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COUNTRY WALKS

GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION CO-ORDINATES
39 07. 5. N.
023 41.2. E.

Area Elevation Elevation of premises 685m. 324m.

HISTORY:

Karya is the area of Skopelos where the highest mountain can be found; mount Delphi (elevation 684 mtrs). It is the greenest and most densely forested area on the island. One can almost claim that the term 'country walks' on Skopelos means "Karya". Due to the history of the place, which dates back to at least 5th cent.B.C., you can discover and explore the biggest network of paths ('monopatia' in Greek) on the island.

Back to the date where the words "car" and "asphalt" could not be found in any known dictionary, transportation was done through completely different means: walking or donkey riding! The locals had created a whole network of footpaths, which led them from the southernmost to the northernmost point of Skopelos or from an eastern to a western direction.

The time needed to cross these paths varied. It could take from 1-5 hrs, especially if they decided to stop along the way for a picnic and some wine. A leisurely walk could also include socialising between the locals that happened to meet along a winding path. This was a great way to find out about the happenings on the other end of the island or just gossip; remember, it was an era where the word "telephone" had not been added to the dictionaries yet.

The above mentioned era does not date back to hundreds of years, amazingly, the credits of this "documentary" roll up during the late 70's, beginning of 80's.

The first few cars appeared on Skopelos at the time, and the first paved car roads started to replace the foot paths leading to the main settlements of the island. Cars started replacing donkeys and asphalted roads replaced or intersected the paths. As a result, foot paths started to disappear due to the overgrowth and lack of volunteer work time needed. The few paths that survive today are still used extensively by the older generation of locals that refused to put an end to the traditional means of transportation. When walking through these paths, one can still hear the whispers and visualise the locals resting under the thick canopy of pine trees.

TODAY:

The owner of "Karya Country Escapes" has made it his mission to: walk, re-discover, and clear the majority, if not all of the paths (with friends and interested parties). With the help of modern technology, he is measuring distances, placing wooden sign posts (where it is feasible, to help you find your way from the premises and back) and creating a concise paperback guide for the guests of "Karya Country Escapes" (which he will supply to you upon your arrival on the premises).
The guests are more then welcome to join the owner in his effort to discover and walk down through the "history lanes" that exist in our beautiful island.

BIRD WATCHING

Skopelos is a magnet to large numbers of migrating birds on their long journeys towards the southern hemisphere, as well as bird species that can be found here throughout the year. Due to the dense forests of varied habitat, the island has been selected in the "NATURA 2000" protection programme (GR1430004) and specifically the eastern side of Skopelos, which is where "Karya Country Escapes" is located, making it thus, a Bird Watcher's favourite destination.

You can share your interest for Bird Watching with the owner of "Karya Country Escapes''. He has recently become a member and a volunteer of the Greek Ornithological Society in an effort to help monitor and report sightings of endangered species in specific areas of the Sporades Group of Islands.

A big part of this process is to raise awareness of local hunters in order to prevent illegal hunting of bird species that could lead to extinction. Involve more people (especially the younger generation group) into the beautiful world of Bird Watching which in the long term would help reduce illegal hunting.

In order to make your Bird Watching experience more pleasant and organised, the premises offer to you the following:
Binoculars (different sizes and focus varieties)


it is important to log all your sightings (in special sheets designed by the owner) to help the monitoring of birds and contribute to the overall effort of Bird Survival.

Some of the bird species (threatened or non) that can be sighted in the area of Karya, are:

• Falco peregrinus (Peregrine Falcon)
  
• Falco tinnunculus (Kestrel)
  
• Falco eleonora (Eleonοra's Falcon)
  
• Milvus milvus (Red Kite)
  
• Buteo lagopus (Rough-legged Buzzard)
  
• Buteo buteo (Buzzard)
  
• Accipiter nisus (Sparrowhawk)
  
• Columba palumpus (Wood Pigeon)
  
• Oriolus oriolus (Golden Oriole)
  
• Erithacus rubecula (Robin)
  
• Luscinia megarhynchos (Nightingale)
  
• Sitta europea (Nuthatch)
  
• Carduelis carduelis (Gold Finch)
  
• Gallinago gallinago (Snipe)
  
• Phasianus colchicus (Pheasant)
  
• Turdus merula (Blackbird)s

MOUNTAIN BIKING

There is a variety of roads, trails, treks that are ideal for mountain biking in the area of Karya. Some are for experienced mountain bikers while others for the leisurely biker. You will enjoy your riding amidst dense and well shaded forests of unique beauty.

No matter how experienced you are with the exciting sport of Mountain Biking, the owner of the premises can accommodate all your needs by providing you with the necessary gear needed (fully equipped mountain bikes, helmets, gloves, etc.).

In addition to the above, you will be given a pocket guide with all the ideal treks for biking in the area (highlighting owner's favourite treks as well)..

SKY WATCHING

Imagine being in a place where you gaze up at the night sky and you can see billions of stars looking back at you. Imagine being able to differentiate galaxies, the "Milky Way", the small and "Big Dipper" and millions of other star systems with just a single glance.

You cannot help but start wondering about the secrets of the universe and what lies beyond, millions of light years away from you.

At Karya Country Escapes you can stop pondering about the Universe and its secrets and how the stars could look like through a telescope.

There is literally 'ZERO' light pollution in the area, which makes it ideal for sky watching. In our premises you will have the opportunity to use a state of the art telescope and let your mind wonder for hours in the "Dark side of the Moon".

Join the owner and his interest for sky watching and arrange hourly sessions* (or longer). He can guide you through the process of navigating the telescope between the star systems and even take some pictures with the aid of digital photography which you can take back with you.

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