In The Mountains Of Greece

A guidebook to trekking the 220km Peloponnese Way and the 460km Píndos Way through the mountains of Greece, plus a shorter trek in Zagori and an ascent of Mount Olympus, Greece’s highest peak. The routes visit some little frequented and remote parts of the country, and are demanding but not technical. The Píndos Way requires some wild camping. The Peloponnese Way is described in 14 graded stages of between 7 and 20km, from Dhiakoftó to Pantazí beach. The Píndos Way is presented in 30 graded stages of 8–31km, following Greece’s mountain backbone from Ámfissa to the summit of Mount Grámos. Both routes are presented in sections, for the benefit of those who don’t have time for a full through-hike. Clear route description illustrated with 1:100,000 mapping Notes on accommodation, facilities, potential campsites and water sources Access details for each section of the treks Information on planning and preparation History, culture, plants and wildlife

The first of two volumes addressing the dearth of recent detailed Greek flora.

When Tim Salmon first set out to explore the remote mountain regions of Northern Greece, he couldn't find anybody, either Greek or foreign, who knew anything about them or had ever been there. This, along with the absence of any books or detailed maps, proved irresistible to the Rough Guide author, travel journalist, mountaineer and linguist. "Those hazy bulwarks seen against a summer sky from lowland roads and tourist routes where the black-caped winter shepherds repaired in spring. Where did they go?" For the next 40 years Tim made it his business to find out. A close friendship, ongoing to this day, with a family of Vlach mountain shepherds lies at the heart of The Unwritten Places. The Vlachs are called Arumani in their own language, which today is their principal distinguishing feature. It is a language derived from Latin and is considered to be a dialect of Romanian. Tim has watched his friends' flocks grow in size and seen the road arrive as their children grew into their sophisticated twenties. Tim's final acceptance by these proud and secretive peoples (but never quite their dogs!) is marked by his participation in the annual transhumance of the shepherds and their flocks, walking between winter and summer pastures at a time just before the roads and the lorries took over. A beautifully-written, intimate portrait of an all but vanished way of Greek mountain life, uninterrupted for thousands of years. "He describes the remote parts of Greece beautifully, and comments hauntingly on their despoliation." The Times Literary Supplement "He has a sensitive and perceptive eye for mountainscape and skyscape, an eye any landscape painter might envy." The Anglo-Hellenic Review

The mountains of Greece are among the most beautiful and dramatic in Europe. This colourful volume describes the mountains, their wildlife and the easiest routes to their summit. Includes maps and gives reference to 46 mountains in Greece as well as the best time to climb them.