In September 2014 I went to the Greek Island of Cythera to stay for a week, this is the account of my trip, I hope you find it interesting enough.
I bought a cheap return flight ticket from Ryanair for about £120, flying from Stansted to Athens. The return ticket from Athens to Kythira cost around £100. There is about an hour gap between arrival in Athens and departure to Cythera. The flight to the island took about 35 minutes on-board a twin engine propeller driven plane. On arrival I drank some water and slung my rucksack onto my back and began my walk to the village of Pitsinades armed with print-out of a Google map. I kind of liked the idea of being able to walk from the airport to my temporary abode. Although the walk was via the roads, there was hardly any traffic apart from an occasional vehicle passing. On the way I treated myself to ripe figs from the trees on common land or branches overhanging the public space from someone’s land. After about an hour or so I arrived at the Pitsinades guesthouse to be greeted by an old friend who runs the guesthouse. The early evening drink was served on the balcony to be followed by dinner at a lovely restaurant in a village some 10 minutes drive away.
During my stay I walked on different parts of the island either alone or with my local friend. The island is mountainous and has a varied landscape and nature. Highest point is around 500m above sea level. Some parts are arid as some are lush and tropical. You are never too far from the sea and beaches. The beaches were exclusively there for two us - being the out of season period.
I enjoyed my stay and walks in Cythera for its laid back attitude and manageable size and variety making it an interesting place to explore and enjoy. My walks ranged from 1 to 3 hours, generally gentle and not too strenuous. The island has kept its character and there is no evidence of rampant development, no big hotels and ”tourist nightlife” as one sees in other Mediterranean locations. Of course food was good and the weather was warm and mild apart from couple of days of strong winds which rattled the windows all night. Here are some photos.
