Читать книгу The High Mountains of Crete. The White Mountains, Psiloritis and Lassithi Mountains онлайн

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Since the mountains are unfrequented, except by shepherds, ‘wild camping’ is not a problem. However, remember not to get in the way of shepherds and their work. Cretan sheep move around in close-knit flocks. They are gentle, nervous creatures and will be afraid to come to drink (which they should do) if they see something unusual beside the cistern or near the footpath.

Noise pollution

Thanks to traffic, two-stroke engines, live music, revellers and pre-dawn garbage collections, Cretan towns are noisy at night. Coastal villages, and some mountain villages, tend to be free of church clocks, and traffic noise in the countryside ceases quite early. However, this is likely to be replaced by a cacophony of barking dogs, crowing roosters and, in the autumn, chainsaws by day. In general, loss of tranquillity due to the modern faster pace of life is fully acknowledged by all Cretans.

Backpackers might think they have solved it, camping out in the mountains, but as sheep graze after dark when it is cool flocks may pass back and forth all night, ringing their bells. To be sure of the rare luxury of silence, aim for the high mountains in the spring before the sheep arrive, or in the late autumn, after they have gone.