Sports in Crete

Sporting Crete begins in the mountains. Psiloritis rises to 2,456 metres, the highest point on the island, and the climb to the summit takes a full day with a start before dawn. The gorges give a softer load: Samaria runs sixteen kilometres down to the sea, Imbros is half as long and takes three or four hours. Both paths are stony, and the descent wears the knees more than the climb.

The water works on the eastern side. At Kouremenos and Palekastro the meltemi blows steadily and hard, and windsurfing and kiting are set up there, courses from scratch included. Diving holds the west, off Chania and Elounda: visibility in summer passes thirty metres and there are aircraft sunk during the war. Sea kayaks run along the cliffs to places no one reaches from land.

The third line is wheels: jeep safaris on the dirt roads of Lassithi and cycling on the switchbacks, where the climb adds up faster than the distance. Practical notes: Samaria is open roughly from May to October and the path is closed in winter because of rockfall. Stiff-soled shoes are essential, and the gorge destroys mesh trainers. Take at least two litres of water; springs along the way are not everywhere.