Sink Holes and Nafplio, Greece. 2015 🇬🇷

Travelled: 163 kilometres from Metamorfosi to Nafplio, Peloponnese
Visit: Ermioni and the Didima Sink Holes
Stayed: Nafplio (Karathiona), beachside aire, water and toilet service, free. N37.54377, E22.82255

We depart Metamorfosi with a little sadness, this beach with it’s inviting crystal clear water and isolation is our perfect little piece of the Peloponnese. We have said goodbye to our Austrian neighbours, it’s their 15 year holidaying in Greece and staying at this beach for a couple of weeks.

Heading south we pass through Galatas and stop for breakfast on a little headland on the southern tip of the Argolis. Overlooking the Gulf of Hydra and the island of Hydra in the distance, it’s peanut butter on toasted baguette. Luckily Pam doesn’t like peanut butter (what sort of person doesn’t like peanut butter ?) or I would surely run out. Mental note for next year bring two jars of peanut butter. As we sit enjoying the view a steady stream of classic soft top sports cars rubble by every couple of minutes. Alphas, Porches, Mercedes an Austin Healey or two and a couple of lovely E Types. It’s a real drivers road and we hear them changing up and down gears through the many hairpin bands.

Continuing on to Ermioni we park at the Port and have a wander about. Ermioni has a daily ferry service to Athens or other ports in the Peloponnese. As we walk up the quay the ferry sound its arrival. Twenty or thirty backpacker depart and almost the same number disembark. It’s a very pretty little village with a lovely bakery and lots of waterside taverns. But the bay is not that inviting for a swim, if there’s lots of yachts and cruises about as a rule we don’t swim near them for the obvious reason. So armed with some lovely baklava we push on.

Seven kilometres later we are on the western side of Argolis and heading north. We are looking for a wild camping spot but either the beach is a bit ordinary or the water a bit murky. The road swings inland and away from the coast and we climb into the mountains but perhaps hills is a more appropriate description.  However Greece is one long series of hairpin bends and the Hymer is kept busy.

Near the little village of Didyma we pass a brown tourist sign pointing to caves and I have a little memory jolt ? Didyma caves ?  We stop on the roadside and the Lonely Planet comes out and we do a bit of revision.  It describes Didyma Caves as two giant collapsed sinks holes, one holds a surprising secret.  As entry is free Pam is keen to have a look and we do a u-turn and start looking for a big hole in the ground.

Soon enough we are on the road again looking for a place for the night.  After a couple of of false starts, I finds some co-ordinates in our Greek road atlas and 20 minutes later we drive down onto the beach in Karathiona, about 4 kilometres from Napflio.  There are about 10 other motorhomes under the trees and we feel comfortable already.

Michael and Pam