The Taygetos mountains were very clear this morning with the snow shining in the sunlight but the view to the sea was obscured by haze. We drove the short distance down into Arna and parked in the small car parking area above the Plateia (square). Taverna and café tables were dotted around under the shade of the enormous platanus trees, the central one allegedly one of the largest in Greece. Our brochure from Sparta told us that there was a 'flat path leaving the square that leads in one and a half hours to the Springs of Aghia Marina'. We thought that sounded like a good walk so we tried to find the path but it wasn't obvious. We found a board with a map showing the route of the pan-European E4 walking trail that showed it going through Arna. It confusingly also showed two Aghia Marinas, one was a village and another was a chapel and they were in totally different places. The E4 went somewhere near the church but not actually to it. Fortunately the locals were very helpful and many had already said hello to us and asked us where we were from. We asked directions to the springs and were taken to an English speaker. He looked surprised that we wanted to walk to Aghia Marina (a bad sign) but drew us a map. He didn't understand the word spring so I tried 'pigi', which I thought was the Greek word for spring but it obviously isn't or I didn't pronounce it properly. I took him to the map board and pointed to the chapel and then got a second version of the map. We followed these directions but they simply took us on the road which is not what we wanted. It would have been a long walk in the full sun, not the lovely walk through trees that we had been promised in the brochure. I left Jane in the van whilst I went off to investigate other possible tracks. I found the E4 heading in roughly the correct direction and followed it. It was well signed through the village and out into lovely countryside. Through trees with springs, a profusion of wild flowers and lots of butterflies – I counted at least 8 different types from huge swallow-tails to tiny speckled brown ones. It was delightful. Then I had the common Greek (and other countries) walking trail problem – lots of signs in the village in places where you don't need them and no signs when there is a choice of trails out in the countryside. The area is criss-crossed by tracks leading to people land – olive groves, nut trees, pastures etc. Most of the time it is obvious which is the main track but I came to one meeting of tracks where the main one went up hill (I wanted to be going down) and was then blocked by a wire fence. I tried the others. One seemed hopeful. I scared a flock of sheep that then went into a huddle under an olive tree and eyed me suspiciously. However that petered out and so I walked back past the concerned sheep who then decided that I wasn't so bad after all and started following me. When ever I stopped and turned around, they stopped and started grazing. And when I walked on they followed. I had visions of walking back into Arna square with a flock of sheep behind me. Fortunately, they eventually gave up and I retraced my steps to find Jane in the motorhome.
Jane had just had a long chat with a group of four Norwegian walkers in their late 50's who were walking parts of the E4. They had just done the stretch from a refuge high up in the Taygetos down to Arna. They said that the route down was well marked but there were many fallen trees and ravines that required significant amounts of scrambling and climbing.
We walked down into the plateia and had two frappé (cold coffees) and were presented with an Arna calendar (now displayed in Henrietta). We then walked on to a shop that sold local produce and bought some mountain oregano and were given a postcard and some chestnuts. There was a reason for this – Arna has a chestnut festival at the end of October that attracts over 2,000 people. Given that the village has less than 130 residents, every one of them must be involved in the three days of celebrations. Make a note that if we ever come to Greece in the Autumn, we must go to Arna for the chestnut festival.
After exploring the rest of the village, we took a different road down to the main Sparta – Gytheo road and drove back to the Mystras campsite.
Photos: Arna Platea (Square); Arna's Clock Tower; Concerned multi-storey sheep.
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