Nigel Thompson
Welcome to the Crete Crocodile Conundrum. We were high in the mountains of the Greek island, trying to decide whether our charismatic, yarn-spinning driver-guide Thanasis was winding us up yet again.
Yes, Thanasis, we believe you. There really was a crocodile in the reservoir we’re overlooking 1,000ft below us. A crocodile. In Crete. A place not normally known for knobbly monsters.
So, we Googled it. Absolutely true! In 2014 there really was a croc in the reservoir, apparently a dumped unwanted pet which was later found dead after evading rescuers and not surviving a cold winter.
That’s the thing about a holiday excursion with a really good guide – it should be informative and entertaining. And by Zeus (more of him later), Thanasis was both of those.
Our trip was from the Thomson Sensatori resort in Analipsi, 13 miles east of the Cretan capital, Heraklion, and being close to the city also meant the airport transfer was a doddle.
This resort is a splendid place and you could not be blamed for wanting to spend your entire week there, chilling by the pool, lazing on the adjacent beach, trying the spa and dining extremely well in one of seven restaurants.
But my wife Debbie and I like to get out and about a bit, so a Land Rover trip in the interior mountains with Safari Club seemed a good idea (safariclub.gr).
Thanasis whizzed the Defender up past pretty villages, pointing out a Lamborghini tractor (seriously) and said croc spot, all the time cracking jokes, reeling off endless facts about the island (they’re very much proud Cretans first and Greeks second) and its bounteous natural resources.
Did we know walnuts and honey are mixed to make ‘Cretan Viagra’? No. And should we ever need directions in Greece, did we know all Greek Orthodox churches have a round wall at one end that always faces east? We do now.
Onwards and very much upwards. On a narrow dirt mountain track that would have graced any TV show called Top 10 Terrifying Roads, we stopped at around 4,000ft to admire the view which took in the entire 40-mile width of Crete, got some comedy photo opps with our guide – we didn’t have much choice! – and stopped again at a goatherd’s hut to meet his boisterous flock and see where he made his tangy cheese.
Then we descended to around 2,800ft and the Lasithi Plateau, a hidden bowl which is flat, fertile farming land surrounded by mountains.
It’s an unusual area and once had 20,000 little windmills to draw water from wells. It must have been quite a sight. They were replaced by petrol