The Tiny Island of Tilos

On Sunday 27th August, we set sail southwards for 28NM to Tilos, a tiny island with a surface area of 63kms and a population of around 400!.

Once again we were fortunate enough to arrive in time to grab a space on the quay in the main “port” and commercial centre, Livadia,  once again wanting to explore the island and not wishing to leave the boat on anchor whilst we did so.

Livadia is situated in a beautiful horseshoe bay with a pebble beach, with a number of tavernas, supermarkets and gift shops dotted around the bay, with a square in the centre of the village where you can sit and watch the world go by.

So with some time to kill, well actually about 5 hours in the afternoon, we negotiated a discount, of sorts, for a hire car, being told it will be here in about 20 minutes, which was just enough time for him to call one of his mates and ask him if he wants to lend him a car for a few hours and make a few euros into the bargain !  The car was dirtier inside than the streets we walked on to get to it, it was disgusting, but it ran ok, apart from an early scare when I touched the brakes and Chantal was nearly propelled into the windscreen, they were a touch on the sharp side.

Livadia is not the capital of this tiny island, so our first stop was to the “Capital”, Megalo Horio, not that you would believe it, it was tiny and much much quieter, with white building, blue shutters and tiny alleyways, the focal point being the gothic-style Church.

After a freddo cappuccino stop, we then set off to follow the dramatic coast road along the west coast to find the Monastery of Pandelemonas, which was founded in 1470 by a Cretan monk. Sadly it is no longer a working monastery, but back in the 18th century it was a power place  with even a money printing press located there.

The views of the coastline were absolutely stunning, if not a bit scarey at times because of the sheer drops and no arm cove.

Next stop was the Arkadio Cave & Theatre, but we only got as far as the entrance, the gates being locked and the “administrative building” bring somewhat incomplete. Whilst advertised for visitors, it clear wasnt ready for them!

So having managed to drive on most of the tarmac roads on Tilos, we went in search of the next place on the tourist hit list, Mikro Horio, Chantal giving me directions as we meandered up this gigantic hill, that got narrower and narrower, until all we could see after about 10 minutes of driving was the islands communications tower at the top, and we were on the single track road on our way to it, fortunately we did manage to find a corner where we could turn round and go back down, but I am so glad we didn’t meet a satellite technical specialist coming the other way beforehand, as it would have been very scary. But backtracking, we found the right dirt track to Mikro Horio. Our detour however did give us some fantastic views out to sea on both sides of the island.

Mikro Horio, a now deserted village but once home to 1500 people. The last family left in the early 1960’s  because of a declining water supply. It was fascinating to wander around, despite the only inhabitants being goats and a solitary bar that opens from 11pm until the small hours in the height of the season. We were tempted, however Chantal was suffering from a cold and chest infection and so we decided it wasnt the best thing to do, sadly, could have fun!

On the way back to the port, we did complete all the tarmac roads on Tilos, before dropping the car back, at least getting our moneys worth, before showering ourselves off from the dirt in the car.

Next Stop, Symi!