Wednesday 8th October 2025 – Near Bozikas, Greece

We watched two drivers of very long, wide and high motorhomes trying, delicately, to extract themselves from the tight site. I wanted to pay but the site owner was also watching them very carefully and asked me to wait until they had left. He shook his head and said “too large” and I agreed with him, especially on a small site.
We had seen all of the major sites in the area but I found one that we hadn’t visited. The Heraion of Argos was only a couple of kilometres off our planned route, looked interesting and was even free. When we arrived, only the custodian’s car was in the car park but a few more people arrived later.
We have been pleased that the sites that we have visited lately have had reasonable information boards but this site was an old-fashioned Greek site. There were no signs at all, even in Greek, not even a map of the site. We were lucky that I had brought an old guide to some archaeological sites in the Peloponnese, which had a small section on the Heraion, including a map of the site. Although this is not a major site for modern visitors, it was a very important site in ancient times. The earliest habitation on the site was 3000 BC but the earliest remains found date to the Mycenaean times (1500 – 1300 BC) and a Mycenaean road ran from here to the cities of Mycenae (one hour’s walk away) and Argos (two hour’s walk away). The visible remains on the site date to the 7^th century BC through to Roman times. In the 7^th century BC a sanctuary to Hera (hence Heraion) was built and was the centre of the cult of Hera and remained so well into Roman times. It was a very important site and every year a procession came from Argos with 100 sacrificial cattle followed by Hera’s priestess in a chariot drawn by two cows.
We walked all over the site using our guidebook to understand the layout and the purpose of the buildings – without that it would have been very difficult to interpret it.
We had lunch back in the van before heading on to the wine-producing area of Nemea.
Approaching Nemea there are a few stalls selling local produce – oil, honey, fruit and Nemea wine. We bought some wine from one of these stalls on our last visit and it was excellent, so I did the same again – 2 litres of red wine for €7. We drove on through Nemea, stopping at a minor, open, archaeological site on the outskirts before climbing into the mountains. Everywhere there were vineyards. In 2022 we visited the Nemea Cooperative Winery and during the guided tour, we were told that over 500 growers brought their grapes to the winery and it was obvious as we were driving that many of the vineyards were small and independently owned. We were intrigued by empty, open areas of ground next to the farmhouses that could be covered by netting. We came up with a number of ideas about what they could be used for and one of those turned out to be correct. As we got higher, some of the areas were still in use – grapes were being dried in the sun, protected by the netting or plastic sheeting. Apparently, this area is famous for its production of sultanas, raisins and currants.
We found a flat area next to the road at an altitude of approximately 850 metres and with lovely views over olive trees and vines down into the valley below. This would be our wild camping spot with the tinkle of goat bells in the distance.
As the sun went down we witnessed a wonderful sunset. Lights twinkled in the villages below and the red lights of wind turbines flashed in the distant mountains. Shortly afterwards there was distant howling. We had heard this before at other campsites and had put it down to dogs but it didn’t really sound like dogs. After Googling, we discovered that we were hearing Golden Jackals, the population of which is on the rise in Greece. That was followed by Tawny Owls calling but we still haven’t heard Little (or Athena) Owls, much to our disappointment.
Photos: View from the old Hera temple over the ‘new’ Hera temple to Argos below the first hill in the distance on the left – can you see the 100 sacrificial cattle and the priestess’s chariot on the way to the Heraion?; This square building was the banqueting house with three rooms on the closest side that had benches and fixed tables; Some of the many vines just beyond Nemea; A view down from the high road over some of those enigmatic open areas; Enigma solved – grapes drying under the covers; Our wild camping stop; The magnificent sunset.

Tuesday 7th October 2025 – Epidaurus, Greece

When we arrived at the campsite last night and I had backed into the pitch, we were greeted by the German on our left with a request to move further back so that he could have access to his garage for his bike. Before I could do that, the German on our right said that he didn’t want me to move as our windows would allow us to see into his caravan. Using British compromise, I suggested that we only moved back 2 metres to clear a space for the German on the left, which meant that we wouldn’t be opposite the caravan. That seemed acceptable. So, this morning, all was sweetness and light and I wished our neighbours a cheery ‘guten morgen’ and got a ‘good morning’ in reply. Later, Jane discovered why our neighbours were so keen on their privacy as, on returning from the shower block, she encountered the male neighbour standing outside his caravan stark naked!
The weather forecast for today was decidedly dodgy but we set off in the sunshine for the small Epidaurus theatre. It was closed due to ‘safety concerns’ but was clearly visible from the fence around the site. They had also excavated other buildings close to the theatre, some of which were definitely Roman or modified by them.
We took the footpath to the small harbour and enjoyed coffee and complimentary cake in a café. We then wandered along the promenade, inspected the shopping area and bought some homemade ‘bifteki’ (beefburgers) from a butchers. We had spotted a gyros restaurant earlier and we returned to enjoy our first gyro of the holiday. The gyro consists of a piece of pitta bread wrapped around sliced pork, tomato, tzatziki and chips. It is a delicious, inexpensive meal and typically Greek. Having had a relatively small meal, we felt less guilty about indulging in a delicious homemade ice cream.
We walked back past the campsite to see the Villa Maria where our son and family spent a happy holiday last year. We had intended to find the Mycenaean tombs that were supposed to be quite close to the village but the locals that I asked had no idea where they were. I was still keen to find them but very black clouds had gathered in the hills behind the village and there were rumbles of thunder. Time to head back to the van! A few minutes after we got back, the rain started – gently at first and then torrential, complete with hail.
We had heard that tonight there was going to be a ‘super moon’ and I had found out that moon rise here was going to be at 19:13. At home in England it always seems to be cloudy when events like this happen and tonight, in Greece, exactly the same happened and we couldn’t see the moon. Apparently, there are going to be two super moons in the next two months so we hope that we might get some clear skies when we are back home.
Photos: The small theatre at Old Epidaurus; The harbour; It was good to see working fishing boats and the harbour is very popular with sailing flotillas; Many properties near the campsite have preserved endless buckets mechanisms designed to raise water from the wells.

Monday 6th October 2025 – Epidaurus, Greece

We would very happily return to Zaritsi Camping with its great position, good-sized pitches with plenty of shade, and a good restaurant.
A few drops of rain fell as we left Zaritsi but it was then dry until we passed Nafplio when it started to drizzle. I had spotted that there was an ancient Mycenaean bridge just off our route, so we called in to take a look. It is quite remarkable to see a bridge built in 1300 – 1200 BC still in perfect condition. It is said to be the oldest preserved bridge in Europe and carried an important Mycenaean road.
We moved on to the famous site of Epidaurus, or, more accurately, the Asclepius of Epidaurus. The ancient city of Epidaurus is actually on the coast but this is the sacred site dedicated to Asclepius. Asclepius was the Greek god of medicine, the son of Apollo, so this was an equivalent to Lourdes where the believers came to be cured. People arrived with a medical problem, bearing offerings, and were miraculously cured, writing in stone their thanks to the god. No doubt, they also paid for the privilege and donated money to the priests.
The site is messy with a mixture of Greek and Roman remains covering many centuries. The remains are often only a few courses of stone above ground level, which makes it difficult to imagine what the buildings would have looked like. We found it very confusing to start with but eventually managed to understand the site. The museum is small, limited in exhibits and old fashioned – it is really in need of modernisation and expansion. Likewise, although there are information boards for the major buildings, it would be better if they gave an idea of what the buildings would have looked like and how they fitted into the rest of the site. This is a major site, one of the most popular sites with visitors to Greece and it deserves better.
The theatre is the most complete construction in Epidaurus and is the first point of call for visitors. We left it to last and we were not disappointed. With a capacity of 13,000 – 14,000 it is in a wonderful state of preservation. In the 1980s, I attended a performance of an ancient Greek play here and I didn’t understand a word but the performance was very dramatic and it was possible to follow the plot from the acting. Melina Mercouri (singer, actor, activist and Greek Minister of Culture) was a special guest that night and, arriving by helicopter, she was warmly welcomed by the crowd. This was at the height of the ‘give us back our marbles’ (Parthenon marbles) calls made by Greece to Britain. This is still very relevant today and there may be moves to loan them to Greece where they could be displayed in the Athens museum where a special room has been reserved for them for many years.
On then to the coastal village of Epidaurus and Camping Nicholas 1, a rather constricted site but very close to another ancient Greek theatre.
Photos: The Mycenaean Bridge of Arkadiko; Epidaurus – a well beautifully constructed about 500 BC and used for many years to collect water for ritual purification of the pilgrims;  The Abaton where the pilgrims would have ritualised sleep and be visited by the god in the form of a sacred snake, waking up cured or understanding what remedy was needed; The magnificent theatre.

Sunday 5th October 2025 – Tyros, Greece

A very relaxed day for me but Jane used a campsite washing machine for a major wash. There was a good selection of washing lines around the pitch and we were soon surrounded by drying clothes.
We had a meal at the campsite restaurant – 2 x chicken in tomato sauce served with rice and half a litre of red wine for a very reasonable €21 (£18.30).
Photos: Our pitch at Zaritsi; The beach; Light begins to fade.

Saturday 4th October 2025 – Tyros, Greece

We have lost the heat that we have had for much of the holiday with temperatures in the high 20s and early 30s replaced by temperatures in the early 20s.
We left the Semeli Campsite and headed for Leonidio, just a few minutes away. A lovely, traditional Greek town and a centre for many small villages in the area. There are no large supermarkets, so there are many small independent shops – at least two butchers, three greengrocers, three bakeries and an ironmongers and sheet metal shop selling goods fabricated on site. I bought a small oil lantern from the ironmongers and I look forward to testing it out when we get home. The many small tourist shops reminded me of the Greece of the old days. I just hope that next time that we visit Leonidio, those shops are still there and adding to the charm of this lovely town.
We stopped at a small café with lots of local customers. We each had a coffee and a piece of excellent Greek orange cake, Portokolopita. The cake was really good and very unusual – we have had excellent Greek orange cake before but this was quite different. I asked the chef / owner whether it was made with filo pastry. She confirmed that it was, baked in the oven and then the orange syrup was poured over it. She gave me the recipe and I will definitely make it at home.
On to Tyros (on the coast) and Sapounakeika on the hill behind. Our good friends, Glenn and Venice, made their home here until Brexit forced them to leave. We had two lovely visits here, including a very memorable Greek Easter. We parked the van on the edge of the main road and walked up into the village. It is a warren of streets and houses spread randomly over the hill and we struggled to find their house. We might have found it but with a low level of confidence – we will have to check with them later.
Just a few minutes further north, and still with a postal address of Tyros, we arrived at Zaritsi Camping. We were given a tour of the site by the owner and offered a choice of good pitches.
Photos: On the way in Leonidio, we passed this steam road roller, made in Rochester; The portokolopita – the filo gives a totally different texture compared to a normal cake; An intriguing museum/café in Leonidio; The ironmongers or tinworks shop where I bought the lamp; And its owner and tinsmith Nikoloulias Kiriakos; A view from Sapounakeika looking over Tyros to the sea.

Friday 3rd October 2025 – Leonidio

A relaxing day today with a gentle stroll to the nearby Plaka port. This is very close to the ancient city of Prasiai (or Brasiai) whose port was extremely important to the Spartans and harboured their ships. Apparently, there isn’t much to see but an Austrian university has been studying the area and carried out excavations in 2023/24.
We had a very pleasant, simple lunch at one of the two small tavernas and I chose something that I hadn’t ever seen before in Greece – tomatoes stuffed with seafood. Stuffed tomatoes are a very common option in Greece and these had small pieces of prawn, octopus, squid and mussels in with the rice and herbs. It was a really good combination, with the flavour of the seafood absorbed by the rice. Another recipe to try at home!
We wandered back along the beach to the campsite and sat in its café for a coffee. I was very surprised to spot a very well disguised praying mantis on the pebbles and it entertained us whilst we drank the coffee. Most of the time, it stayed very still waiting for some prey to wander past but, when it moved, it had a very strange jerky walk.
Photos: Planting Gem lettuce in the fertile soil of the Leonidio plane close to the campsite; The harbour at Plaka; The praying mantis.

Thursday 2nd October 2025 – Leonidio, Greece

We both received an extreme weather warning on our phone – heavy rain in Laconia. We weren’t in Laconia but we were very close to the border and up high in the mountains, so we knew that we might be affected. It was already raining heavily and thunder and lightning soon followed. We thought that we might have to stay in Kosmas for another night but the storm passed and the sun came out in the late morning and we decided to move on.
The drive down from Kosmas to Leonidio is spectacular and it still impresses me every time that we do it. The road snakes its way down with many hairpin bends through the wooded slopes and follows the river Dafnon. The river is dry at the moment due to the drought in the area but is a torrent in the winter and spring. As we approach Leonidio, high red-coloured limestone cliffs rise from the valley and provide a spectacular backdrop to the town. On the western outskirts of Leonidio is my favourite Greek chapel with the background of those cliffs (see photo).
We drove on to the campsite, Semeli Camping, 4km from Leonidio, close to its small port of Plaka. The site is pleasant with good facilities but we were allocated a pitch that was crowded by trees that were too low for our motorhome. We were given a different pitch, again very tight but we just got in. There are lots of larger pitches but the site is very busy and they were all in use.
Photos: My favourite Greek chapel at Leonidio; Leonidio with its backdrop of red cliffs.