The lure of a car free island and a treat night away from the van in a Hotel led us to Hydra. A 30 minute ferry took us to the beautiful port town. We resisted the offers of Donkeys to carry our bags as we went in search of a hotel for the night.
Once accomodation was secured we set our sights high, Moni Profiti Ilia sits on a peak just under the highest point on the island. Summoning the full training of the trip, Eddie tackled the climb with gusto. Route finding through the town was actually the challenging part, as maps of the wander paths between houses don’t really exist. Full credit to the postmen of Hydra, it’s steep, confusing and wiggly!
Once above the town, the main Donkey path became clear and the slog continued, with many breaks to admire the view.
The destination had a viewpoint with chairs, perfect for enjoying lunch, or the cold water & beer available from the Monastry.
Whilst sat here, we realised this was our furthest point from home for the trip. 1day 13hrs drive (according to Google) + 30 minute ferry + 2 hour hike. It took us 2.5 months to get here, and hopefully a bit less to get home again!
Downhill was a much speedier endeavour, as Eddie wanted to run most of it! and Cat got to run some of it twice as Eddie left his walking stick at one of our drink stops…
Eddie Attenborough is getting his eye in for wildlife and spotted a preying mantis* by the path on the way down
We showered (what a treat!), changed and headed into town for dinner. Which continued into late night wine by the harbour as the whole place was beutiful, and relatively quiet after the last ferries had left for the night (or gone to bed as Eddie would say). We even found time for a bit of shopping, say hi to Hydra the Donkey
Taking an easier route the next day, we wiggled our way to the flag bearing fortress near the harbour before exploring back to town via a swimming beach & swimming cave.
By the time we caught the boat back to the mainland we were thoughly cleaned & relaxed. Sunset from our camping spot for the night topped it off nicely.
Parenting Responsibly 