Tílos

Tílos   

Parnomitis had been a lovely tranquil anchorage but we wanted to move on northwards. The anchor was raised at 1045 on 18 April and we slipped out of the bay under engine with little or no sign of wind. However, the 25 mile passage to Nísos Tílos would take us about 4 hours and we hoped that the light wind would increase during the afternoon.

Approaching Livádhiou harbour on Tílos   

It did but only briefly. We sailed properly for just half an hour and for the rest of the passage we motorsailed and by 1400 the main harbour of Livádhiou was getting close enough to make out the harbour wall. There was a Dutch ketch anchored off the beach but we wanted to try to moor up inside the little harbour. It looked like there were a couple of mast there but the view was blocked by a navy patrol vessel moored to the outside of the quay.

Livádhiou harbour   

As we got closer we found that there was just enough space for us to tie up alongside the inside end of the quay which suited us perfectly. The harbour was pretty with well-kept houses around it, beautifully clear water and a long beach to the south. Moored ahead of us was an English yacht which had just motored overnight from Crete; they helped us with our lines but, understandably, were more interested in sleeping than chatting.

Late in the afternoon the quiet harbour worked up into a frenzy of activity. A large team of NGOs turned up in bright orange T-shirts. Not one we recognised but we suspect that they were part of the refugee response because they and their suitcases were loaded onto the patrol vessel which departed with much engine revving, a bit of a shove with a long pole, and a huge cloud of diesel exhaust fumes.

No sooner had the Greek Navy departed than a Blue Star ferry turned up and executed a neat ‘hand-brake turn’ to stop stern-to the outer quay.

There was the usual sort of flurry of vehicles and passengers embarking and disembarking which made the place come alive and then suddenly we were back to peace and tranquillity. That left us with the big decision as to which bar we should go to for a beer and check on e-mails; somehow we coped with making the big decision of the day! Livádhiou definitely seemed like the sort of place that you could relax and unwind in. There are several accommodation options, particularly further down by the beach, but it is delightfully off the main tourist routes.

In the morning we took an early bus to the island’s capital, Megálo Horió. Unlike many horas it is not, as we had expected, high up on the hill. However, having got there we could see ancient ruins high up on the hillside and above then the ruins of a knights’ castle, apparently one of 7 on the island.

Nothing was happening in Megálo Horió and so Nicky decided that the only thing to do was race up to the top of the hill to explore the castle. Just as well we’d got the early bus before the heat of the sun had set in or it would have been a very hot climb.

The route was well marked with lights at ground level and it led us in zigzags past the ruins of the ancient settlement and up towards the old castle walls.

After a good climb we were at the entrance to the castle and able to walk in through the narrow entrance. Inside we decided that it was a good ruin. There was a large plateau with superb views of the island and enough castellated walls and ruined buildings to make it interesting…

... and inside the ruined chapel we saw some frescos which were still surprisingly clear.

To the north was the large bay of Playiou, with a small fishing harbour in its corner, and to our south we could look down on Megálo Horió and the green fields surrounding it. The rich volcanic soil and ample groundwater meant that Tiliots were primarily farmers producing most of the wheat for the Dodecanese until the 1970s when the ferries became more established. To the south we could also see Eristou bay, an alternative anchorage option for us.

Back down in Megálo Horió we enjoyed wandering through the narrow streets and looking at the churches with their white and black pebbled courtyards. The flowers were already vibrant and we saw green velvety almonds growing on the trees.

We still had time for us to walk out to Eristou bay before the next bus back to Livádhiou and so that was what we did. It was a pleasant walk past olive and citrus trees with good views back toward the castle. Once at the bay we relaxed on a makeshift bench under a tree looking out over the beach.

Eristou bay    

Sitting on that bench we hatched a new plan. The wind seemed to be building from the south and we only had about 20 miles to go north to get to the next island, Nísiros, and Palon harbour where we had expected to sit out the meltemi on Thursday. If we left this afternoon we could get to Palon a day early and then use the strong westerly wind on Wednesday to get us to Kalimnos and sit out the meltemi there. With that in mind we walked back to Megálo Horió to catch the bus back to BV.
 

Nísos Tílos, Greece