Freezing My Bits Off! ❄️ Winter In Rhodes

Freezing My Bits Off! ❄️ Winter In Rhodes

The church caretaker has just come and done some very cool stuff with the incense a crucifix shape um I didn’t feel like asking if I could film um but it smells wonderful in here and she saw me sitting outside drinking coffee she’s like come inside for for um so I’m

Happily in the warm in the church smelling the incense good morning just about ready to depart and the Sun is finally peaked out it is blooming freezing and I’m feeling especially glad to have been able to take January off um it’s actually colder inside the church right now you can see

Your breath inside there but anyway it was a good spot for the night um just hope February gets a little bit warmer Speee it’s Sunday and I’m a big fan um of these Greek churches at the end of the service they hand out bread and I’ve also been um handed this rather nice solid cookie so my timing is very good miss the service in Greek got the biscuit Is The plan yesterday was to continue down this Dead End Road to a beach down there to camp but um I’m not going to make the visit now because I don’t need to camp and also I was getting a bit of grief off my knee so I don’t need an

Unnecessary climb today which is a very Cy reason and just take it Easy say cold so i’ come inside for a Meal four little cheese pies T them by the fire really good though Like warm cheesy salty I I’m in two minds about continuing all the way to the south of the island there’s a headwind today and it’ll be from the same direction tomorrow when I turn around and it’ll bring with it rain but the rain will then be at my back or I could just cut across the is

Cish we been mean a bit of a climb I don’t know what to do 8 km down a dead end Road into a headwind to a beach which I’ll barely see because it’s going to be dark when I get there I’m trying to find somewhere indoors to Camp because there’s rain

Coming why am I doing this uh because I need to to where to come and it’s a good spot as any if you don’t go you’ll never know it’s very tempting everything’s shut fenced up with this like chicken wire cheers um I’m camped out behind a caravan Park I’m sheltered from the wind

At least which is uh part of my objective um hopefully it’s not going to rain my T’s waterproof I just don’t like camping in the rain um and hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy a little bit of the beach tomorrow morning before it does inevitably rain dinner is instant

Noodles Church bread Turkish olives Greek wine and Hala

Day 5. 45km (77451kms)

I packed away quickly in the little church to ensure I wasn’t in the way (or indeed caught) by anyone arriving to make proper use of the place. And so I was seated outside beside all my belongings drinking coffee when the church caretaker arrived. She kindly beckoned me inside away from the wind where I witnessed her doing some interesting crucifix shapes with the incense. Like the frankincense aroma of Oman I enjoy the smell of orthodox churches very much.

But it was so cold. Only as I was ready to leave did the sun peep out for the first time. In the centre of the village I stopped at the main church just as all the worshippers were exiting, collecting their bags of bread, of which I was offered too. I got a hard biscotti-type biscuit and some very tasty homemade seeded bread. Nice score and I didn’t even have to attend a service in Greek!

Continuing south I explored a precipitous castle with gorgeous views before turning back up the hill to the main road. I’d experienced some sharp pain in my knee climbing yesterday, but now it was fine.

After spending an absolute age uploading a vlog (albeit beside a cosy log fire) I set about reaching the southern point of Rhodes. A headwind had picked up which had me questioning the rationality of sticking to my plan; I could cut across the southern part of the island instead.. but I reasoned I’d still be stuck in the same awful weather tomorrow – I may as well check out this beach having come so far already. Once again darkness fell as I made the final little climb up the 8km dead end peninsula road. Arriving into the seasonal village I found all the restaurants and hotels literally wrapped in chicken wire to keep out people shadier than me. On the descent I’d seen a collection of buildings a little further around the beach, but in the blackness could find no paved way there and I wasn’t about to push loaded Gibbo through the sand in the hope of finding shelter. Instead in a spot protected from the wind I pitched up by torch light beside some static caravans and made myself a hot dinner. I tried to ignore the sound of wind in the treetops, reminding me worse weather may ahead.

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