Andros & Tinos walking holidays

Walking on Andros will take you to dreamy secluded beaches such as at Korthi and Achla, the Sariza spring at Apoikia where the waters flow from the head of a stone lion; along trails lined with vertical slabs of slate in the traditional manner; over rustic stone bridges and past old watermills in lush river valleys and deserted monasteries. You might pause to visit the Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art that features works by a host of renowned Greek artists, a Prehistoric settlement, or to sample the goodies in a patisserie – tradtional ‘spoon’ sweets, fruits and nuts preserved in sugar syrup, and deliciously strong Greek coffee.

There are pigeon houses, or dovecotes, on many Cycladian islands, but on Tinos their construction has been raised to an artform. Pigeons have been kept for centuries here, for food, for their droppings which are used as fertiliser and for, er, target practice. Thankfully that practice is now banned and about the only place on the island that you can enjoy a plate of baked pigeon is Pyrghos. The pigeon houses, however, are just as lavish as they were in Venetian times, and in fact are often more elaborate than your average mansion. One walking route takes you past many of the more decorative pigeon houses (Tarampados is particularly famous for its medieval dovecotes), where you get the distinct impression that building them was often a case of one-upmanship.

Annie Antonatou from our Greece walking specialist Mystic Blue:
“Tinos boasts more than 1200 pigeon houses, around 600 of which can be admired today by the visitor. They appeared during the Venetian occupation (1207-1715). Pigeons were used for meat and an excellent high-nitrogen fertilizer, which was one of the most important export products of Tinos for many years. They were also used as messengers. The pigeon was a delicacy for the Venetians and they wouldn’t allow the locals to savour them. The pigeon house was a symbol of noble origin and economic power. So when they left, it is said that local people started building their own as it was prestigious, not only profitable. Pigeon houses had two floors. At the ground floor you would find the warehouse and at the upper the pigeons. Slate was the main building material and the Tinian craftsmen used squares, triangles, circles, diamonds, suns and flowers in order to decorate the sides and make them unique. You will have the chance to see various pigeon houses, as well as old watermills, terraces, stone walls, windmills, countless churches, fountains, picturesque villages, giant rocks with strange shapes, as you walk with us through cobblestone paths”

“This is an excellent walking tour. The guides are welcoming, know the islands and very friendly. The accommodations are all comfortable, with great breakfasts. Walking the beautiful trails and swimming in the turquoise sea with wonderful fellow travelers was a fantastic experience. There is so much to see in these beautiful islands that I feel sure I will be back to see other islands by booking walking tours.” – Russell Parkin

“Go in May- warm enough to swim, not too hot for walking. Feeling of places getting geared up for the summer but not yet busy…Wonderful, exceeded my expectations. The local guides were superb, every day was well planned and varied, we did a huge amount in one week, but the pace was relaxed with time to appreciate everything.” – Carys Evans