Route: Agio Stefanos to Avlaki Beach
Area: North East Corfu
Date of walk: 25th June 2017
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 4.2 miles
Ascent: 1,000 feet
Weather: Sunny
I made a pre-dawn start today, in the hope of seeing the sun rise behind the mountains of Albania, and drove from our rented villa to nearby Agio Stefanos Beach. This is where Corfu is closest to Albania. People have swum across the sea from one country to the other – usually in the direction of Corfu, by Albanians in the 1980’s, desperate to escape the old Communist regime. On a previous visit to the beach I’d noticed a signboard indicating a public footpath to Avlaki Beach, which lies further north along the coast, and this is the route I’d follow this morning
At the end of the beach I joined a footpath which rounded Cape Agio Stefanos and which then descended to a small cove. As I continued along the path the sun gradually rose over the distant mountains, a wonderful sight
The path was well waymarked and hugged the coastline as far as possible, turning briefly inland on occasions to avoid rocky bluffs. All too soon I reached my destination – Avlaki Beach. Instead of retracing my steps, or phoning for a lift back, I decided to walk back along a track which provided a shortcut to our villa. This involved a long but gentle climb and I was soon back at the villa in time for breakfast
A great walk, a great start to the day, and a perfect way to finish this walking holiday
Click on the icon below for the route map
Some notes in conclusion…
Corfu is a superb destination for keen walkers, though it’s best to avoid the tourist hotspots which are to be found on any sunny island. Our base in the north east proved to be a good choice. The area was unspoilt and there were plenty of good walks in the vicinity. Although some of the more spectacular sights are on the north west coast, it only took us an hour or so to drive there
We had two inspirations for our walks: in no order of preference, the ever reliable Cicerone guides, in this case ‘Walking and Trekking Corfu’ by Gillian Price, and the author Hilary Whitton-Paipeti. Many thanks to Hilary for emailing her book about walking in North East Corfu and for her helpful guidance and wise advice, based on many years experience of walking on Corfu
The map which we used was the excellent Corfu Tour and Trail Map by Discovery Walking. At a scale of 1:40,000 it’s the most detailed one of the island, and shows the major walking routes
June is normally a good month for walking here, but our visit coincided with a heatwave. Temperatures were over 30c and even reached 40c on occasions, so it was impracticable to undertake any of the longer walks on offer and we had to plan accordingly. This was our first visit to Corfu, and I hope it won’t be the last – it’s a beautiful island and we had a wonderful time here
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The start of the walk from Agios Stefanos - I'll be following the route shown on the information board
Agios Stefanos bay just before dawn
Looking back to the village
I follow a path which rounds the bay
The sun rises over Albania across the sea
A small bay beyond Cape Agio Stefanos
More photos of the sunrise over Albania...
I continue along the coastal path, passing by deserted coves
Stone cairn on the beach near Cape Gianopounda
A small cove beyond Cape Gianopounda...
Deserted beach beyond Cape Gianopounda
The path leaves the shoreline and I walk across the headland
I arrive at the shore again
Avlaki beach...
For anyone following this walk, it would be journey's end, but from here I follow a track back to our rented villa
Ancient olive tree
Looking across to Albania just before I arrive back at our rented villa to end the walk
Later that day, a visit to picture postcard Paleokastritsa on the west coast
It was too hot for another walk....
...but the place sums up the scenery to be found on the beautiful island of Corfu
...and at the end of a wonderful walking holiday, it's goodbye from James, Andrew, Phoebe, Gilly, Jody, Lucy and baby Bobby - antio Corfu and thanks for having us!
