After a few days chilling-out at Alkioni with it’s splendid view, small beach and cool clear water, I left about 8am and headed east, skirting around the Gulf of Corinth, and then north into the mountains. After about an hour I joined the No.3 motorway heading north-west. I could have taken other roads, but the day was about munching miles, so the motorway it was.
I arrived at my campsite at Karpero in the early afternoon after a ride of about 375km. The whole area is agricultural and the village has a shop and a few tavernas, but nearby is a large community park where besides a small chapel, the residents have put aside an area for campers and campervans. There was a toilet and a shower and for payment there was a honestly box. There were lots of trees so it was easy to find a good spot for my tent beneath two oak trees. The best part of all is that directly east of the campsite and 30 miles away was Mount Olympus.
I have never seen Mount Olympus so I didn’t know what to expect. Big and omnipresent, it doesn’t immediately give you the wow factor – but somehow it draws your attention and holds it. Whether eating my meals, drinking a mug of tea or just daydreaming – the mountain would attract my attention and I would just stare at it for ages. In ancient times this was the home of the Greek mythological gods, but today it’s home to 4g masts. I expect Zeuss will be rolling in his grave…
I only intended to stay one night but the campsite was so peaceful, and with the shade from its many trees, a nice breeze waiting up from the valley below and the many chairs and benches under the trees that just invite you to sit and stare at the mountain – I stayed on for an extra day and just did nothing.
Leaving this lovely campsite at Karpero about 7.30, I started making my way north. The first part of the journey was skirting around Mount Olympus, then north east for the Motorway, heading for Thessaloniki. As I was approaching the city I was torn whether to visit the city or give it a miss. There are no campsites at Thessaloniki, which would mean a B&B or Hostel. To be honest, there wasn’t a great deal to interest me in the city, so I decided to give it a miss and head east.
Motorway services on Greek motorways are rare. What you normally get is a sign stating ‘Fuel 5km’ – which means you have to come off the motorway and there will be a petrol station not far away. I almost run out of fuel because of this and by the time I realised that ‘Fuel in 5km’ means coming off the motorway, I missed two exits. I eventually got off the motorway and found fuel – with 2 litres left in my tank. Phew..!
Staying off the motorway I stuck to the coast road for the final 40km, passing through several small villages and a few beach-towns. I was going to push onto Alexandroupoli, which is not far from the Turkish border, but I had been riding around 5 hours and it was hot so I called it a day after 400kms. I found a campsite at Nea Kavali. The campsite is mostly permanent caravans and chalets, but there are three areas for tents, mostly occupied by fellow bike travellers. Camping Alexandros is the only campsite in the area and it’s got its own beach, which isn’t bad for 14eu a night.
After getting my tent up and sorting my gar out it was tie for tea – only to discover my petrol powered camping stove was missing a bit. Its the flame diffuser and it must of dropped off when I was packing up this morning. I tried to adapt it using spoon but to no avail so until I can find a camping shop to buy a new stove, it means no tea and definitely no cooking. Bugger. I’m just going to have to live off bread, cheese, fruit juice and Haribo until I sort myself out…
