Writing this nearly a year since we visited it seems we did a lot of driving but the scenery is just so spectacular we enjoy it so much. Half the time it feels like we are the only people who hire a car and drive up, around and over the mountains of Crete as we hardly seem to see other cars!

We do have a walk today though, Gorge of the Dead in Kato Zakros a tiny village on the east coast. The journey from, Makrygialos takes us inland and around the mountains up to Sitanos and Kardi and then heading down to the east coast to Zakros and then descend into Kato Zakros.

It is a tiny village on the coast a few tavernas as many come here to walk the Gorge. Pebble beach from memory a bit like Sougia. We park up and lucky to spot a taxi just dropping some back packers off. We grab him to take us back up to the start of the Gorge walk. (€10) He however dropped us at point B, this being on our info in the Sunflower book for Eastern Crete. We should have asked him to take us to A, at Zakros further up as starting at B cut about a quarter of the walk off.

Still we descended into the Gorge and really enjoyed it even though it was only an hour.

It starts off quite wide as we descend into the gorge and as we walk nearer the sea it narrows. Full of goats of course who we provide a bit of substance to at our lunch stop under the shaded oleander trees. Starting around 930 we finish at 10:38! The shortest walk we have ever done! This is why we should have caught the bus to point A!!! We were gutted!!

We walked to the Palace of Zakros hot and sweaty. Here you pay an entry fee and there was a very pleasant air-conditioned room with artefacts and information boards! We hit this first to cool down!

The small site is certainly worth a visit and the Gorge definitely if you enjoy walking. It is well sign posted and not a bad track as many do the walk.

12:30 we chill in the shade with a cool drink and snack at one of the taverna's. 1pm back on the road inland and at the top of the world we come across Voila, remains of a medieval Venetian Village about one km from the village of Chandras. The remains are spread out over the hills with a striking tower of Tzen Ali. It stands on a hill and was part of a fortress. According to the Turkish inscription it was built in 1740.

This is definitely worth a visit, with inscriptions intact, fireplaces, church arches and paintings on the walls. We continue on back on route to Makrygialos off the beaten track finding churches, churches inside cliffs, all open and free for you to visit respectively. Some unnamed and one was Saint Sofia.

At Sitia there is large church and other buildings of the old village of Etia and there is an expedition displaying what the social life was like in the village.

Leaving around 4pm we are then back at the coast 16:40. I can't find the name of the beach we are on I think we just saw it from the road and decided to stop for a swim. We had the beach to ourselves and stayed till around 7pm snoozing and snorkelling. Just us the lapping sea and the sound of the bells of the goats who came down from the hills onto the beach as they crossed to the other side to graze.

A late dinner at 9 but a full fun and most interesting day.