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I'm a real homebody and I get so much joy in the small things. 'Touring is a peculiar thing, VOLOS LARISA KTEL it doesn't suit me particularly well. Plus, I'm dramatic and have a terrible history of touring.
By this stage my blisters are less of a problem than the fact that my knees no longer seem to be functioning. Blaming my inadequate footwear rather than lack of fitness, I struggle on — and soon the prospect of a lunch of Pelion sausage in peppers and VOLOS IGOUMENITSA TAXI aubergine and CRUISESHIP VOLOS TAXI a Mythos beer has lubricated my joints.
Its people claim direct descendancy from the ancient Spartans. The rugged Mani peninsula, Pelion taxi the middle prong of the Peloponnese, ALONISSOS ATHENS TAXI is one of Greece's most isolated and starkly beautiful regions, with the Taygetus Mountains running down its spine.
Six nights' B&B costs from £1,660pp with flights (Alternatively, follow the gods, who, according to Greek legend, chose the Pelion peninsula between Athens and Thessaloniki for their revelries, but which is blessedly free from mass tourism. A separate visit explores one of the six remaining monasteries once the day-trippers have left, ending with a magical view of the sun dipping behind the rocks.
A week in Koulka House costs from £830, excluding flights (Lunar landscapes - and island-hopping in style Villa company Scott Williams has many properties on Paxos, including the simple stone Koulka House, with a pool, sleeping four in the hamlet of Kastanida on the west coast.
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The local goat's milk, olive oil, organic vegetables and red wine must help, as well as the beautiful setting of sandy beaches and lush hillsides. Just don't make too many journeys on the tortuous roads in the mountainous interior, which might make you feel you've shaved years off your life.
'I want the element of surprise for every time I come back and it's so hard to maintain that. I am going on break and I am just going to be a mum for a bit and I'm looking forward to that, but I'll always write music and I'll always put it out and I hope that you'll be here.
The forest, descending from the terrace of the Hotel Manthos, spreads out like a green carpet to the sea, while swallows patrol the sky above. Narnia is the theme of our first stop: the village of Chania, near the top of Mount Pelion.
Take in the imposing Chora town on a rocky hill on Serifos, and the vineyards and olive groves of Sifnos, where trails lead to little monasteries or a medieval fortified village (be sure to try the local speciality of mastelo - goat or lamb marinated in red wine and cooked in ceramic pots). Why settle for one island when you could squeeze in lots more?
You may not be a tree person but I defy you not to be impressed by the giant plane tree in front of the church in Agia Paraskevi.
It is more than a thousand years old and about 58 ft in circumference, the sort of natural wonder that lends credence to the legend that Pelion was favoured by the gods.
Our night is spent in the wonderfully quirky Lost Unicorn Hotel in Tsagarada. This early 19th-century building is full of telescopes, books and prints, VOLOS KOMOTINI TAXI while outside you can take tea or drinks in the hotel's own treehouse. In between these two, poor reading of the directions (again) causes us to accidentally climb a hill that must surely be known locally as the Greek Matterhorn.
A walking trail through the pine forest starts here, linking four villages and spanning 15 miles. Stay in the Erofili Hotel by the fishing village of Armenistis, and take a dip in the seawater pool or in the sea at nearby Livadi Beach. With plenty of wood and stone, the stylish cottages - some contemporary, others more traditional - share a pool surrounded by rocks, and a restaurant on the site of an old monastery that uses produce from Thalori's own farm. In the remote, rugged landscape of the Asterousia Mountains in the south, a collection of 20 cottages form Thalori Retreat, which takes its name from its position between the sea (thalassa) and mountain (ori). Seven nights' B&B costs from £978pp with flights and FREE NOW VOLOS transfers (It may be one of Greece's most popular holiday destinations but Crete still has some off-the-beaten-track areas.
While the monasteries are among the most-visited sites in mainland Greece, the company's guides use hidden trails known only to the locals that follow in the footsteps of the first monks who arrived in the area in medieval times.
A network of footpaths weaves among the lemon and olive trees - it's a mile-and-a-half hike to the village of Spartia. There are sunloungers and shade at the rocky shore, or it's a five-minute drive to a sandy beach. Here, a group of 19 individually owned and VOLOS IGOUMENITSA TAXI decorated villas are available for hire, each with sea views.
The beaches of Agios Ioannis are beautifully clear, FREE NOW VOLOS fronted by a succession of tavernas.
Chris, desperate to check the financial markets (his mobile phone is a constant feature on our walks), is delighted by the hotel wi-fi, while I provide a bit of visual contrast on the beach — a pallid interloper surrounded by bronzed Greeks. But there are compensations later.
