Leserzuschriften

Liebe Leser/innen,
An dieser Stelle werden sämtliche Leserzuschriften der letzten Jahre veröffentlicht. Damit können all diejenigen, die mit einer älteren Ausgabe dieses Titels unterwegs sind, mögliche Veränderungen und Abweichungen nachvollziehen. Bei Neuauflagen werden die Hinweise aus Leserzuschriften selbstverständlich geprüft und gegebenenfalls berücksichtigt.

Wanderführer Crete West

13.06.2006

Dear Rother,

I was recently walking in western Crete with your very useful wee book Crete west by Gert Himer and Jakob Murbock. There was one thing that we found to be wrong.
Walk 22. Sougia to Agia Roumeli suggests that fresh water can be had at the Ag. Antonios chapel from springs on the beach, these springs were all very salty and even the strongly flowing ones were undrinkable. We camped there for 3 days and tried digging down from further up the beach, but even that was salty.
Hope this is useful.

Thank you, Ailsa McLellan

04.08.2003

Sir,

I purchased the above book in July 2003 for a holiday in Frangokastello at the end of July. Generally I found the book useful but have the following comments.
1. General comment: We are an experienced Alpine family (Parents plus kids 11 and 13), regularly undertaking 1000m+ hikes through the German and Austrian Alps. However, I found the times for summer in Crete somewhat optimistic. On average we needed 30% longer for most stretches!
2. Walk 25/26: we combined our day here, starting at the iron bridge, dropping down to Livaniana with the intention of dropping to Marmara for a taverna before walking back up the gorge. However, the marked path actually took us down to the mid-point of the gorge at which time we were informed by a sign that there is a taverna in Lavinana (we did not walk back up!). It would be useful to mention this in walk 26. The spring is below this mid-point and it would have been useful to know that as we actually ran VERY low on water having joined the gorge too high up. Whether it had water we do not of course know. The gorge is very exposed after midday with virtually no shade. This was made worse by our water shortage! Otherwise a tough but enjoyable walk
3. Walk 27: we attempted this in 2000. The 2 hours time is way off the mark. After 4 hours we had not even reached the outskirts of Anopolis. I would think that this walk (from the port in Hora Sfakia) is at least 5 hours. Apart from the Inlingias Gorge section it is arduous and blank with no shade.
4. Walk 28: your timing here is about right. We have done this up and down twice now (2000 and 2003). It takes about 2¾ hours up to a really good taverna at the top and a couple of hours back down after lunch. It costs €2 per adult entrance fee. You refer to a cistern. Is this supposed to suggest that water is available? We did not see any. Otherwise I actually think this is probably the best overall up and down walk we have done in Crete. The narrowest part of this gorge really is touchable with both hands (unlike the Samarian gorge!): it is about 1.5m wide and 100m high.
5. Walk 30 (Patsianos to Kallikratis and back only): A DISASTER. The 1:100,000 map is wrong, your timings are wrong and the spring in Kallikratis is no more. It dried up over 3 years ago. That said we did have the most humid day one can imagine! Walking up the gorge took the best part of 4 hours. The map suggests it is a virtually straight road from the end of the gorge to Kallikratis: wrong. One actual ends up doing a detour of 3 sides of a square which adds about 3km to each way! Not nice I can tell you. Your directions are not sufficient when leaving the village and you suggest 3 hours to Frangokastello. The local sign suggests 4 hours which is also somewhat optimistic. I would suggest one needs about 4 ½ hours all the way to the castle in Frangokastello from Kallikratis church. I attach a picture of the spring which is slightly different to the one in the guide. Apparently about 3 years ago the spring just dried up and the building has now fallen into disrepair. The taverna we found had no food but at least we refilled our water which was virtually gone! (5 litres drunk between 4 on the ascent!).
6. Walk 41: timings are not too bad on this one. Probably need to add about 10% to them. We started late (13:30 or so) and decided to turn round at the col. Looking at the 1:50,000 map I wonder whether your height references are correct for the col and therefore for the spring. I read it about 100m lower than you suggest. If this is true then the 1¼ hours from col to summit might be optimistic! Otherwise a good alpine-style climb. It’s a shame we were delayed on our journey up to the Omalos plain.
7. Omalos: we stayed at the Neos Omalos Hotel which we booked over the Internet. Good rustical accommodation about 200m below the gorge entrance. Friendly and we were about the only non-greeks in earshot. Very enjoyable. Food was the same price as just about everywhere else we ate (Hania, Frangokastello etc) I would think any keen alpinist would enjoy a couple of night in this hotel (which will also take you to the gorge in a minibus if you do not have transport!) - http://www.neos-omalos.gr/
8. Walk 42: we did it the hard way. Down to the Iron Gates and back up in a day. About 24km and 1100m down AND back up. In all it took about 10½ hours including stops. None of the guides I have read really give the information I needed to plan this. The national park part of the overall walk is 13km. the Iron Gates are at the 12km point and nowhere near as spectacular as portrayed! They are much more than 3m wide and nowhere near 300m deep – still we planned to reach them and reach them we did. You actually start at about 1225m, not 1300m and drop to about 100m at the Gates. Entrance fee is now €5 per adult. We started at 07:45 marched down at a fair pace, arriving at the gates after exactly 4 hours. We were in shade for 90% of that walk. I have to say that the gates we not that impressive. After 45 mins lunch we set off back up against the flow of the rather ignorant tourists who will simply not get out of the way! This lasted an hour or so, then we had absolute solitude – excellent! Some guides suggest that the stone steps fall 1000m in the first 2km. This is rubbish. I had planned on this expecting a very sedate drop over the next 10km or so. It is actually only about 400m over the first 2km, therefore leaving another 600 or 700m over the next 10km. the 1:50,000 map is fairly accurate. Overall an enjoyable if long walk.

Hope this is useful feedback for the book!
Gary Coombs

15.05.2003

Rother Guide, Crete West, Walk 25, Aradhena Gorge

We walked up the gorge last week to the village at Aradhena. Rather to our disappointment the ladders are now bypassed by a well constructed zig-zag path with handrails. This avoids all the steep, bouldery scree section of the gorge which is now fenced off. It makes walking up or down the gorge much easier and probably makes it red rather than a black grade.
Anyone wanting to avoid walking across the bridge can exit the gorge by the kalderimi which goes out to the right for those coming up the gorge. This goes to the Anopoli road just before the path for Anopoli. To go to Aradhena without using the bridge you can walk down one kalderimi and up the other.

Yours sincerely, Ann Beeching