20 years ago today - Day 217

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Sunday, October 6th - Descati to Katerini - 12,746 km

Descati is in the middle of nowhere, which means I am in the middle of nowhere. There is no reason for anyone to come here except for the residents. Perhaps I should have headed across the flat plain from Kalampaka to Larisa, the capital of Thessaly, and from there north along the coast, but instead I have headed north into the mountains where there are no direct routes anywhere.

My goal is to arrive in Katerini tonight, a city near the north coast of Greece in western Macedonia. Instead of using the coast route I will aim for a route to the west and north of Mt. Olympus. I am in search of the gods but I probably won't see any.


The first part of the route is simple enough. I head east on the road I arrived on. It winds through the low mountains following a valley that first dips down 150 m and climbs up to the same height again. There is a small pass here and then it descends to the village of Kefalovryso and the town of Elassona, a drop of 500 m. It is cloudy and there is a chilly wind from the north-west which is for or against me depending on the bend in the road. I ride with my jacket on for the first half of the day, and when I am stop in Elassona for lunch.

There is a range of mountains between Elassona and the Aegean. Mt Olympus, the tallest mountain in Greece, is in that range north of the town. Katerini is north of Mt Olympus so the shortest route is going around the range to the west and the north. I head north from Elassona through a low pass in the hills that leads me to a plateau west of Mt Olympus. I am excited to see it but my guide book warns me not to expect it. Olympus is particularly shy as mountains go, and prefers in cloak of clouds. Sure enough, the cloud cover is solid over the peak and all I can see is the lower half of the mountain.

I fight the wind across the plateau as I pass the village of Olympus. After more than an hour on the plateau the road climbs reaches the mountains again north-west of Mt Olympus. The road twists its way 500 m up to a pass. Then follows a mountain valley through the range, dropping 600 m as it goes. At the end of the valley, it falls another 400 m to the Pierian Plain at the north-west corner of the Aegean Sea. Katerini is the largest city on this plain and my road aims straight for it.

So here I am at the edge of the Aegean, although it is not yet in sight. Katerini is larger than any town since Ioannina, perhaps 40,000 or so. The traffic is busier and it looks much more prosperous than Descati. It is warmer too, being at sea level and out of the mountains. There are several hotels to choose from and loads of restaurants, and the prices are still reasonable as this is now off-season.

Just being here, close to the end of my stay in Greece, helps me focus on the coming weeks. Mike Silk has told me he will write to me at Post Restante in Istanbul to let me know when he will arrive to reconnect with me. I am expecting that will be my easternmost point of my trip. From Istanbul, we will likely make our way to southern Greece, perhaps back to southern Italy, then cross to Tunis in Africa and cycle west to Morocco where I hope to spend winter south of the Atlas mountains. I am feeling less stress about my time in Croatia as time passes, but I am clear I do not want to cycle alone anymore.


PHOTO 1: east of Descati
PHOTO 2: waterfall near Descati
PHOTO 3: in the mountains of northern Greece
PHOTO 4: the town of Elassona
PHOTO 5: my obscured view of Mt Olympus
PHOTO 6: north-west of Mt Olympus
PHOTO 7: north of Mt Olympus
PHOTO 8: Ste Anna in Katerini
PHOTO 9: street in Katerini