Mid ride
Fly-Rideto Greecewith a hiredF700GS- mountains, twisties and a typhoon named Z orb a ...
Fly-Ride trip to Greece takes in mountains, twisties and a typhoon named Zorba.
Now I'd never been one to fancy the Greek island type of holiday, and all I'd really seen of the country were the beaches and blue and white houses. However, being into bike travel that all changed when we came across YouTube footage of northern Greece. Mountains, winding roads and tiny cobbled villages - we had to go.
Not wishing to waste holiday time on ferries, and putting lengthy miles on to our own BMW s, we investigated the possibility of hiring some suitable wheels, along with a guide, having decided that Greek letters and town names would make it very taxing to navigate on our own, even with a sat nav. We chose MotoGreece, which turned out to the best, most polished and thorough tour company we've ever come across. The response by e-mail was faultless, and everything was planned out in a booklet, which we received in good time.
It was early October when we boarded our flight in full textiles and boots, which were perfectly comfortable for a four-hour flight, but we did draw the line at wasting hand luggage taking our own helmets, preferring to travel light, with only one rucksack each and hiring helmets along with the bikes.
WET START
We spent our first night in the centre of a rainy Athens and met up with our tour guide, who arrived that evening with the slightly alarming news that Typhoon Zorba was on its way. We had the choice of setting off as planned and risking a drenching, or losing a day by waiting until it had passed...
Either way, next morning we went down to Motogreece headquarters, a compact but fully stocked office in the back streets of the city, run by two blokes, both named John. After completing the relevant documentation, and a nice lunch in a quirky restaurant with our guide, we had a look around the souvenir area at the foot of the Acropolis.
The following day, with two immaculate BMW700GSs (adjusted and set up to our preference in no time), plus luggage, off we set, leaving busy Athens along the E75 highway, via the town of Karditsa - the shortest route option, given the conditions - with Typhoon Zorba battering at our heels... In fact, that was the last rain or wind we saw, and from then on it was 25-30 degrees C every day. Still, we made some obligatory cafe stops (more to have a break from the driving wind and rain than for refreshments) and took six hours for the normally five-hour trip. It was a necessarily slightly boring ride scenery-wise, in order to reach the Zagoria region and arrive at our first stop in Kalabaka at the foothills of the Meteora, the big rock formations which loomed spectacularly above our hotel.
The Monasterie guest house was the first of many small, but quite luxurious rest houses, and you can choose between three, four or five stars on this trip. Greece has spent its EU money well, and all of our accommodation was new, modern and clean, with spectacular scenery to gaze at.
What with Zorba catching us up, our gear was wet through and we tried various methods of drying it out, including the hairdryer. Fortunately the hotel staff kindly sorted us out with a drying machine for the gloves and jackets. Gear dried, we walked out into the cobbled streets (Zorba had finally passed) to eat at Gardenia Tavern, a traditional resturant with ghostly mountains as a backdrop - we'd be seeing them a lot closer the next day.
CASTLES IN THE AIR
Next morning we started climbing into the mountains almost immediately, up twisty roads which headed up towards the towering rocks, and a wow factor in the monasteries high up in the mountains. The name Meteora translates (free form) as 'Suspended in the air; which has it about right. Towering sandstone rocks have monasteries and cloisters built on the summits, dating back to the 11th Century. After some subtle hairpin climbing we reached the top viewing point, which was quite busy even in October, with tour buses parked all along the roadside and the resultant squeezing and maneouvering to get in and out of parking spots. The monasteries and museums are open to the public at just €3 per person, though the opening hours change from year to year. Appropriate clothing is needed to go inside, with shoulders and knees covered - skirts and shawls are available at the entrances for those unprepared. Also be ready for queues, and lots of steps to climb, the biggest flight being at the Monastery of the Holy Trinity - in case you were wondering, it's 140.
Next day we set off from Kalambaka to Zagoria, a four-hour ride away, stopping for lunch in the charming little cobblestone village of Metsovo for more delicious Greek fare. Metsovo is considered a jewel by the locals.
It's a town that once thrived by trade, being a strategic node of commerce between east, west, south and north. Locals speak the Vlach language, not just Greek, and other Greeks don't understand them! The
Greekswere and are good at bridges other speciality here is Metsovone, a smoked yellow cheese unique to the village - it's on sale in every small shop.
Our destination for the next two nights was Ano Pedina, stopping in a gorgeous hilltop guesthouse above the village. My main memories of the place were the breakfasts and evening meals (all a delight) and the wooden sit-up tub bath! We had the option of a rest day here, but decided to take a three-hour loop ride to Zagoria, the highlight of which was the cobbled-streets village of Papigo, whose YouTube clip had originally opened our eyes to northern Greece. Mind you, getting to the village was a challenge, as the only way in is via a Stelvio-style series of hairpins, so not for the faint-hearted.
With views to the Astrakas mountains, and its wonderful cobbled streets to explore, Papigo didn't disappoint, and nor did the amazing natural rock pools nearby. Then it was on to the magnificent Vikos Gorge, passing the Konitsa Bridge, the largest stone-built bridge in the Balkans, and definitely one of the most impressive. Onwards, along more sweeping, well-maintained switchbacks with plenty of hairpins and a few nice foresty roads. Fun riding. At the Vradeto village there is a car park, but it's possible to get a bit further if you're willing to ride up a slabby, rocky bend and have an adventure bike. We managed that, enjoying a little bit of off-roading, and parked nearer to the footpath. A 30-minute stumble (on foot)
along rocky paths led to the Gorge, which was breathtaking. The Vikos is the deepest gorge in the world in proportion to its width, and the Beloi viewpoint is near the eastern edge. On the way back we passed through the Alpine-like area of Arvanitsa (temperature, 21 degrees where we had lunch and enjoyed the scenery as well as a little army of puppies, cats and dogs living there.
Further on through forests to the Sarakatsans, a replica tribal settlement of huts which recreates the life of nomads in this area, which is known as Gyftokampos. It all looked very interesting, with each hut promising a different display. And we would have gone in ... except that it was closed. Back home via the famous Kokkoris Stone Bridge and yet more hairpins - we were getting good at these now.
Next day it was time to start heading south back to Athens, but we'd be taking three days to get there.
First stop was the city of Ioannina south of the Zagoria area. This is a melting pot of cultures, with traces left by Christian, Jewish and Muslim residents, who co-existed harmoniously here for centuries, visible at the city's castle. The old walled district (Anexartisias Street) is worth exploring, as are the restaurants around the lake and an islet reachable by small boats, which depart from the jetty. Leaving Ioannina gave us a short four-hour ride along the Tzoumerka mountain route, down to the coast and Nafpaktos, an endearing little coastal town where we stopped overnight and enjoyed a taverna meal on the harbour.
Some sweeping, open roads and winding mountain passes led us back south towards the coastal town of Itea, where we stopped for coffee and ice-cream, before a final half-day ride to reach the Attiki Odos Highway E94/6, with a small toll to pay before hitting the Imittos Ring, then following signs for Kesariani through the insanity that is Athens rush hour (need your wits about you ... ), and safely back to
MotoGreece HQ.
That was the end of our bike trip, but rather than spend our last two days queuing up in 30-degree heat for the Parthenon, we enjoyed Cafe Frodos (iced coffee in a jar, ubiquitous here) before winding down in the seaside resort of Glyfada. Northern Greece is highly recommended, as long as you love winding roads, amazing mountain scenery and Greek food.
ABOVELEFT: Path to Vikos Gorgeviewpoint was worth the climb
Gorge Greece'sGrandCanyon the hairpins?That"sthe road to Papigo