Sports in Greece

Sporting Greece is above all water and mountains, often in the same day. On Crete people walk: the Samaria and Imbros gorges are routes downhill, from plateau to the Libyan Sea, over stone between walls hundreds of metres high. There too are canyoning and via ferrata for those who find trails too little. On Zakynthos and Crete they dive with mask and tank, on Mykonos and Rhodes they go out under sail and on paddleboards.

A separate line is cycling. Athens with its hills is ridden on e-bikes, Corfu on ordinary ones, through the green south. In winter Greece can surprise: on the mainland run the ski centres of Parnassos and Kalavryta, which few visitors know exist. The paratrike over Crete is only half a sport, but the demands are the same: weather, briefing, discipline.

Practical notes. Samaria is sixteen kilometres downhill on stone: broken-in boots, a stock of water and sound knees are required; the gorge is closed from November to April and on days with flood risk. Diving needs certification for depth, while beginners get trial dives by the shore. Everything at sea depends on the wind — under the meltemi departures are cancelled with money returned. In summer activity is set for the morning.