Q // I’m considering pairing a hiking holiday in Greece with some beach time this spring. Where’s a good option?

Hiking and beaches go hand-inhand in Greece. Bearing in mind that most things don’t open until Greek Easter (dates change, but are usually a¡er Catholic Easter), spring is still a lovely time to walk.

One of the prettiest areas for walking is the Pelion Peninsula, in the centre of the country. Here, you can wander for miles along former kalderimi (donkey trails), passing through mountain villages and along parts of the beautiful coastline. The website walkingpelion. provides excellent advice on the area.

The remote Mani region of the southern Peloponnese, meanwhile, has solid trails for serious hikers. Walking tracks aren’t always well maintained or marked and the area is large, so you’ll need good maps, such as those by Anavasi. Tracks head over limestone-covered hills and past ruins of remarkable Maniot towers. One easily accessible beach with a couple of excellent tavernas is at Cape Matapan (also known as Cape Tainaron), the southernmost tip of mainland Greece, at the end of the Taygetos range.