Diakopto-Railway Walk

We had a stress free journey to Diakopto. We are staying at Punda beach which proudly boasts a blue flag. The beach is pebbly but the sea is crystal clear and very refreshing.

After checking in to our most luxurious apartment so far, we spent a lazy afternoon on the beach followed later by a belly busting and delicious meal at the only restaurant still open. I was so overwhelmed, I managed to forget my handbag. The very kind people from the restaurant chased after us (by car, stray dogs chasing them) to return it to me.

But the main reason we came here is the railway.

Built in 1889, it’s a cog railway line that goes up into the mountains, crossing the Vouraikos gorge and finishing in Kalavryta. It takes about an hour.

Our plan was to take the train from Diakopto to Kalavryta, then walk back along the line. It’s about 14 miles. You are allowed to do this, it’s part of the E4 hiking trail.

I wasn’t in the best shape when we set out to catch the train. The pillows in our otherwise perfect apartment were like sleeping on concrete blocks. Seriously I have never slept on anything so uncomfortable and I have slept on Cambodian beds. (Actually made of concrete, I kid you not). I spent quite a while at 3am rummaging around trying to find a more comfortable one. Which I did. Eventually.

On arrival at the station, it appeared everyone was intending to do the walk. Probably the most people we’ve seen in one place so far.

The train rattled along through the gorge and various tunnels, eventually disgorging us at Kalavryta. Interestingly most of the hikers got off at the railway stop midway, lazy people.

Kalavryta has its own ski resort and it did feel very alpine. It was cold and had several coffee and cake huts, just the thing after a day on the slopes, or before you start a hike, like us.

Tragically, Kalavryta is also famous for an horrendous massacre during WW2. In retribution for the killing of 81 German soldiers, (2 survived and raised the alarm) 680 men and boys from the village were executed. 300 women and girls were locked in the school and the building set on fire. Luckily for them, an Austrian soldier let them escape. He was also killed by the Germans. There is a small memorial marking the event by the side of the train track.

Setting off from Kalavryta, it was cold enough to wear a fleece but as the morning wore on, it was soon t shirt weather.

A word of warning. If you don’t enjoy heights, this walk is not for you. The walk itself is flat so you are not scaling huge inclines, but you are crossing bridges that span the gorge and the river below is a long, long way down. Also this is not Nanny state walking, some of the bridges were decidedly rickety from a hiking point of view.

We pottered along quite happily, stopping here and there for a bite to eat, trying to time snacks so that we weren’t in a narrow tunnel when the train came past.

Steve saw a viper which spooked him a bit. He nearly shed his own skin when I stumbled on a stone and grabbed him from behind. Jumpy!

By the time we’d done 11 miles, we were seriously sick of walking on stones. I don’t know why, (maybe drainage?) but there are large white stones all over the track and to the sides. (Another piece of advice – if you ever decide to do this walk, wear trainers or boots with strong soles and some ankle support.)

As we got tired, we were constantly stumbling on the damn things. Walking on the sleepers was better, but the gaps between them are small, meaning you have to take tiny footsteps, like a little fairy. I was ok but Steve couldn’t get it at all.

It was with relief and a sense of achievement that we finally arrived back at the car. Overall the walk was enjoyable, the views stunning and the weather perfect.

Sadly we were both too tired to get our swimbies and have a dip in the sea. The thought of walking the short distance to the beach was just too much. Hopefully we might get a chance tomorrow- our last day of pottering around the Peloponnese.