Methoni-Neroula-Ripena Walk

On the last Saturday of April we headed north of Methoni to Neroula and Ripena….

The sun beat down overhead as we ascended the first hill of the day, to the hidden, hill-top Church of Konstantinos & Eleni…

where we took a cooling break in the shade and enjoyed views of the distant town below…

From here it was a short hop over to little Neroula – deserted and in ruins, save for one house…

A series of winding tracks led us over to Ripena – another ruined village, also with only one occupied and renovated house….

These interesting rock formations were spotted along the way….

Lunch was eaten in the shade of the giant oak trees surrounding the Church at Ripena…

The return route was mostly flat and gently downhill, which was great as it was pretty warm by early afternoon….

Unusually, there was a couple of kilometres or so of flat walking at the end of the walk….

on asphalt and dirt tracks that criss-crossed rich agricultural land….

This new, rather pleasant walk clocked 14.2 kilometres on the GPS.

Many thanks to Judith & Andrew for the delicious post-walk refreshments.