21/12/24
We didn’t wake up until half an hour before the taxi was due to collect us. Breakfast was off the cards and we enjoyed a quick cup of coffee before our driver arrived at 8am. It was a very short, but steep journey. As we got higher we could see approaching rain clouds. The driver reckoned we had at least a few hours before they arrived.
We pulled into the car park at about ten past 8. The imposing citadel visible in all its glory. This is supposed to be one of the best preserved in Greece. We walked up beneath the tall, thick walls and passed through multiple gates to enter the city. It was supposed to open at half past but as the driver had suggested, it was already open. The streets were cobble and difficult to walk up. We wondered how ridiculously hard it would be to push our bikes up, let alone a heavy cart.
There was an indicative route to follow, which passed the main ruins of the buildings. It’s important to note that there were several layers of time stacked on top of each other. The site was occupied continuously for thousands of years and therefore every structure has been repurposed and rebuilt repeatedly. The walls were last finished by the Venetians and there is a Frankish tower. Unfortunately the top was sealed, possibly for the winter, and we couldn’t go out.
While we were exploring the rain arrived on and off. It wasn’t too bad but combined with the winds we got a bit cold being so exposed. This is the highest acropolis in Greece after all. We headed up to the temple on the very top for views across the Gulf of Corinth before descending to upper Peirene fountain which has led the site to be occupied so consistently and which was also frequented by Pegasus, of course.
Heading down the cobbles was hard work, they were well polished and the water made them even harder to traverse. We left through the multiple gates again, and started our walk back down. We figured it would be an easy walk back to save us €10. The further down we got the warmer it was. There was actually some warmth from the Sun and we made it back in good time.
We had an hour and a half to check out and decided to make some pancakes, which we consumed with four delicious homemade jams that were in the fridge. Lemon and orange marmalade, quince and plum. We also juiced the copious number of oranges in the fridge and drank coffee.
By the time we were due to set sail it had started raining again. We couldn’t wait any longer and went for it. As always, it’s never that bad once you go out. We had to rejoin the national road, which was a rather unfriendly road, both full of cars and covered in deep puddles. We rode through Modern Corinth, a bustling town by the sea, and even discovered another cycle path, which soon ended abruptly.
There was an accident on national road 8 in July this year. A bridge across a railway was demolished after a truck caught fire. There is scarce information but we’d known for a while as the EuroVelo website recommends taking a train for that section. We were keen to avoid such a thing, not least because it was right next to the Isthmus of Corinth, which was well worth visiting.
A detour we’d found involved heading across a submersible bridge, it goes into the water to allow boats to pass, at the western end of the canal that cuts through the land. Then we would head back southeast. It wasn’t clear how this avoided the problem bridge but supposedly it was a recently updated alternative route.
We headed into Loutraki, a famed thermal spa town, then joined the alternative route which was a mix of dirt track and road. We climbed continuously and the Sun was out in full force. After about five kilometres we descended slightly to the bridge where the main road crossed the canal. It’s a tourist hotspot for a reason, the views were spectacular. Although it was conceptualised in the 7th Century BC it wasn’t possible to complete until 1893.
A guy came over while we were stopped to inspect the bikes, excited to see bar end shifters. He worked at the bungee jumping place. Yes, you can leap into the canal. We got sweaty palms just leaning over the bridge. We tried to follow the route we’d got online but it tried to take us over the demolished bridge. We’d asked on Reddit for some local advice and the submersible bridge at this end was definitely open, we just had to get to it.
Back across the Isthmus we went, and took the turning off a busy dual carriageway to Isthmia. We crossed the motorway and the railway before descending very fast, hoping that this was the right way. Fortunately we were indeed able to cross the canal, for the third time, though we only made it halfway across before meeting some people from Athens. They spoke perfect English and one of them had just been bungee jumping, we jovially debated which of us had embarked on a harder challenge. After encouraging one of the interested party to go on their own cycle tour, we pushed on, following a damaged road that ran broadly parallel to the still closed national road.
Soon we were riding next to a huge oil refinery. Corinth refinery is the second largest refinery in Europe. It was therefore absolutely massive and the air stunk of assorted fuel smells for miles around. There were lots of signs that said not to take photographs and the side of the road was littered with cars and scooters.
The wind was blowing hard from behind us and felt chillier. We realised that we were now on the southern coast and the sea looked choppier. Occasionally we felt gusts from the side but mostly it just pushed us along. We often had that weird but enjoyable quiet that accompanies a tailwind. We rejoined the national road and were headed into Agioi Theodoroi.
There was a sign for Glaros camping, promoting it as the last campsite before Athens. We decided that despite the negative google reviews we should accept it has the best place to stay. We’d had a short ride relatively but the morning walk on Acrocorinth had taken it out of us. We picked up some bread and hummus before taking on the final five kilometres.
The owner of the campsite was residing in a smoky office, both from the fire and him and his friend’s cigarettes. He was happy to have us and charged us a steep €19 for the night. The pitch was a little circle of hardened mud just above the beach, and surrounded by trees. There were lots of permanent residents, at one point there was loud music but it didn’t carry on for long. The showers were an extra 20 cents and there wasn’t any toilet paper.
A dog wandered over to say hello and clearly desired some attention. We had dinner on the beach while the Sun was setting, then headed into the tent to eat a little bit of jam and bread. It was a nice spot but was ruined by the smoke pouring out of his chimney and though there was a wind it would hang in the air occasionally, disturbing our prospect of sleep. We didn’t let it bother us and focused on the exciting idea of making it to Athens the next day, and the much needed rest from cycling we desired.
Surly They Won't Make It 