Christmas morning and what a treat to be able to roll out of bed and take a morning brew down to the waters edge under a brilliantly blue sky.
Out on our private jetty, we blinked the sleep out of our eyes and celebrated the day.
There is an elevated terrace that looks over at the water, so as the air was warming up, we took a breakfast of traditional Greek sugary treats there. Some of Aunty Jenny's Father Christmas' have also made the journey here, and did a fine job of holding some fresh kiwis instead of eggs.
Feeling more awake and with a little food inside us, the opportunity for a Christmas Day swim was not going to pass us by - especially as it only involved a short stroll across the lawn to get there.
There was some considerable procrastination on my part as the warmth of the sun was so good and the water felt bracing in comparison. However, once we got in, we stayed in for ages, swimming around and looking down at the fish and rocks - no dive mask needed as the water was so clear!
Still never made it to the island though!
By the time we got around to heading out for our traditional Christmas day rock climb, it was well into the afternoon. It looked like the drive might get bumpy, but thankfully we parked up just at the end of the tarmac at the entrance to Katafyki Gorge.
It was only a short way further on foot to the base of the climbs, which although by now were in the shade, we still warm enough to climb.
We did a couple of routes in the 'Welcome' sector, before getting back into the sun for some lunch.
After getting a text from Tracy at Fort Martin, we laughed at how our meal wouldn't be everyone's idea of a traditional Christmas lunch - boiled eggs, sitting on a pile of rope by the side of a dirt track!
There is plenty more to climb here and lots of untapped trad climbing for the adventurous. Before leaving, we scoped out some of the upper gorge and longer cliffs for a return visit.
Back at base, we opened a few presents and along side some freshly squeezed orange juice, got to unwrap a classic Terry's one too!
As we have the run of the estate to ourselves, we enjoyed the last of the days sunshine in the garden.
Our actual Christmas Dinner, after a starter of olives and nuts, was a big spread of fajitas, followed by more treats of unknown name from the bakers. Finally, before bed, we took the deck chairs down to the end of the jetty and finished our Christmas day by star gazing. There is very little light pollution here and the only sound we could hear was the lapping of water below us. Magic...
Christmas Day Climbs at Katafyki Gorge:
- Tach, 5a
- The Question, 5c*
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