Walk 6105 - Paleohora to Soughia, Crete

   
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Trekking the European Path E4, Southwest Coast, Paleohora to Soughia

Following coastal paths along the azure blue waters of the Libyan Sea in early May is a great way to get back in shape after the long winter months. Trekking in Crete is a wonderful experience, thanks in part to the diversity of the regions but more importantly, because of its people, unique cultural heritage and ideal climate.

In May, the temperatures are mild; the Libyan Sea starts to warm up allowing the walker to take a dip at least once per day. The walk from Paleohora to Soughia is very easy yet long. You need to count about 7 hours with stops for swims and a picnic. There are numerous bays and sheltered coves where one can stop and contemplate the beauty of the land and the wild flowers are prolific.

In the small town of Paleohora, one needs to look for the signs indicating the European 4 path. They are yellow with black numbers and the most difficult part of the day is getting on the right path within the village. You need to head east out of town towards the camp site and look for small piles of stones, called cairns that show the walker the direction to take.

Once on the path, all one has to do is follow poles with the European 4 symbol on it. They are located every 100 or 200 hundred meters and are easy to follow. The walk in itself is not challenging with about 400 meters of vertical ascent. However, the trails are narrow and the limestone very sharp, so one needs to stay alert.

The highlight of the walk is Lissos Bay, a sheltered cove with 500 hundred year old olive trees and Roman ruins along with a spring to fill up before the hike up to Soughia. Lissos is an ideal spot to spend several hours out of the sun that can be already hot even in late spring.

From Lissos, the trail climbs steeply up for about 45 minutes before reaching a magnificent plateau. It takes about 1 hour on flat terrain to cross the before descending a steep path through a narrow gorge which leads to the minuscule fishing harbor of Soughia. The rocks are well worn so care should be taken when descending this gorge. The path is well marked with numerous cairns indicate the way to the village of Soughia.

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