Greek Island of Skyros Boasts Near-Deserted Beaches and Wild Ponies

Archived representation of Skyros. Credits / Source: Municipality of Skyros

Skyros, the southernmost of the Sporades islands, is not among the astir well-known Greek islands, but it has a devoted pursuing of visitors who instrumentality twelvemonth aft year, drawn by its galore unsocial characteristics.

On Skyros, greenish and bluish coexist successful implicit harmony, creating landscapes and enchanting images of beauty. Picturesque villages are scattered chiefly successful the bluish portion of the island, each 1 with its ain distinctive beauty.

The years erstwhile the Central Aegean land was not among the astir fashionable Greek destinations are over. Skyros is gradually becoming globally known for its beauty, and this is reflected successful the prizes precocious won astatine planetary tourer exhibitions, specified arsenic ITB successful Berlin.

Most radical spell to Skyros to laze connected nearly-deserted beaches oregon enactment astatine 1 of the twelve resorts offering holistic retreats. The main municipality of Hora is built connected a elevation topped by a Byzantine castle, itself besides topped by the monastery of Saint George.

A constrictive alley astatine Chora, Skyros. Credit: Municipality of Skyros

There is nary different mode to get astir its constrictive alleys but to walk, and the whitewashed houses seamlessly merge into each other. One tin odor the jasmine portion peering done unfastened doors and windows of surviving rooms traditionally decorated with colorful ceramics and finely-carved woody furniture.

At the entranceway of the Byzantine castle, determination is simply a walled-in marble lion (dragon) and remains of Cyclopean and Byzantine walls, and the presumption to the oversea and the remainder of the Northern Sporades islands is overwhelming. Within the castle prevarication the ruins of a ninth-century religion arsenic good arsenic the castle monastery of Agios Georgios. Here, among the offerings, shines the golden medal of the archetypal Greek Olympic champion, Spyros Louis.

British writer Rupert Brooke passed distant adjacent Skyros during the First World War. Apart from his tomb, helium is commemorated with a statue astatine a quadrate connected the northbound extremity of municipality from which the presumption of the Aegean is thing abbreviated of breathtaking.

The celebrated ponies of Skyros

The Skyrian pony is simply a unsocial breed, which has existed connected the land since its instauration by the Athenians successful the eighth period BC.

IMother and foal. This benignant of pony is lone recovered connected Skyros, Greece. Credit: Andrew Frey-Lempicki, CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikipedia

The mountains to the southeast of the municipality of Skyros are location to the uncommon breed which tin lone beryllium recovered connected the land and of which lone a fewer 100 stay today. For galore centuries, the ponies person lived, evolved, and developed their unsocial characteristics here, isolated from different Greek islands and the mainland.

The ponies are comparatively abbreviated astatine astir lone 3.5 feet tall. They are small-bodied owing to the debased nutrient availability successful the mountains. The ponies’ coats are either what is known arsenic Bay, meaning reddish-brown hairsbreadth with achromatic mane and tail; Gray, which is rarer, with achromatic hairsbreadth connected achromatic skin; oregon Palomino, namely aureate brownish hairsbreadth with achromatic mane and tail. Skyros ponies person tiny heads, wide bordered eyes, long, flowing manes, and thin, consecutive shoulders.

It is said that the ponies of Skyros, celebrated for their endurance, were utilized by the service of Alexander the Great during his conquests and travels to Asia.

Nearly-deserted beaches

Magazia Beach connected Skyros. Credit: Municipality of Skyros

On Skyros, you tin bask connected immoderate of the astir beauteous beaches successful Greece. Crystal-clear waters, aureate sands, and stunning landscapes dominated by conifer trees each the mode down to the shores comprise its unthinkable scenery, perfect for blissful moments of relaxation.

Image of formation connected the land of Skyros. Credit: Municipality of Skyros

The closest beaches to Hora are Magazia, Molos, Papa to Houma, and Lino. The extended sandy formation of Molos is among the astir cosmopolitan spots connected the island. To the northbound of the island, you tin opt for the beaches of Petritsa, Kyra Panagia, Agios Petros, and Theotokos.

The pursuing video highlights immoderate of the unsocial experiences the land has to offer. It is voiced implicit by histrion Johnny Theodoridis, and producers are presence.gr with Giannis Kiriakidis.