Crete in spring
"There is an island in the Wine Dark Sea named Crete"...
...So wrote Homer all those generations ago and the poetry of his statement still strikes a chord today, especially to those who have seen a sunset over the Eastern Mediterranean.
Crete, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, is a very special place, not only because of its dramatic scenery and landscapes, its wonderful archaeological heritage, its profusion of spring flowers, its birdlife and its people, but also because of an indefinable magic which captures the heart and mind. The island is 150 miles long, broken up by three main mountain ranges towering up to 8500 feet. It has fabulous coastal scenery, deep gorges, flower-smothered meadows and high mountain passes; to wander round the streets of tiny medieval villages is to go back in time.
Our holiday is timed to coincide with the peak of bird migration when the olive groves are resonant with birdsong and resident populations of Griffon and Bearded Vultures are joined by such Eastern Mediterranean specialities as Bee-eaters, Golden Orioles and Red-footed Falcons. Over the eight days we would expect to see around 100 species of bird plus lots of orchids and other wild flowers while not ignoring the archaeological heritage and the traditions of this most wonderful of islands.
There's nothing worse than a long and tiring bus journey at the end of each day and so we have split the holiday between four centres to maximise our time in the field at the same time as offering a relaxed holiday. We fly in
to Chania, a bustling city with much to fascinate and inspire and within easy reach of the wonderful Akrotiri peninsula. We spend a couple of nights here before heading up into the high mountains to the Omalos Plateau where we'll be able to enjoy mountain birds such as Alpine Chough and Alpine Accentor, as well as the lovely spring flowers. We'll spend a day high in the mountains - accessible by rather rough and ready local truck so be prepared for a bumpy ride! We then head to the south coast - the Plakias area - for another two-night stay, during which we'll be hoping to visit a recently established Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier) feeding station. Our final base will be back on the north coast at Gouves where we'll be visiting the wetland right next to the hotel as well as the ancient Minoan palace of Knossos.
Our Cretan holidays are renowned for the taverna lunches when we take a relaxed break in the middle of the day to enjoy genuine Cretan food and local wine. We've been running these holidays in this fashion for so long you could almost say that the lunches are legendary!
