Route: Cape Drastis
Area: North West Corfu
Date of walk: 24th June 2017
Walkers: Andrew and James
Distance: 3.4 miles
Ascent: 400 feet
Weather: Sunny and very hot
We’d planned to start today’s walk in the popular seaside resort of Sidari but as we drove through the town it was a little too busy (to put it euphemistically) for our taste, and so we parked at nearby Melitsa instead. We followed a blue waymark n.6, and these signs would guide us to our destination
As we walked along the dusty track, lined with wildflowers, we were constantly distracted by the sight of hundreds of butterflies. They were very camera shy and we spent some time chasing them around in the hope of a decent shot
Eventually our destination – Cape Drastis – came into view with its spectacular sculpted white cliffs jutting out into the turquoise Ionian Sea – a wonderful sight. We made our way down to a small cove where swimming is possible. We’d intended to retrace our steps from this point but discovered that a local boat service offers trips to Sidari, so decided we catch the boat back instead. This proved to be a good decision, since the journey back in the small boat, captained by a local fisherman, was fascinating and we had some superb views of the eroding coastline which we’d have missed if we’d walked back
The boat dropped us off near Sidari beach and from here we made our way back to Melitsa. If anyone follows this walk and opts for the return by boat I’d recommend starting in Sidari, rather than Melitsa
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We park our rented car on the outskirts of busy Sidari, and follow the blue waymark on the telegraph pole
We follow a track lined with wildflowers, which attract the attention of the local butterflies...
...Brimstone
..and Scarce Swallowtail, which is scarce in the UK but not in Europe
Mount Pantokrator, Corfu's highest peak, in the distance
Cape Drastis comes into view
We follow a path which descends gently to the cape...
Cape Drastis again, with Albania in the distance
Zooming in on the eroding coastline
We carry on down the track, assuming at this stage that we'd have to retrace our steps back up it
We arrive at a tiny cove
There's room here for a few umbrellas and a small refreshment bar, and it was here that we discovered we could take a boat to Sidari, which we preferred to retracing our steps
After a short wait, our boat comes in
On board the small boat, we look back to the stratified coastline
The cliffs are eroding rapidly, and here a section has collapsed into the sea
There are some interesting rock formations, which have become a natural playground
Looking back along the cliffs
The remains of the former coastline
We assumed the boat would sail straight into port but we had several interesting diversions, including this one, into a cave...
The area is known as Canal d'Amour - Channel of Love - and according to our captain was so named by hippies in the 1960s
We round this pointed rock to enter port
We disembark at Sidari
Hmmm.....
Downtown Sidari, just the place for a new tattoo
It's a relief to arrive back at the outskirts of the town
And more relief at a bar at the end of the walk - and what a wonderful walk it was
