TRAVEL Beautiful Corfu and other island getaways
If you like your sun diluted with a good measure of water, Greece is hard to beat for a summer holiday. Although not much bigger than Scotland, it’s been cleaved and chopped by the gods into thousands of fragments and nowhere is further than 60 miles from the sea. There are more than 100 islands where you can explore the bones of ancient civilisations - as Henry Miller put it: ‘Marvellous things happen in Greece’ - and you really can find places that are, for a whole variety of reasons, still relatively undiscovered.
Even Corfu, one of the most popular islands in the Mediterranean, which bears plenty of scars of commercial excess and overdevelopment, has one such area, and it’s one that I love. The north-eastern elbow of the island has been largely ignored by mass tourism, mainly because the terrain is too lumpy for large hotel complexes and the roads too twisty for 40-seater coaches.
STAY HERE Whenever you see the ‘Come to Greece’ tourist posters, there’s a fair chance the photo was taken on the stretch of coast that lies between Nissaki and Kassiopi, through the silver-leaved olive trees onto a palette of white, green and blue. The crinkle-cut shore is divided by a series of stunning, tiny coves, each with a small pebble beach. Since there are barely any hotels on this part of the island, most visitors rent houses, which stand tucked away, and with plenty of breathing space in between – we only saw our neighbours when they perched on the rocks like cormorants, drying off after a swim.
ENJOY THIS In this corner of Corfu, your morning will be bright and breathless, with the sea between you and Albania a narrow strait barely a mile across. First priority: fresh bread. Amble along a little-used road towards the waterside village of Agios Stefanos, which sits on the horseshoe of a bay. The bread, baked in a woodfired oven, will be warm, and delicious with peaches or yogurt.
Instead of walking back to your house, hop on the little motor boat you’ve hired, which sits just a few yards away in the harbour. Step on board, unleash the bows, pull back on the kedge anchor and whizz back to your house, which has its own tiny jetty.
Afternoons are, more or less, like the mornings – only in reverse, taking the boat back to Agios Stefanos before the wind begins to ruffle the sea. Stop for supper in the village or shop and cook back at base. Or nip into Kassiopi for a wider choice of restaurants.
SEEK OUT Much of Corfu’s interior is mountainous, topped by Mount Pantokrator, which can be reached by car and has amazing views. Or spend an afternoon in Corfu Town with a traditional ginger beer at one of the cafes in the arcaded Liston. Explore the forts built by the Venetians during their four centuries in power, followed by a browse around the local shops. Corfu’s House Beautiful, with royal connections, is Mon Repos, birthplace of the Duke of Edinburgh. The grand building used to be the summer residence of the Greek royal family and has magical gardens. Go to visitgreece.gr for more information. Visit ionian-villas.co.uk for rental properties