On the way to Corinth

  Mon 16th Oct

Blimy that guy running the Stoupa campsite makes his opinions known. He had somehow got animated about the Hamas massacres in Israel and the whole lot came out. The Greeks don’t like the Turks, especially as they allow Hamas to have an HQ there. He was very very upset about those events last week.

Today when we left he was still fuming about a couple from Germany and young son. They drove on yesterday morning at 09:30 and blocked access to the grey water drain, whilst they used it (others were waiting to leave), emptied their toilet, smoked the place out with their ancient Mercedes camper and then a few minutes later, decided that they didn’t want to stay after all.

“F-ing liars these people. They stay out and don’t pay and then they want to empty everything here. Gypsies, with their tattoos and rings. I know these types. They can’t do that in Portugal or Spain, it’s €1,000 fine. My government don’t care”.

Wow he was cross.

Then he smiled, because he knows we are nice English people and we have been good campers and he’s even happier to see that I’ve already displayed the campsite sticker on the Landy.

As a reward he told me to tip away the water we have just taken on board, about 25litres, as “it’s salty”. I tried to tell him about the green fern-like stuff that this morning came out of the yellow hosepipe that we have been using. He shrugged that off and said “ You get good mountain water from opposite the chemist”.

This is a tap / standpipe and it’s on the main road and we go to locate it. He’s right; it is nicer and even better, there’s no green bits.

So we drive through Kardamyli and then up onto the flank of the Taygetos, along the high road, into the gorge, up again and then finally drop into Kalamata. Is there a more scenic coastal main road? I don’t think so. It is amazing.

We go to Lidl and stock up for the drive back and get something special for lunch. We are accosted by an English voice, who is surprised to hear us speaking. We were actually having a little disagreement over muesli varieties - a really emotive subject that too.

“Are you on holiday? How long for? Ooo driving, that’s along way.”

“Can I ask, if it isn’t too personal, what does it cost to drive, all in, fuel, tolls, ferries?”.

I told him I don’t know, at least I’m not going to stand there and work out a ball park figure. I said it’s about 5-6,000 miles so that’s a start, you could probably workout the cost from your mpg.

“And where’s the ferry?”. “We are going from Rotterdam to Hull” I said and then rather unnecessarily added, “it’s up north, you probably don’t know it”. Luckily he smiled.

We couldn’t go until they’d told us they had come out to their house, “just arrived, don’t live here all the time” and then we had a detailed explanation of where it is. Then we could go. We only had a few things left on the list.

We drove up the road to Sparti. I think this was the only road over from Athens until the motorway was built just a few years ago. We had heard that it’s spectacular but really didn’t think it would be anything g special. That was so wrong.

It is a true alpine pass that follows a massive gorge all the way up and then down into a knife-slash defile on the other side. Carrying snow chains is mandatory from 15 Nov to 15 April and you get the sense of the snow quantity when you see the number of snow ploughs at the depot outside Kalamata. It is tremendous drive and luckily as it’s October, it is quiet. 

Then we join the motorway for a few miles before turning off to our village campsite. Here, we are on the ancient ruins tourist trail but we are the only ones in the village and on the campsite.

We have a great meal in the taverna, having decided against trying the Chinese restaurant (Agamemnon Palace), that is so well signposted and walk back just the few minutes to the Landy, with this as a view.