Samothráki (Part 2)

Climbing up through Therma   

With the main tourist site done we thought that we’d continue on to the village of Thermá. Below it is a small harbour which we took a look at first and found that the entrance is very silted up. It’s about 50 metres wide but now reduced to just 10 metres. We thought it would be passable for yachts with a shallow draft but they would have to feel their way in extremely carefully. The village of Thermá was very quiet with just a couple of tavernas and a small shop open. There is lots of holiday accommodation here but no real sign of guests this early in the season. People us it as a base from which to explore the mountains so hopefully the village will get some trade later in the year. It was close to lunchtime and we saw a sign for waterfalls up above the village. We wondered if it was the Vathres waterfalls we’d been told about and decided we’d walk up to find the waterfalls and hopefully a good picnic spot.

Out lunchtime picnic stop   

There were no other signs and the village had more dead ends than the plan suggested so it was bit of a slow game. However, eventually we made our way out of the village to the east and found a likely stream. Our picnic lunch ‘was to be beside a waterfall’ and, so very much off the beaten track, we worked our way up the stream eventually coming across a very nice area beside a pool. A good sized waterfall cascaded down the crag and into the pool. Suitable location found, we sat on the rocks in the shade of the plane and oak trees with a beer and eating our sandwiches. It was a very nice spot but it was not the Vathres waterfalls.

The Holy Monastery of Christ   

A couple of kilometres east of Therma we saw signs and a turn-off for the Holy Monastery of Christ. Following the rough road 2 kilometres up the hillside we came across the monastery hiding under a sunscreen. All around it are the rocks and walls of a settlement but nothing is really standing except for the newly restored church and low walls of some of the other buildings (a bakery, some monks’ cells and a store room with half buried amphorae). The monastery was built around the middle of the 14^th century but abandoned sometime early in the 19^th century. Today the ruins are considered to be the most important standing mediaeval building on the island.

Views from the monastery towards mainland Greece and up the steep gullies above   

Being only small it didn’t take long to look at the monastery. Driving back down to the island ring road we saw great views across to mainland Greece and up the gullies in the steep hills above us with waterfalls just visible. We wondered how high we’d actually have to climb to see the Vathres waterfalls when we eventually found them.

Hiking along the river to get to the waterfalls   

Vathres waterfall   

Akis’ map was consulted but gave no clues and so we just continued driving clockwise around the island until we saw a small car park and in it a sign for the Vathres waterfalls. We left the car and set off along a trail running beside the river. It was very scenic with the crystal clear water bubbling over the rocks. In wintertime there is clearly a torrent and we saw debris and logs which had been swept down the hillside. After about half an hour we came to the first big waterfall but it was hidden behind a high stone buttress. Signs warned that going further was at our own risk but the scramble up the hillside was well marked and so we crossed the river and climbed up. About 100ft up we could see the waterfall cascading down; well worth the hike to see it. We climbed higher but it started to become too much of a scramble and because we couldn’t see another obvious waterfall close by we turned around and worked our way back down to the car.

Samothráki, Greece