Skyros

Skyros is the largest and least visited of the Sporades, and geologically two islands joined: a northern half of pine forest and beaches, and a southern half of bare mountain, cliffs and stone, almost empty except for goats. The Chora climbs a rock beneath a Byzantine and Venetian castle and the monastery of Agios Georgios, its whitewashed houses stacked in a way that looks Cycladic rather than Sporadic, with interiors traditionally crowded with carved furniture, embroidery and hanging ceramics. The Skyrian horse, a rare miniature breed standing about a metre high, survives here in small numbers and is bred at a few farms. Beaches run along the northeast, Molos, Magazia, Atsitsa, and Eleonora's falcons breed on the southern cliffs and offshore islets.

History

The name may come from skyron, "stone debris", and the island was known for its decorative stone. In myth Theseus died here when King Lycomedes threw him from a cliff, and Achilles sailed for Troy from Skyros after Odysseus found him at Lycomedes' court; around 475 BC, Thucydides says, Cimon defeated the Dolopians and Athenian settlers colonised the island, which lay on the trade route from Attica to the Black Sea. The Macedonians held it from 340 BC until 192 BC, when Philip V and the Romans gave it back to Athens (Wikipedia, Skyros).

What's there

• The Chora - white houses under a castle rock, with traditional interiors.
• The Skyrian horses - the island's rare miniature breed at local farms.
• The bare south - a stony wilderness of cliffs and goat tracks.
• The northern beaches - Magazia, Molos and the pine-backed coves.

When to go

May, June and September for warm sea and space; the island is genuinely quiet outside July and August. Winter ferries are cut back and the crossing from Kymi is weather-dependent.

Before you go

Getting there takes effort: a long drive to Kymi plus a two-hour boat, or a small plane. A car or scooter is needed, as the two halves of the island are far apart. Southern Skyros has almost no facilities.

Nearby

Kymi on Evia is the mainland ferry port; the other Sporades are reached by longer connections.

Key facts