will also find a fenced animal shed in a large cave.

Second day

This part, to Agia Roumeli, is much longer than the previous one. More difficult also. The path will gradually become less evident, at times faint, broken at places with some sections requiring care. You will need 7 hours to reach Agia Roumeli. The main effort is a streneous two hours ascent, followed by another streneous two hours descent. It's best to start early, in order to deal with these difficulties when it's still not too hot. I remember myself stopping at every trees (there are few) in order to cool down the machine. Bring enough water, three liters is a minimum (that will do, but there won't be room for suprises). From Tripiti cove, walk along the coastline towards the east. You have to walk on rock slabs on the shore. If the sea is strong, this place can be dangerous. However, after 15 minutes, you will reach sedoni beach. This pebble beach is home to a bee-keeper from Agia Roumeli. Chances are, if you don't see him, you should be greeted by his donkey which has a bad habit of biting people. At the eastern side of the beach there is a cistern, but I never checked the water there.

After you leave Sedoni beach, the path continues along the shore, undulating. Sometimes, it has collapsed and some sections are bit scary. Soon you'll see a painting on a rock with the word END (telos in greek). Not to worry though, the path goes on, I think it refers to the waymarking that ends there. Here, you have to scramble a bit on the rock face to reach level ground at the top of the cliff. Follow the path until you have the Klados gorge in sight. This place is the highlight of the trek. The klados gorge comes out to the sea at Domata, a long and beautiful pebble beach. The cliffs of the gorge here are somewhat special, you can see the pebbles compacted in the rock. Of course, no sunbeds or umbrellas! Though you might meet few people that came from Agia Roumeli by boat. It feels very remote. Take your time here, enjoy a well deserved bath! One piece of advice though: before you leave the beach wipe, the salt from your skin!

The exit from the beach is signaled by an E4 pole, at the eastern end. The path climbs up a small ravine, until it turns right steeply uphill. This section of the path is tiring. Whilst being steep, it is also very slippery. Loose stones, dirt and a carpet of pine needles make for an uneasy progression. Fortunately this is not very long, and looking back, you are rewarded with splendid views of Domata beach. After some time, the path becomes more level and less obvious, you may even loose it. It happened to me twice. From now on, begins the worst part, you have to walk uphill, for some time, in a countryside virtually devoid of shade. Finally the path will enter a pinewood and then a wide reentrant.
The path hits the bottom of the reentrant and climbs up again to reach the highest point of the trek (about 500 meters high). From this point, the path starts its descent towards Agia Roumeli and it is a long descent that must be handled with care (you may be tired when you get here). The descent is steep and takes place on very slippery ground, with pine needles and loose rocks. The slope ends in a cliff overlooking the long Agia Roumeli beach, therefore, the path negociates a traverse to the top of the cliff. Minor scrambling abilities are needed here and vertigo sufferers may have a hard time!

Finally, you will arrive to a fence and, at last, step in the streets of Agia Roumeli. It's been a long day and now you're heading for the beach! Beware, in summer, you need thongs to walk on the pebbles (or you need to run fast).

Timings

• Sougia to Tripiti cove: 4h
• Tripiti to Domata: 3h
• Domata to Agia Roumeli: 4h

Well, I hope this short description was enough to arouse your interest, and maybe you'll try the adventure next time you come to Crete. I think I still need to blog two or three posts about the Lefka Ori. Next one should be about the old transhumance trail from Therisso.

Until then, see you!