It was sometime late last fall that I got a call from Chris Winter, of Big Mountain Bike Adventures, "Let's go to Greece, sail around and go biking on different Islands". I was sold, and from that point, all I could think about was floating on the Aegean and riding my bike in another country. The seasons soon changed and we were prepping our departure for Istanbul, Turkey. We had slight concerns about travelling through this area of the world, due to recent political instability, our concerns were put to rest upon arrival into the town of Bodrum, from where we would end our travelling and begin our adventure.
Arriving not far off midnight, we were met with warm hearts and cold beers, which after nearly 24hrs of travel certainly eased the soul as we put our heads to rest before departing for the Greek Island of Leros the next day. We awoke to breakfast from the onboard chef, only to find ourselves sailing through the history riddled waters of the Aegean Sea on a 120ft yacht.
Landing in the port at Leros, we climbed 1000ft to the Castle of Leros, which offered incredible views of the landscape and surrounding ocean. Exploring till sunset, we arrived at a small chapel in the sea to watch the day disappear.
Waking at 5am to the sunrise, whilst everyone else on the boat was asleep, was for me, the most peaceful moments of the trip. We were heading toward the Island of Patmos, where we would spend the day exploring its network white alleyways and small coffee shops, before dropping into one of the rocky trails that snakes its way from the ancient windmills, 800ft above sea level, back to the boat, at sea level. We continued onto the small Island of Lipsi for a quick ride before dinner and dancing at a local taverna. Quickly discovering that, even though it's the smallest island, it has the highest concentration of chapels for its population. 50:500, there's also a lot of rock. By far, this was one of the most beautiful islands we visited, with exceptional scenery and technical trails overlooking nothing but turquoise waters.
At some point we had to turn around and head back to the mainland, luckily we still had a few more islands to visit on the way!
Kos, our last stop before returning to Bodrum, one of the larger islands visited, welcomed us with a castle perched precariously on top of a massive rock. Obviously we had to check it out and scope some lines around its ramparts. A five-day trip to Greece seemed like travelling a really long way, for a really short trip. Afterwards, it felt like we'd been on a 2-week vacation. The amount of riding and travelling we squeezed into such a short space of time was mind-blowing. Each Island visited was completely different to the next and added to the excitement of discovering each islands charm. Get in touch with
Big Mountain Bike Adventures about creating your own Greek Island trip with a group of friends. You won't be disappointed!
Thanks to Chris Winter - Ride Big Mountain Bike Adventures
MENTIONS: @mike-gamble
www.mtbhellas.gr.
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Not much help I know, but I'm not really familiar with the island in biking terms. I can recommend it for kiting/windsurfing though, it's a very polular destination.
People are friendly and prices very reasonable as I'm told.
Great video and scenery I can even smell the Aegean breeze...
www.trailforks.com/region/molista-13357
And feel free to join the facebook page to get more info about one of the most virgin mountainous areas of Greece
www.facebook.com/groups/124354425505
www.martinbike.com/en/index.php
I spent 3 days biking with the group and the guide, was real fun, even though it was a bit warm at the end of August. September should be perfect...
Also nice choice of song! Name of it?
I can picture Zeus standing on the top of mountains!
Intriguing landscape!
fysiolatris.gr/images/stories/galleries/2013/ekdromi26-29.6.13/o.JPG
This video is filmed in Aegean Sea, at the east side of Greece.