A guide to hiking in the forests and mountains of Lefkada

You don’t necessarily need Lefkada Trails to enjoy a walking holiday on the island but if it’s tucked away in your rucksack, your experience will be immeasurably improved for it. You’ll be glad of this excellent little book (and/or associated trails on your phone) to get the most out of the walks - for the best views, the quietest beaches and ancient forests, and how to reach them, interspersed with interesting nuggets of local history, cultural and seasonal changes throughout the year.

The guide is put together by a couple - Trish and Colin Cooper - who live on Lefkada, and it shows. They have years of experience of island walking, hands-on knowledge from tracking the trails in collaboration with locals. They’ve put together an incredibly usable little book that acts as a companion all the way from Athens bus station and beyond, and helps the uninitiated to download free trail apps to access the routes they’ve made available. It includes realistic descriptions (and pictures), with ascents and difficulty included to guide all levels of walkers, safety tips that are so crucial for hiking (i.e. suggestions of shady short routes to make the most of the intolerable August Greek heat). Whether you want a leisurely stroll along the easiest paths, a moderately challenging loop or to undertake the whole multi-day Lefkada Trail, you’re in safe hands here. Now I’m just waiting for them to expand to the other few thousand islands and mainland Greece.

— Susan Smillie
Writer for The Guardian, author of The Half Bird, sailor, naturalist.