Sunflower Books: Landscapes of SAMOS: WALKS AND CAR TOURS

Samos, 5th edition, 2005; Updated 17/10/2009

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Updates for the walks and car tours (drives) on Samos given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book and want to "upgrade" to the latest edition at half price, click here.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably in hard copy, by post, to Sunflower Books, PO Box 115, Exeter EX2 6YU (or if you prefer, by e-mail, to mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk).

Please be aware that the condition of paths, tracks etc. is in a continual state of change. The rate at which these changes take place makes it an impossible task to keep this book constantly updated. The destruction to the environment on Samos, and in Greece as a whole, is mainly due to greed and lack of education regarding the environment. There appears to be little in the way of surveying and planning, and the forestry office itself hasn't even got all the tracks mapped out properly. The big excuse frequently trotted out is needing tracks for the fire fighters, but there were far fewer fires before the tracks proliferated. These tracks often become unusable after only one rainy season. How much money did it cost to destroy the lovely limestone path down from Moni Vronda? Funding via the EU has been instrumental in this wholesale environmental destruction. Our understanding is that local and foreign tour operators must bear some responsibility, as there is constant pressure from these groups for more jeep and mountain bike access into the countryside. A huge increase in the herds of goats is also a factor which denudes the terrain even further. We have made strong protestations, verbal and written, directly to the authorities on Samos. They make placatory noises, and there is much talk about eco-tourism, but nothing changes. Until the EU takes more control over its funding then not much will change. It is useless complaining only to the Greek authorities regarding the scale of their environmental destruction. The most effective way to complain is to send a copy of your letter of complaint to the national press of your own country.  International condemnation is more likely to elicit a response and, hopefully, a chance of some improvement. We still enjoy a love affair with Greece, even minus rose-tinted glasses. (Brian and Eileen Anderson, 2005) + Spent last week in Samos - splendid island!! Walked Drakei to Potami courtesy of Tui coach trip. Big problem with new road being constructed to the north east of Samos town which has destroyed a number of paths and roads especially in vicinity of Vathy. Hope they are going to restore them when the road is completed! (User, 10/09)

My wife and I have just spent an excellent holiday on Samos, with your invaluable and informative Sunflower book of course! As usual I have a few comments which may be helpful for the updates:

Walk 3 (page 55) the instruction to Use the map to follow the route of Walk 1 in reverse' is not helpful. We stayed on the main track and ended up on the main road half-way between Vourliotes & Source Pnakas. There is a left fork to be made about 5 minutes from Vourliotes that is not obvious.
Walk 9 (page 80): Evpalinus Tunnel is closed for an indeterminate period.
Walk 12 (page 88): We spent an hour trying to find the flower-lovers detour. The only sign to Koumaradei & Megalo Panagia seems to be at the corner where the walk enters Miii. There is no sign at the second track off to the right, which goes into a very dry area. Very disappointed!
Walk 19 (page 117): The path uphill between 1h27m and 1h37m is getting seriously overgrown and hard to find, though we were successful.
Walk 22 (page 125): A little concerned at the statement that 'route-finding is easy', when the first 1h20min follows Walk 20 on which "route-finding can be difficult... between 34min and 1hO6min' plus danger of vertigo. Which is correct?
Walk 23 (pages 127/8): The good news is that the trail has been really well cleared all the way to Kosmodeo. Unfortunately, your description of the starting point is very misleading, and we spent over an hour searching up traces of a premature track and stream bed that fit your description perfectly. The bottom 9 lines of page 127 could helpfully be replaced by: "In under three miuutes, the track swings sharp right as it crosses a streambed. 50 metres further along, look for paint waymarks and scramble up the embankment to access a good cobbled trail. (If this seems difficult, a minor stream bed 10 metres further on provides alternative access.) Pass a disused LIME KILN on the left (2Omin), beyond which the way was cleared early in 2006 through an invasive young pine forest." On page 128, lines 7-9 could read: "From here the onward path should be easily followed as it crosses the terraces, but if in doubt, turn left uphill on a field track, heading towards a white-pained stone hut with a grey corrugated roof.

A few typos that could be corrected in a future edition:
°On p27, CW6. It's Walk 6; see note on page 64.
°On page 32, the references to Kosmadeo should be Walks 18-20, 22 and 23'
°On page 69, Walk 7, the relevant map is on pages 66-67.

(User, 6/06)