FOUR MORE green Greek islands

Alonissos

One of the four Sporades islands, Alonissos and its pine-clad mountains feels a world away from its busier neighbours Skiathos and Skopelos. Even in summer, you can enjoy its sandy beaches and peaceful forests without the crowds. A lovely hike takes you from the port town Patiriri along a flower-decked track up to white-washed Hora, the Old Town. The highlight, though, is the marine park off Alonissos’ northern coast, the first such park in Greece and the largest in the Mediterranean. Jump aboard a classic sailing boat in Patiriri to tour the park’s numerous islands, including Piperi, home to the highly endangered Mediterranean monk seal, and raptors (such as Eleonora’s falcons) that live on its steep cliffs.

Astypalea

Butterfly-shaped Astypalea is the westernmost island of the Dodecanese, but historically and culturally feels more like one of the Cyclades (which you’ll see on a clear day). Climb from Skala port and its windmills up to the Old Town, Hora, and you’ll find whitewashed houses with colourful wooden balconies recalling the Cycladic building styles of Tinos and Mykonos.

Despite its rich past, Astypalea is looking firmly to the future by transforming its transport to run on renewable energy (solar and wind). Buses are being converted to electric, and residents receive hefty discounts to encourage them to buy electric cars and scooters. Sustainable tourism such as walking is promoted, allowing visitors to discover the island’s many trails, secret beaches and mountainside meadows.

once attached. But once Tilos broke away, the elephants had no predators so didn’t need to be as large as their mainland ancestors so evolved a dwarf form.

For beaches, you’re spoilt for choice. Apart from Livadia’s siennared volcanic sand, they’re all shingle – but you’ll probably have them to yourself. “Skafi and Plaka beaches on the north coast are lovely, and you have to walk to reach them,” says Ian. “At Plaka you’ll find wild peacocks.” Wild campers gravitate to Eristos, with its extensive pinkygrey sand-and-shingle beach shaded by tamarisk trees. There’s

Skyros

a loo and shower to keep things clean, and a taverna if you want someone else to do the cooking.

Talking of food, I ask Ian what island specialities to try. “Many revolve around the goats which roam the island,” he says. “Tilos’ most famous dish is liver-stuffed goat baked in the oven. Also popular is giaprakia, cabbage or vine leaves stuffed with spiced meat (the name derives from the Turkish yaprak meaning leaf). Tilos makes its own pasta, koulouria, often served with tomato sauce or in a lasagna. Restaurants are family run and offer traditional home cooking, always based around the amazing oil from our olive trees.”

Most restaurants are in Livadia. But for location (and just-caught fish) you can’t beat the fishing village of Agios Antonios on the island’s north coast, with its two tavernas. As you watch the sun setting behind neighbouring Nisyros, it’s a good place to reflect on how far this tiny island has come. How quickly others replicate Tilos’ pioneering steps towards self-sufficiency and sustainable tourism remains to be seen. But the island most of us have never heard of is certainly making waves.

Famous for its music, potters and painters, Skyros has an arty, slightly alternative, feel. You’ll find its artists’ wares for sale in the shops lining the pretty cobbled streets of Skyros Town. If you can, time your trip to join Skyros’s pagan preLenten carnival, when young men don goat masks, or its mid-July week-long Rembetika Music Festival when the island resounds to the melancholic sounds of the blues music that was brought to Greece by refugees from Asia Minor in the 1920s. Skyros is the largest of the Sporades so there’s plenty of space for nature lovers to enjoy its secret bays, rolling farmland and forests, all untouched by mass tourism. It even has its own (endangered) breed of horse.

Ikaria

Rocky Ikaria is often dubbed the island where people forget to die, on account of its inhabitants’ longevity. As a result it’s designated one of only five ‘blue zones’ in the world. Could the islanders’ secret be their healthy diet, including locally caught lobster and island-made wine? Their pristine island environment with its beaches, forested gorges and rocky moonscapes, all great for hiking? Or their geographical isolation in the northeast Aegean, which historically has led to Ikaria being a refuge for pirates and exiles? Who knows, but off-beat Ikaria is a delight. Still difficult to get to, and untouched by mass tourism, this long and skinny island amply rewards those who make the effort to reach its dramatic shores.