Small island, big personality

Martin Hesp is bowled over by the local hospitality and ancient history he encounters walking on the Greek island of Samos – and you could win a walking break there with Ramblers Worldwide Holidays…

“Yassas, yassas – kalimera, kalimera…” With these ancient Greek words of greeting hanging on the hot wind did we enter the tiny villages and hamlets that dot the great green amphitheatre, which stretches down from the central ridge of Samos to the island’s verdant north coast. They were spoken – nay, bellowed – by Rupert Mostert, who has been leading Ramblers Worldwide Holidays walks for more than four decades. The man is an expert on Aegean island hiking, speaks fluent Greek, lives in Athens, and is an all-round, larger-than-life, colourful character.

Rupert joined our walking group for just one day of the seven we spent on this most beautiful of Greek islands – but what a day it was. He took us on a fairly arduous 13-miler from a ridge near Platanos, in the centre of the island, down through endless vineyards, forests, gorse and river valleys to eventually reach the north coast near Neo Karlovasi. And in each of the remote communities, Rupert was greeted like a long-lost friend. Indeed, he did more greeting than being welcomed – carrying with him small presents for elderly country folk he’d known for years. He’d phoned ahead to one mountain village taverna to warn them we’d be walking by, and the owners had responded by baking a special cake. At another village, one of Rupert’s ‘girlfriends’ (who must have been all of 90, if not 103) insisted we should all traipse through her humble home, where we were each given an apple from her orchard. Rupert even managed to show us his party trick: carrying a kid goat for some local shepherd he’d known for decades. It was the only Samos walk on which I felt a twinge of exhaustion, but this was easily ignored thanks to Mr Mostert’s vast repertoire of anecdotes, local legends and Greek recipes.

Rooftop swimming
Our main guide for the week was quite different: an amiable retired geography teacher called John, who provided quiet and courteous company and leadership. The accommodation was in the pleasant, family-run Hotel Virginia situated in the pretty harbour town of Vathi. Small, clean and friendly, it was ideal for our purposes and my room had a balcony with fabulous views of the harbour. There was also a small rooftop pool; ideal for cooling off after a hot day’s walking. It was from Hotel Virginia that we set off each day for our treks. On a couple of occasions we simply walked from town and returned from our destination by taxi. But we also took public transport and once
had a special tour bus.

As for the scenery – well, I have travelled to most corners of Greece and I’d say that the island is one of the most attractive places in the whole of that ancient land. Its 184 square miles (43km/27 miles long, 13km/8 miles wide) are located close to the Turkish mainland. The mountain slopes tend not to be the parched, rocky affairs you see in so much of the Mediterranean – many are cloaked in cool woodlands, while others support the vineyards which produce famous wines. Life in the charming hillside villages doesn’t seem to have changed much in centuries. And the large and small communities that punctuate the coast may be slightly more attuned to the modern day, but are not overly developed. Samos was once a prime centre of Ionian culture and by the 7th century BC had become one of the leading commercial centres in the ancient world, thanks mainly to its position near major trade routes. Its navy ruled supreme and its towns were so sophisticated that people like Pythagoras, Aesop (of fable fame) and the philosopher Epicurus all lived here.

Aqueducts and monasteries
The rich sense of history stays with you everywhere you go on the island. You can be on a mountainside and come across an ancient spring that’s served by a cobbled path laid when our Stonehenge was built. One day we walked across the hills to the little port of Pythagorion (named after the classical philosopher) and visited the astonishing Eupalinos underground aqueduct. Nearly a mile long, it was constructed in the 6th century BC. The walk took us 10km/6 miles from the hilltop village of Mytillini, down through lush agricultural vales, and up to the Agios Triados monastery, where an ancient monk invited us into the cool courtyard to eat our picnic. After our break, we continued to the bleached mountainsides of the south coast. As with most of our walks, this route was completed by early afternoon, allowing us plenty of time to relax on a beach. And what wonderful beaches Samos boasts. My favourite seaside spot was the astonishingly picturesque port of Kokkari on the north coast, which we reached after a long, sometimes steep, walk up to – then down from – the mountain village of Vourliotes. We finished in time for a late lunch in one of the many tavernas that line the quaint harbour. Lunching in tavernas on quaysides is one of the greatest pleasures to be had in the Greek islands. Most days I shared selections of mezze (the Greek version of tapas) with my fellow walkers – all friendly, like-minded people. But after his earlier star turn, it was difficult not to hanker for another entertaining local anecdote from Rupert to go with my tasty olives and grilled cheeses.

A one-week trip to Samos with Ramblers Worldwide Holidays (✆ 01707 331133, www.ramblersholidays.co.uk) starts at £725 per person, including return flights, transfers, half-board accommodation and the expert guidance of a tour leader. Walk the world and help the work of the Ramblers, too – Ramblers Worldwide Holidays’ charitable trust is a major contributor to the Ramblers.

For your chance to win this one-week walking holiday for two, worth more than £1,400, courtesy of Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, simply answer this question: Ramblers Worldwide Holidays has a choice of over how many walking and trekking holidays? Complete the entry form online by 1 June 2010 or send your name, address and contact number to: Samos Competition, Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, Lemsford Mill, Lemsford Village, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire AL8 7TR. The first correct entry picked at random after the closing date will win. Prize details and terms and conditions are available at www.walkmag.co.uk/competitions. Find out more about Ramblers Worldwide Holidays at www.ramblersholidays.co.uk