Peti dropped in for a coffee just after 10. I had mentioned it last night, but sent her a message that hadn’t been opened, so had assumed it wasn’t going to happen. I was in my usual van-reading-morning position, reclining and immersed in 1940s pulp fiction. Peti was in her way into Dimitsana for some groceries, and cat food (she feeds the village strays). She doesn’t drive, and travels here by bus, which drops her off a few kilometres away, and she usually gets a lift from a friend up to Zigovisti (it’s a narrow road of hairpin bends up here to 1160 metres).
She was walking into Dimitsana, which is about five kilometres by road, and would take about an hour and a half, downhill. There is the Mainalon Trail, which goes there also, over a shorter distance, but would be slower, on more tricky ground. I offered to go with her, and take Roja, walk by path, and get a taxi back, and share the fare, but she stressed to me that Greeks were not animal lovers; taxis strictly didn’t allow dogs in them. So we stuck to our own original plans, her going by road, and me heading off in the opposite direction on the Mainalon Trail to a high pass a few kilometres away.



Rain was forecast for the afternoon, and even here in Greece, there was a sense of winter about proceedings, a temperature that never got above 8C all day, and no sun, just a grey sky with low cloud.


This was the best section of the Trail I have walked, despite there being quite limited views. There was a real variety to the terrain, from narrow ridges amidst small rocky dumplings, to barely touched pine forest higher up, and a good vantage point at just above 1400 metres.


I was out for just over three hours, and back at the van about 2 pm.

George also called past a couple of times, again, just checking if I needed anything.






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