SPORADES ISLANDS
The Sporades lie close off Greece’s eastern coast, their hilly terrain betraying their status as extensions of Mount Pílio, right opposite on the mainland. The three northern islands, Skiáthos, Skópelos and Alónissos, are archetypal Aegean holiday venues, with wonderful beaches, lush vegetation and transparent sea; they’re all packed out in midsummer and close down almost entirely from October to April. Skýros, the fourth inhabited member of the group, lies well southeast, and is much more closely connected – both physically and historically – to Évvia than to its fellow Sporades. These two have less obvious attractions, and far fewer visitors.
Skiáthos, thanks to its international airport and extraordinary number of sandy beaches, is the busiest of the islands, though Skópelos, with its Mamma Mia! connections, extensive pine forests and idyllic pebble bays, is catching up fast. Alónissos, much quieter, more remote and less developed, lies at the heart of a National Marine Park, attracting more nature-lovers than night owls. Traditional Skýros sees fewer foreign visitors, partly because it’s much harder to reach, though plenty of domestic tourism means no shortage of facilities. Between Skýros and the mainland, Évvia (classical Euboea) extends for nearly 200km alongside central Greece. Although in spots one of the most dramatic of Greek islands, with forested mountains and rugged stretches of little-developed coast, its sheer size and proximity to the mainland means that it rarely has much of an island feel; mainlanders have holiday homes around numerous seaside resorts, but foreigners are very thin on the ground.
An indented coastline full of bays and coves to moor in, relatively steady winds and the clear waters of the National Marine Park, also make the northern Sporades, rightly, a magnet for yacht flotillas and charters. Many companies have bases in Skiáthos, in particular.
EXPLORE THE ISLANDS
Undulating green countryside, some fine rural monasteries and a labyrinthine old town notwithstanding, the real business of Skiáthos is beaches: by far the best, if also the most oversubscribed, in the Sporades. There are over fifty strands (plus a few more on satellite islets), most with fine, pale sand, though still barely enough room for the legions of visitors; Italians and Greeks in summer, Brits and Scandinavians in spring and autumn. The main road along the south and southeast coasts serves an almost unbroken line of villas, hotels, minimarkets and restaurants; although they’ve not impinged much on Skiáthos’s natural beauty, they make it difficult to find anything particularly Greek here. But by hiking or using a 4WD vehicle, you can find relative solitude, refreshing vistas and charming medieval monuments in the island’s north.
Hidden gems of Skiathos
The sea caves:
Holidays mean adventure and exploration – the sea caves of Skiathos await! As long as you have a boat (and it’s very easy to rent one) Pounta, Fonissa and Altanous are all waiting to be discovered.
The watchtower:
Pagan altar, Christian spire or Venetian castle? Find the circular building at Pyrgi, hidden in the oaks, and let your imagination run wild.
The monastery of Evangelistria:
The stone walls look like a monastery on Mount Athos. Located on the northeastern tip of Skiathos, it has been there since 1794.
SKOPELOS is bigger and more rugged than Skiáthos and its concessions to tourism are lower-key and in better taste, despite a boom in recent years fuelled by the filming here of the Mamma Mia! film. Much of the countryside, especially the southwest coast, really is as spectacular as it appears in the film, with a series of pretty cove beaches backed by extensive pine forests as well as olive groves and orchards of plums (prunes are a local speciality), apricots, pears and almonds. Skópelos Town (Hóra) and Glóssa, the two main towns, are among the prettiest in the Sporades, their hillside houses distinguished by painted wooden trim and grey slate roofs.
Hidden gems of Skopelos
A pretty port: Loutraki:
The second port in Skopelos was built upon the ruins of Ancient Selinountas. It took its name Loutraki from the Roman loutra (baths) that used to be here.
The artisans:
Family traditions continue in the workshops: black- and red-figure vases, miniature models of boats, cast iron knives, oil lamps, embroidery, hand-painted plates. Bring-home gifts with character … unique and traditional.
Agios Ioannis Prodromos monastery: straight out of a film:
In Kastri, Agios Ioannis – once a Catholic Monastery – is built at the tip of an impressive rock (you’ll have to climb 110 steps!). Although small, it is now world-renowned thanks to the movie Mamma Mia, where the final wedding scene was filmed.
ALONISSOS is the largest and only permanently inhabited member of a mini-archipelago at the east end of the Sporades. It’s more rugged and wild than its neighbours, but no less green; pine forest, olive groves and fruit orchards cover the southern half, while a dense maquis of arbutus, heather, kermes oak and lentisc cloaks the north. In part thanks to its marine park status , some of Greece’s cleanest sea surrounds Alónissos – the beaches rarely match those of Skópelos or Skiáthos for sand or scenery, but the white pebbles on most of them further enhance the impression of gin-clear water. Remoteness and limited ferry connections mean that Alónissos attracts fewer visitors than its neighbours. There is, however, a significant British and Italian presence (the latter mostly in all-inclusive hotels), while Greeks descend in force all summer.
Hidden gems of Alonissos
Treasures in the deep of the Aegean:
Archaeologists excavating in Peristera couldn’t believe their eyes: an ancient shipwreck revealed that the first Greeks built cargo ships with a capacity of over 100 tons. As if that weren’t amazing enough, a total of eight ancient and mediaeval shipwrecks have been found in the area. The treasures that lie on the seabed around Alonissos are priceless!
The threshing festival:
Don’t miss the threshing festival of Alonissos, where the island’s women prepare trahana (a soup of cracked wheat and fermented milk) and other homemade food, whilst musicians lift the mood with traditional songs of the island. It will be a pleasant surprise during your holiday in Alonissos.
The islet of Pelagonisi:
Kyra-Panagia, or Pelagonisi, is the largest uninhabited island of the Northern Sporades. Despite being uninhabited today, archaeological findings show that it was inhabited very early (6,000 B.C.) and it’s probable that this was ancient Alonissos. The monastery of Kyra Panagia can be found on the southeast of the island, and an old olive oil press and windmill are the only other buildings that remain. Perfect for anyone seeking the solitude and magic of a unique swimming experience.
Despite its natural beauty, SKYROS has a relatively low profile. There are few major sites or resorts, and access, wherever you’re coming from, is awkward. Those in the know, however, realise it’s worth the effort, and there are increasing numbers of trendy Athenians and Thessalonians taking advantage of domestic flights – and making Skýros Town a much more cosmopolitan place than you might expect – plus steadily growing international tourism. The New Age Skyros Centre, pitched mostly at Brits, has also effectively publicized the place. There are plenty of beaches, but few that can rival the sand of Skiáthos or film-set scenery of Skópelos. There’s also a substantial air-force presence around the airport in the north, and a big naval base in the south; almost all the accommodation and tourist facilities cluster around Skýros Town in the centre of the island.
A position bang in the centre of the Aegean has guaranteed the island a busy history: it was occupied from prehistory, with a truly impressive Bronze Age settlement currently being excavated, was a vital Athenian outpost in the Classical era, and an equally important naval base for the Byzantines and under Venetian and Turkish rule, when it was an important staging post on the sea-lanes to Constantinople.
Hidden gems of Skyros
The stone mushroom:
At the otherworldly seaside site of Pouria is an ancient quarry where you’ll see a weird rock formation, the stone mushroom.
Lobsters!:
Skyros has been famous for its plentiful lobsters since antiquity. Enjoy!
Full moon at Magazia:
The great full moon of August is at its most romantic from here, rising out of the sea. Marvel at it from the coastal pathway above the beach or from one of the seaside tavernas.
