Chania Trails - APO 11 - Towards the Heights

The ascent from Asi Gonia to the peak of Vigla along section 11A of this route is definitely challenging, a climb, practically, that ends with a stunning view of eastern Apokoronas’ villages, Kournas Lake and Cape Drapano.

Conquering the peak is more than rewarding, therefore, particularly as it offers insight into why the historic village at the root of the Lefka Ori has earned its rightful place among Crete’s authentic so-called “eagle’s nests”, that is settlements with an excellent vantage point.

The return journey via a much more moderate path takes you past the mitata used by shepherds traditionally as a place to have a rest and make cheese. The path ends at the village square, where the community holds all sorts of social events and feasts to mark family weddings and baptisms.

It is also home to a museum dedicated to the remarkable life and heroic exploits of writer George Psychoundakis, who served as a runner in the Cretan resistance against the Nazis. The museum may be small, but it is packed with fascinating memorabilia, including items once belonging to the legendary English traveler, writer and fellow fighter Patrick Leigh Fermor, and paintings by the esteemed British artist John Craxton.

Psychoundakis was also a deft hand at the traditional Cretan narrative songs known as mantinades. In one, contained in his book “Crete’s Eagle’s Nests: Folklore from Asi Gonia” he describes singing until the sun starts to rise and share its bounty.