Peloponnese Cycling Tour
May - Jun 2013
All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2013. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.
Peloponnese Cycling Tour May - Jun 2013
All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2013. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. |
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Map showing our cycling route through the Peloponnese in late May - early Jun 2013
Contents
Greece is an ideal cycle touring destination. A small but surprisingly mountainous country, there are countless beautiful and quiet winding mountain roads passing through timeless villages, fantastic food and friendly hospitality. Logistics are easy, it is safe, and there are many diverse, beautiful and historic places to see on the way. In one short cycle tour you can swim on a hot mediterranean beach and then a few days later be walking on windswept mountain ridges with snow still clinging to the steepest slopes shy of the sun. Accommodation is easy to find as long as you avoid the peak tourist season of midsummer or the shutdown season of winter. Spring or autumn are the best times of year to cycle Greece.
Here are maps and a few photos of a 9 day cycle tour I did in the Peloponnese in late May and early June 2013.
| Map | Leg of Journey | Distance Cycled |
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Athens to Tolo 29 May 2013 |
94km in 1 day |
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Tolo to Stemnitsa 31 May 2013 |
109km in 1 day |
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Stemnitsa to Lampia via Ancient Olympia 2-3 Jun 2013 |
138km in 2 days |
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Lampia to Athens via Kalavrita and and Dhiakopto 4-6 Jun 2013 |
93km in 2 days |
Here is what happened day by day. The links will take you to the relevant photos.
| Date | Comments | Distance Cycled | Accommodation |
| 29 May 2013 | Rode our bikes from our hotel near the Acropolis in Athens to the port of Pireus where we boarded a ferry to the island of Poros. From there another ferry took us the short hop to the mainland of the Peloponnese. This was where we started our cycling, and after a long hot day through hilly terrain we finally reached the coastal resort village of Tolo. | 94km | Gregory Apartments, Tolo |
| 30 May 2013 | Rest day. Rode to the nearby historic coastal port of Nafplio, explored the town and picturesque coastal roads. Returned to Tolo. | 31km | Gregory Apartments, Tolo |
| 31 May 2013 | Rode to Stemnitsa, a very long ride with extensive climbing into the mountainous interior of the Peloponnese. Strong headwind.Climbed from sea level to above 1300m and back down to Stemnitsa at 1100m. Passed throughthe uninteresting town of Tripoli on the way. Long winding and quiet mountain roads. | 109km | Mpelleiko guesthouse, Stemnitsa |
| 1 Jun 2013 | Explored around Stemnitsa. Hiked the nearby Lousios Gorge, visited the Prodhomos Monastery. | 0km | Mpelleiko guesthouse, Stemnitsa |
| 2 Jun 2013 | Mostly downhill riding on quiet rural roads and leaving the mountains. Many quiet and narrow remote villages and very scenic riding. | 82km | Hotel Bacchus, near Olympia |
| 3 Jun 2013 | After a very quick detour to Olympia we began the ride to Kalavrita. Relentless climbing on a quiet road. Reached the hill village of Lampia at altitude above 800m. | 56km | An unnamed apartment in Lampia |
| 4 Jun 2013 | Gentle descent into the valley of the Erimanthos River then on minor rural roads heading upstream. Lots of climbing to altitudes abovr 1200m before finally there was a long and very scenic downhill run into Kalavrita. | 60km | Enastron apartment, Kalavrita |
| 5 Jun 2013 | A day trip to Mt Chelmos near Kalavrita. Rode our bikes from the township up to the pass of St Nicholas and upwards to a ski centre at 1600m. Set off on foot to climb Chelmos (2339m). Walked down to our bikes via a different route and then a huge downhill run all the way back to Kalavrita. | 23km | Enastron apartment, Kalavrita |
| 6 Jun 2013 | A huge downhill run to the coast at Dhiakopto where it was hot. From there we got a bus and then a train back to Athens. | 43km | Phaedra Hotel, Athens |
Here are a few photos of sections of the ride.
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All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2013. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. Page created 18 Sep 2013, last updated 3 Oct 2013. |
30 May 2013
