After a long break, I’m back to writing.
Today I would like to describe my memories from the route to the highest peak on the island of Rhodes – Attavyros, 1215 meters above sea level. Conquering it has been my dream since 1998, since my first stay on the island of Rhodes.
Thanks to my friend Ania, who flew to Rhodes after the season, it became possible. Because just like mine, her dream since her first visit to Rhodes in 2020 was also to conquer this peak.
So we decided that we would do it, or at least try, and so it happened.
November 25, 2024, we set off from my house at 9:00 a.m. and we were in Embona around 10:30 a.m. In Embona, we stopped at a gas station to ask if we were going in the right direction and to ask about any other instructions regarding the route. The weather was beautiful so we didn’t worry about that, more about the road, whether we were going in the right direction. A young man with beautiful, black curls on his head only greeted us quickly and said that he would give us some information in a moment, he would just finish filling up the fuel tank. So we waited and waited, waited with Ania… Inside the car that he was filling up with fuel was some friend of his, whom he probably hadn’t met for a long time, so filling up took a bit longer!
You see, this is Greece and everything is on siga siga! 😉
Finally he gave us the necessary instructions, which turned out to be very helpful, and we set off. After the “Panorama view” restaurant we drove a bit further in the car, until the forest and the asphalt road ended.
After getting out of the car we felt that we were in the mountains in the fresh air, so we immediately put on everything we had, and in our backpacks we also packed hats and gloves, which were very useful later.
The sky was blue and cloudless, but it was the second day in Rhodes when it was very windy, so it was even more noticeable in the mountains.
Earlier, on our way to Embona, I had bragged to Ania that I was wearing reliable Timberland boots (because that’s what they were until now and I had them for 20 years!), but when we started our hike to Attavyros, right at the beginning after a few steps, the back of the sole came loose and automatically my walk was difficult from the very beginning!!! Oh Greek Gods, what am I going to do now??!! I didn’t give up, I kept walking, and the sole kept coming loose… Finally, Ania remembered that she had a training band in her backpack, so I borrowed it from her, twisted the sole with it and attached it to my calf. With great fear of what would happen, I started walking further. The band kept slipping but I stubbornly kept adjusting it and kept walking.
At this point I want to say that when you go to Attavyros always think about the fact that it is worth having someone next to you, do not go alone! It is not about a broken shoe, but about the fact that the route is not easy and short. Beautiful views help you overcome the route, because we are curious what will happen next, but they will not replace another person, who in moments of doubt will give you courage and faith that you can do it! That you are close to the goal, and then another turn and there is no end in sight ha ha ha! 😉 The route is sometimes rocky, sometimes concrete, but you almost have to go uphill all the time, sometimes steeply uphill, like in the last section, right under the summit!
And when you think that the climb is over… another turn to the left appears again, and another left… and another time… Holy shit! How many more of these turns I ask myself and Ania.
It was there, right under the summit, that I had the biggest crisis. I started swearing, and for me swearing is the last resort!
I would like to warn people who will be going to Attavyros not to stick to any “red trail”, i.e. on the rocks, in some places there are painted red dots that appear and disappear. It is easy to lose the trail. It is just a waste of time! I read about this trail on the internet, saw an arrow and started climbing there, only wasting precious time. But we realized in time that this was not the way, turned around and went the main road, not any shortcut!
We reached the summit after 3.5 hours, including stopping to take pictures and feed the goats, of which there were a lot along the route, but they practically did not care about us, even when Ania gave them food!
Because the day we reached the summit it was very windy, and at the very top it was only about 5 degrees Celsius, we quickly came down from there, because our hands were so freezing that we couldn’t hold the camera! If we had stayed there a bit longer, we would have frozen for sure. I already had trouble speaking, it was hard to stay on my feet, let alone take pictures!
We went down much faster, but at times the wind didn’t help us. However, from Attavyros, the views and colors (we went down during the so-called “golden hour” just before sunset) compensated for all the hardships of climbing and descending.
On the way back I already had a problem with the toes on my right foot. My toes swelled, which slowed me down. Not to mention the rubber training band that kept falling off my left sole and I had to keep adjusting it. It wasn’t easy….
At this point I also want to appeal to people who drive to the top of Attavyros by car. If you see someone in need and asking you to take them down after a tough climb and “attractions” along the way, be human and help! Not like the tourists who told me yesterday that they can’t take us down because there are four of them and two of us, so there will be 6 people in the car, and there can only be 5!!!
I didn’t ask to be taken to a busy street where the police will be standing and there could be a problem. I only asked to take us from the worst part of the route because with the wind and a broken shoe it was difficult, and such help would have saved us 1 hour of travel for sure.
During the whole day we saw only 2 cars on the route and we were the only two on the walking route.
As a thank you for the whole day’s effort, at the end of the day we saw a beautiful sunset over the island of Chalki.
If you asked me if I would climb Attavyros again?
I answered Ania immediately: NO! NO WAY… Only by car.
But give me time… I will rest and answer this question without emotions.
Greetings!
P.S. I am posting here only few pictures from the road… Rest of them you will be able to see in my Gallery soon and you can see few also on my page on FB Betty Xidi Photography – Rhodes Through My Eyes.
