The stunning colours and heady scent of flowers and herbs, tucked into rough ground or splashed across a hillside, the warm-sounding buzz of hovering bees, and the massed band of a thousand cicadas will all leave a lasting impression – the ‘special effects’ of the total scene. You may share this rural bliss only with a solitary shepherd, his flocks and dogs, as you walk the hillsides of eastern Crete. Greeks, on the whole, don’t walk — unless they have to for their day’s labour. So be prepared for incredulous looks from the townspeople and faint smiles from the villagers!

Key features:

• 50 long and short walks, colour-coded for grade
• 1:50,000 topo maps with waypoints
• free downloadable GPS tracks
• E4 long-distance hiking route highlighted on all relevant maps
• Samaria Gorge, Crete’s most popular walk, described as a day trip from Agios Nikolaos
• satnav coordinates to walk starting points
• 11 car tours and fold-out touring maps of both Eastern and Western Crete – ideal for planning
• plans of Iraklion and Agios Nikolaos
• strolls to idyllic picnic spots
• timetables for local transport
• online update service

Area covered: The guide book focuses on the area around Agios Nikolaos — east to Zakros and south to the coast. However, the tours go much further west, so that you can explore much of Crete by car — and there’s a description of the famous Samaria Gorge walk, a very popular day excursion by coach.

The best months for walking in Crete are April to June, September or October.