ITINERARY | HIGHLIGHTS | WEATHER | ACCOMMODATION & ADDITIONAL INFO

Tinos – Paths of Pilgrimage 2008

A guided walking holiday in the Cyclades

Tinos is an island of artists, windmills and myriad small-scale charms. Elaborate dovecotes like fanciful miniature towers stud the island’s rounded contours, recalling the islanders’ dependence on pigeons for protein in the past. Tiny villages, where life continues as it has done for generations, are linked by one of the most remarkable networks of ancient stone paths in Greece (Tinos is the inspiration for a national organization to save the country’s traditional paths), many of which we walk along. The simplest of buildings may be embellished with finely carved, sugar-white marble features. Most of the island’s secrets, and occasional drama, can only be discovered on foot, with someone as intimate with the island as your guide who has a home on Tinos and a great understanding of Greece, its people and landscape. For the Greeks, Tinos is a place of pilgrimage because of the miraculous healing powers of an icon of the Virgin Mary, but it remains relatively unvisited by foreign tourists. We, however, take you to the rural heart of the island, where even the Greek visitors don’t go, and introduce you to perhaps the last generation of traditional village craftsmen... to the remains of a mighty Classical temple and ruined fortifications built by Venetian occupiers... to peaceful valleys strewn with boulders dramatically sculpted by Nature, and to deserted coves for dreamlike swims. Note that it is also possible to make this a 9 night holiday, with an additional two nights in Athens before the start of the programme on Tinos, to include a written self-guided tour around the Classical sites of central Athens.

 

PRICE

£595 per person. Single supplement: £45

ADD-ON ATHENS - with complimentary self-guided city walk
Smart hotel inc. breakfast £55 per night
Economy hotel exc. breakfast £30 per night

Prices are per person per night, based on two people sharing a room; a supplement of £10 per night is charged if singles require their own room. Both hotels are centrally located, near the Acropolis.

INCLUDED

• 8 days/7 nights in quiet hotel by the beach
• Guided walking tours with locally-based, well-informed leader
• Half board (breakfast and picnic or taverna lunches)
• All transfers from Tinos port to the hotel in Tinos town
• All transfers on walks, by bus and/or taxis 

NOT INCLUDED

Departure dates 2008:
Spring: May 4 - 11, May 18 - 25, June 1 - 8 
Autumn: September 7 - 14, September 21 -28.

This holiday can be combined with the Naxos week to make a fortnight’s holiday in the Cyclades. Please contact us for more information.

To book email: walking@star.co.uk
T: (44) (0)1242 254353

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ITINERARY

 

Day 1: Travel to Tinos. You will be met at the port and taken to your hotel overlooking the sea, on the outskirts of town, to relax and settle in. Evening: Welcome Dinner

Day 2: From the Highlands to the Sea (walking time: 5 - 6 hours)

We introduce you to a couple of the island’s pretty interior villages, then climb Mount Kechros for a spectacular perspective of Tsiknias, the highest mountain on Tinos. On, via  mule-tracks to the island's highest village, which is famous for its springs and incredible views of Tinos town and the island of Syros. After a picnic lunch, we descend, looking over the islands of Delos and Mykonos, to the lovely beach at Porto for a swim, then return to Tinos town by a coast path.

Day 3: Castles and Dovecotes (walking time: 5 hours)

Our walk passes through the villages of Ktikados and Hatzirados before heading for one of the highlights of the day’s walk: a valley studded with dovecotes. We cross the valley to the hidden village of Smardakito with its refreshing spring, and descend to Loutra, site of a former Jesuit monastery. A climb to the ruins of a Venetian castle on Mount Exombourgo affords magnificent 360-degree views. After a taverna lunch, we return to Tinos town along one of the island’s oldest paths.

Day 4: Poseidon's Kingdom (walking time: 4 hours)

We start with a swim from a beautiful beach before following the coastal path, with its views of Syros island, to Kionia. Gradually, we return to sea level via an old mule track to see the cave of Gastria. They say there’s a tunnel that runs from here to the Venetian castle at Exombourgo, which was used to take supplies to the castle when it was under siege. Another swim from another lovely beach, before a return to Kionia for lunch, followed by a visit to the ruins of a temple to the sea god Poseidon, and return to town along an old path above the coast road.

Day 5: Free day: You are free to wander into Tinos town, relax and browse around the markets and shops. Alternatively, you can join a small cruiser to nearby Mykonos, followed by a fascinating tour of the ruins of now deserted Delos, once the commercial and spiritual hub of the Aegean.

Day 6: Holy trails (walking time: 4 - 5 hours)

We explore the monastery at the heart of Tinos as a place of pilgrimage, where in 1822, a nun had a vision of where an ancient icon was buried. Winding paths lead to the village of Tsados and through a shaded, lush valley to Karia. There’s a brief stretch of road, soon ended when we branch off past an old windmill and across a valley, then climb gently to the pretty village of Tripotamos (three rivers), an ideal spot for a picnic lunch. We return to Tinos town along an old trail through a secret valley.

Day 7: Northwards (walking time: 4 hours)

We travel to the north of the island and start our walk at the Monastery of Kira Xeni, a magnificient example of sacred Greek architecture. Onward to Pirgos, one of the island’s biggest villages, famous for its marble carving, where we have coffee beneath a huge plane tree in the main square. An hour further on, we reach Panormos, once the island’s most important harbour, and lunch at one of the little seaside tavernas. Then we take a bus a short way to the village of Isternia and descend to a lovely beach for a late afternoon swim before being transported back to town. Evening: Farewell Dinner

Day 8: Travel home

 

DIFFICULTY OF WALK

This holiday is classed as moderate: a sound basic fitness level and a pair of worn-in hiking boots are required. You should be relaxed about walking 8–15 kms, or for an average of 4 or 5 hours per day, and able to cope with the occasional stretch of steep, rocky terrain. The routes are mainly along stony paths and tracks, and for short distances along metalled roads. Every day there is the opportunity to swim on beautiful, unspoilt, and often deserted beaches with crystal clear water and excellent snorkelling, either en route or at the end of walking day. The programme is subject to some change according to the season.

GROUP SIZE

6 - 12 people

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HIGHLIGHTS

Terraced hillsides, pretty, well-kept villages, Italianate architecture, a thousand ornate dovecotes and a gentle climate, out of the main tourist season; fresh, simple, traditional food…fresh fish, giant beans, louza sausage and mouth watering salads with local wines and cheeses.

WEATHER

Click here to view the weather forecast Link courtesy of uk met office

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ACCOMMODATION & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation in Tinos is in quiet studio-apartments with en-suite shower about 20 minutes’ drive from the main port, and a few meters from a broad sandy bay.

GETTING THERE

If you are coming straight to Tinos, on arrival at Athens airport, you can either
take the airport bus or a taxi to Rafina for the high-speed ferry to Tinos (sailing time around 1.75 hours) or...the slower ferry (5 - 5.5hours).

WHAT TO TAKE:

Sturdy walking boots and walking socks (with a change of socks in rucksack), day pack, swimming costume, towel, insect repellent, sun glasses, sun hat, sun block/cream; torch; small first-aid kit. Light waterproof jacket, light fleece or warm jumper; comfortable walking clothes plus long-sleeved cotton shirt; casual, light clothes for the evenings..

 

INSURANCE

We recommend that you take out appropriate holiday insurance covering you against illness, injury, and loss or damage to luggage. This insurance should also cover the possibility of your having to cancel your holiday for whatever reason.

To book, contact worldwalks  at:
email:walking@star.co.uk
T: (44) (0)1242 254353

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