Exploring Pefkos Peninsular
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Wednesday 6 November 2019
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A 6 mile walk around the Pefkos peninsular
This walk is an exploration around the peninsular that forms the backdrop to what is commonly known as Navarone Bay, or to give its correct name St Nicholas' Bay. The area is being developed and no doubt tracks and trails may change in subsequent years, making accessibility easier. For now, in 2019, it is still pretty wild and a treat to explore.
Exploring the Outer Limits of Pefkos - Essential Information
Walk Statistics:
- Start location: Pefkos
- Distance: km ( miles)
- Total Gain: metre ( ft)
- Total Descent: metre ( ft)
- Min Height: metre ( ft)
- Max Height: metre ( ft)
- Walk Time:
- Walk type: Circular
- Walk Grade: Some steep inclines
- Terrain: Roads and dirt tracks
Maps:
The following maps and services can assist in navigating this route. There are links to printed maps and links to downloadable GPX route data for importing into navigational software and apps.
- GPX Route File
Accommodation:
Pefkos Blue Studios, PefkosapartmentView in Google Map
- Website
- http://www.pefkosbluehotel.com/
- Description
- Pefkos Blue formerly known as Dimitri Studios, offering self catering apartment studios overlooking Pefkos village with splendid views across the bay. This is probably the best place in Pefkos if you want to be away from the village. Above the hubbub it offers unrivalled views and a quiet location.
Transport:
Details of public transport that is required for the walk
Rhodes Public Transport - Bus Service
- Service Details
- Gennadi to Rhodes Town - KTEL Rhodes Public bus service serving the East Coast of Rhodes linking Gennadi, Kiotari, Lardos, Pefkos, Kalathos, Archangelos, Afandou, Faliraki and Rhodes Town
- Timetable
- Available here
Route Verification Details
- Date of Walk: 2019-10-08
- Walk Time: 10:00 to 13:30
- Walkers: Griffmonster, Kat
- Weather Conditions: Warm sunny day with threats of heavy thunder storms
Walk Notes
This walk is one of those adventures and explorations that can be undertaken with little or no planning if ones base is in Pefkos. In fact, on this occasion it was no more than a walk to see what could be found and how far one can get along paths and tracks of the peninsular that forms the southern edge of Navarone Bay, the common name that has been adopted for St Nicholas Bay due to it being the set location in the 1961 film Guns of Navarone.
It has to be said that the village of Pefkos and its environs are expanding fairly swiftly with many new developments on this peninsular, opening up the wild landscape to all and sundry. Even so, in 2019 it was still a quiet place where those who like peace and serenity and to be away from all the hubbub of activity would be content to stay in one of the villas or apartments that are springing up. There is an asphalt road through to this immediate area but beyond, it is dirt tracks and paths.
The route starts at the top of the hill by the Pefkos Blue Apartments from where there is a steady descent down to the Eagles Nest Hotel. Even along this road there are new developments taking place with apartments and villas being constructed to take advantage of the stunning views across the bay. From the Eagles Nest we head down to Fokia Bay, the location that is popular with diving schools. Fokia (φωκια) is the Greek word for seal
and this bay is reputed to be a place where seals can regularly be seen. A sign points down to Fokia Beach and it is a scramble down a path littered with debris to the rocky foreshore which would not be the ideal place to lay in the sun, but certainly somewhere to spend time in contemplation of the crystal clear waters. The rock that makes up the beach has some large circular holes in it through which the waters below can be seen and it is said that in olden days the locals would hang their cheeses into these holes by ropes in order to keep them cool.
To the east side of the beach there is a dirt track that leads to the very tip of the peninsular. Unfortunately this is designated a military area and there is a sign where large capital letters spell out in plain English the warning that entry is not allowed. Do not be tempted!
The surfaced road continues, gaining height to about 60m where the road bends around to the right. Looking inland across the landscape at this point begs the question of whether a route could be navigated cross country to the Lindos road. Although there are no defined tracks or paths that show up on maps or on satellite images, and no obvious cairns to guide the way, it may still be possible. The land from the road makes a steady ascent to 90m, then if one followed the contours of the land it would emerge onto the Lindos road, part way up the hill as it climbs over the mountain into Pefkos. In fact there is a track that leads down to the road at this end which may indicate that this is possible. Something to contemplate for another visit.
The road bends round and passes the gated confines of the Almyra complex of apartments, built in 2016, which borders the military dirt track on its coastal side. This does make one wonder just where the boundaries to the military area are. From Almyra the road climbs to more new apartments known as the Spilia Villas, four self contained houses offered as holiday lets. At this point there is a dirt track on the left that climbs even more, and this is the route to take, heading up to 100m and passing another newly constructed apartment complex on the way.
At the top of the climb the track bends around. On the left is a gated entrance that leads further up. There is nothing to denote that there is no public access although this track merely leads to a dead end on the top of the cliffs of Navarone Bay. If we continue straight ahead we come to a point where the coastline can be seen all the way through to Lindos which is as far as we can go in this direction. This is an amazing view although the area at the end of the track appears to be a general dumping ground for the waste generated from the construction projects going on around the peninsular. But who comes to notice the debris, it is that stunning view that makes the effort worth the while. This is the top of the cliffs of Navarone Bay with a sheer 100m drop to the sea just beyond the turning point so dont stray beyond this point.
What we had not anticipated, and was not obvious on the planning route was the fact that there was a path that led off to the right of this viewing point to make a circular route back down to Spilia Villas. This starts as a track but disintegrates into a path across the scrub, its direction aiming for the prominent four houses that stand partially built on terraced platforms of the hill ahead. At the far end there has been a concerted effort to block the path up with debris although it would appear that many feet have trudged this route and it is easy to pick out the best path to negotiate around the debris and down to the road that passes in front of the four houses. Directly ahead is a rocky cliff with a large cave marking a ridge that forms the tip of the peninsula which one would presume to be the military area.
The four houses have some fantastic views but they do appear to be perched on a sheer cliff which would not be the ideal holiday residence for a vertigo sufferer. They are still under construction as of 2019 and are the only buildings at this height which makes me wonder just how mains water will be piped up here. It would take a lot of water pressure. Maybe they don't, maybe everything is bottled! There is a steep descent down the surfaced road back to the Spilia Villas. A hire car passes us as it drives up to the top. It turns around and the drives straight back down. Obviously curious tourists. But their curiosity misses so much in the car. They witness the top of the road, four houses and the view across to Kiotari and Gennadi. Nothing new. If only they dared to step out and explore properly they would have seen so much more. I bet they had nothing to write home about for this journey!
We now return to Pefkos, passing Fokia Beach once again and then heading out to the small Peninsular that sits between Kavos Beach and Alkeftas Beach. Some 150m after Fokia beach the road bears to the right with a gravelled area on the left with a bordering wall. For those of the more nimble type, if you can scale this wall there is a well walked footpath that leads down to coast and links to a road to Alkeftas Beach. This was discovered on a more recent walk in 2021 when walking in the opposite direction. This direction is easier when it comes to the wall as there is a step placed on the far side which enables scaling the obstacle a little easier. The fact that the path is well walked seems to imply plenty of feet have trodden this. There are no signs to warn against using this path and the path is marked on Openstreetmap maps.
The alternative is a little further on where a lane leads down to Alkeftas Beach is full of old traditional houses nestled in with more modern construction. Although there is plenty of crumbling masonry, these traditional buildings are still in use. One even has a well in the scrub that amounts to the garden. Their shuttered windows, peeling paintwork and shady trees make a more rural natural setting that Pefkos once was a few decades back before tourism overtook it, but then how can I complain as without the tourism I would not be writing this doggerel that you are reading. At the end of this lane is the rocky Alkeftas Beach. A road follows the bay around and out onto the peninsular. We walked this peninsular back in 2011, following a path right around the its perimeter to Kavos Beach. Today, in 2019, access is blocked by fences and huge mounds of earth. We were told that this was due to the construction of a hotel complex which had to be halted when finds of archaeological significance were discovered. From various vantage points one can see mounds of earth, heavy construction lorries and large pits. Quite what was found is unknown as despite many searches I can find no information about this or the development from either academic publications or general media.
We now return back to Pefkos, taking the road past what is proudly promoted as the Pink Floyd Villa, which is said to have once been owned by David Gilmour, the guitarist of the renowned band. This acclamation is proudly highlighted on local maps and is referenced in conversation to any newcomers to the resort. It is the little claim to fame of the area. But how true is this? There have been counter claims that it was not Gilmour who owned it but Rick Wright, the keyboard player to the band. Here at Griffmonster Walks, we always like the challenge of a little research so please read the main feature to this page which is the result of some investigative research.
We return into Pefkos main village, and stop off at Flyers taverna. There are a bountiful amount of cafes, bars and tavernas to suit everyone's tastes in central Pefkos and Flyers is a personal favourite. On this occasion we get to Flyers just before a huge storm heads across the bay towards the village. Its pace across the waters could be picked out by the patterns across the surface as rain speckled the otherwise shimmering glaze. It seemed to take an absolute age to make landfall, inching over the sea like it would never fully arrive. But when it did, the result was amazing. The heavens opened without any prelude. The rains lashed in vertical thrusts like a thousand buckets of water being forcefully thrown from the heavens. Zeus must have been bailing out his swimming pool up there. Torrents of water flooded down the hills and cascaded to the shore in waterfalls down the steps. What an experience to behold. Rhodes is not always about the sunshine, the rain is just as spectacular. Diners and drinkers pause their consuming to witness the spectacle. Phones and cameras aim out from the covered restaurant area.
The prediction of thunderstorms was the principle reason for undertaking this local ramble as other expeditions into the wilds would have caught us without any shelter in such wild weather. Later the same evening we did get caught out as we headed back to the apartment. Despite being only a few 100 metres from shelter, it was enough to get completely and absolutely soaked. Drenched. One had to paddle up Beach Road. One could have canoed down in the opposite direction and there are tales of folk surfing down these torrents on inflatable beach loungers. A late evening was had watching the storm drift out to sea from the balcony on Pefkos Blue. The horizon punctured by lightning strikes and cascades of water washed off the roof of the apartments for a good half and hour after the rains had stopped. Sheer magic.
Directions
An exploration to the further reaches of the village of Pefkos.
From the Pefkos Blue apartments at the top of the hill on the road to Lindos, head away from the main road, southwards. The road soon heads downwards with some steep inclines until it junctions with the road at The Eagles Nest Hotel. bear left to keep going ahead and follow this road through to Fokia Beach which is a small bay on the right.
Continue onwards from Fokia beach following the asphalt road ignoring all other tracks. It passes the gated Almyra apartment complex then turns right to head up to a block of three villas. At this point the road turns sharp right but there is a dirt track straight ahead. Take the dirt track and ascend the hill. It passes another apartment complex on the right then twists around. Proceed straight ahead. There is a modern gate on an incline to the left and straight ahead another entrance. Keep ahead to the end of the track where there is a lot of debris from the building projects. To the left one can gain some amazing views along the coast to Lindos.
Return by following the lesser track on the right which heads towards the distance three houses that are on terraces up the hill. Keep to this and at the far end follow the path through to the road in front of the houses. Follow the road back down to the villas and return back the way one came all the way down to Fokia beach and beyond to a turning on the left where an old square villa sits opposite an olive grove. Follow this track through to the coast. Turn right then take the next right just before the road bends around the bay. Keep to this around a double bend before the road veers around to the right and up to Nikolas Taverna. Turn left on the road at the top.
Take the road on the left opposite the Finas apartments and continue down this, through to Lindia Thalassa resort and on to the beach (there are signs that direct you). Turn right and follow the beach to the far end. Ti return to the start take the road at the far end up to the main street, cross over and head up the hill.
Refreshments
Flyers Taverna View in Google Map
- Address
- Flyers Taverna
- Website
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/123725131063906/about
Taverna themed on flying and aircraft. This taverna is all about location, overlooking the bay with great sea views. Whether one merely wants to admire the view over a quiet drink, or have lunch or dinner, there is always a warm welcome.
A personal favourite taverna that always has a warm and friendly welcome.
Features
The Pink Floyd VillaView in Google Map
The Pink Floyd Villa, more commonly know as Villa Anamaria, is an ornate villa that combines Baroque style with Art Nouveau. It is located on the beach road to Askeftos Bay and was constructed in the 1930s during the period of Italian occupation of the island. In the sales literature it is described as built on two levels with three bedrooms, two large courtyards, lush gardens and a large swimming pool complete with pool bar and balustraded bridges.
The moniker of The Pink Floyd Villa
comes from the local history that the Pink Floyd guitarist, David Gilmour once owned the villa although the residence has now been sold on. There have been claims that it was not Gilmour who owned it but Rick Wright, the keyboard player to the band. So what is the truth to all this?
Trawling the internet reveals little evidence of the history of the villa other than its sale in 2014, a point in time when many folk attribute the sale to David Gilmour. Each piece of media about the sale also makes ample reference to it being the former home of Gilmour, yet none of these actually state when he owned it. Even these simple facts remain illusive so to deduce a complete factual account of the history of the house or of the Pink Floyd connection makes for hard work.
Referencing Mark Blakes Pigs May Fly
, a biography of Pink Floyd, we can deduce a lot more factual evidence and connections between the band and Rhodes. The Pink Floyd band members, particularly Waters, Wright and Gilmour were all regular visitors to the Greek islands, in particular Rhodes, throughout their adult lives. The fascination had started from the early years of Pink Floyd, back when Syd Barrett was still the charismatic frontman of the band. Therefore, this association with the island was no sudden whim when they came into fame and fortune, but a long standing appreciation of Rhodes as a holiday destination. It is said that Gilmour once drove his E-type Jaguar to Rhodes in 1970, heading from England to Athens from where the ferry was used for the last part of the journey.
Up until the early 1970s the band had struggled both in direction and success after the departure of Syd Barrett who was the driving force behind much of the Floyds early material. Then in 1973 that all changed. After some years of playing new songs at live gigs, these were assembled into what would become one of the most iconic albums of the 20th century. Dark Side of the Moon was released on 1 March 1973 and it stayed in the UK charts for some 533 weeks in total, a testament to its long lasting success that has spanned multiple generations. This was a big break which obviously catapulted the income of the band members. This may account for the fact that in 1974 both Rick Wright and David Gilmour purchased villas on Rhodes, drummer Nick Mason purchased a villa in the south of France and Rodger Waters bought a villa in Volos on the coast of the Greek mainland
The biography is not specific about the actual locations of the villas purchased by Wright and Gilmour on Rhodes although it later goes on to state that
By the mid-1970s, Wright, like Gilmour, had acquired a villa on [in?] Lindos, where he loved to spend time between recording and touring. The Floyd’s friends, families and hangers-ons could while away the summer months on a beautiful Greek island, enjoying all the perks of a rock star lifestyle. Days in Lindos would be spent racing catamarans around the bay, and the nights enjoying what one attendee remembers as full-moon parties’.
The reference to Lindos is most likely really Pefkos as Lindos was the main centre of population during the 70s when Pefkos as a tourist destination must have been virtually unknown. In fact, Pefkos is not mentioned a single time in the whole biography. This makes it particularly difficult to differentiate the locations as some sources indicate that later Gilmour did purchase a place specifically in Lindos, which makes the following quote, referring to his 1978 solo album release, ambiguous as we do not know if this is refers to the Pefkos villa or a later purchased property
Aptly, then, one of the songs on the album was titled ‘Mihalis’, named after his new boat, bought to go with his new villa in Lindos
A trip advisor forum thread does have a contribution by a person, who goes under the name of Xenomania, who claims that Rick Wright's villa was off the road between Lindos to Pefkos, set above the sea. If this is the case then we can categorically state the villa in Pefkos was definitely Gilmour's. However there is no attribution or citation of where this information comes from although the poster does state that he used to regularly see both Wright and Gilmour in Socrates bar in Lindos so the information may have come first hand from the band members themselves.
From this biography, we do have a specific year, 1974, when the villa was purchased by either Gilmour or Wright. It is also widely reported that Gilmour owned the place for 30 years before selling. This would put it somewhere around the mid 2000's when it was put onto the market and this fits in with the property having another owner prior to it being put on the market in 2014. To add weight to this, an article from 2010 on the Wall Street Journal indicates that an Italian family brought the property from Gilmore. As one can well appreciate, Pefkos back in the 1970s was certainly not the thriving tourist destination that it has become today, and we can probably appreciate why Gilmour purchased this, since it was out of the way of the maddening hordes and within 40m of a beach. A perfect retreat for a global rock star. By the 2000s it no longer had such privacy as Pefkos started to be built up and become a centre for tourism.
Therefore, to conclude, it would appear the rumours and folklore of this villa being the abode of David Gilmour does appear to be true, although it was probably many years ago that he used it as a retreat. As much as one would like to think that this place may have precipitated the initiation of such classic pieces as Wish you were here
and Shine on You Crazy Diamond
, in reality there was probably a lot more partying going on rather than planning the next Floyd album.
References
Summary of Document Changes
Last Updated: 2021-12-07
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