Kedros Beach, Donousa

Donousa is one of the Small Cyclades, an island of a couple of hundred residents east of Naxos, and Kedros is its best-known beach: pale sand and pebble in a sheltered cove, backed by the low cedars that give it its name, with water clear enough to see the bottom well out. It has long had a reputation as a free-camping beach, drawing a summer community that pitches under the trees, and while the practice is not officially permitted it persists in a low-key way. A wreck of a Second World War transport lies in shallow water offshore and can be snorkelled. The walk from the port takes twenty minutes on a coastal path; there is no road access and no development on the bay.

What you actually see

• The cedar cove - sand and pebble backed by low trees.
• The clear shallows - transparent water over a sandy bottom.
• The submerged wreck - a sunken transport visible to snorkellers offshore.
• The camping community - informal summer tents under the trees.

When to go

June to September; the island's ferry connections thin out sharply outside summer and some services run only a few times a week. August brings the largest camping population.

Honest expectations

There are no facilities at the beach, no water, no toilets and only occasional shade, so everything must be carried in from Stavros. Ferries to Donousa are infrequent and weather-dependent. The island has very limited accommodation, which fills in August.

Nearby

Stavros port and village are twenty minutes away; Livadi beach lies further along the coast.