Kallikratis road- question for Harribobs

[badger]

Hi there Chris and anyone else who can help me, I seem to remember you posted some photos of the road to Kallikratis a while back, but can't seem to find them. When returning from Loutro two weeks ago, the taxi driver from Sfakia diverted with my sister in law and her husband to Kallikratis to pick up his brother who completed the drive to Heraklion. They were a bit disconcerted to say the least, and are not usually worried about winding roads. However at one point they appeared to be rolling back, and the driver said he could not put the aircon on or the car would not make it up. I assume they were on the road you posted- what do you think? Have you still got a picture or link to one? Thanks, Alison.

[harribobs]

this one?

[harribobs]

hi alison

there is a collection of John R's photo's of the Kallikratis road here :-

Kallikratis

chris

[John R]

hi alison

there is a collection of John R's photo's of the Kallikratis road here :-

Kallikratis

chris

And do note the Killikratis monsters in the last photo of that series  

John R

[Santa]

hi alison

there is a collection of John R's photo's of the Kallikratis road here :-

Kallikratis

chris

And do note the Killikratis monsters in the last photo of that series  

John R

I took this road at night- quite an experience-
Santa

[harribobs]

And do note the Killikratis monsters in the last photo of that series  

John R

   
I'd forgotten about them!!

[badger]

Chrs, John and Santa,
Thank you so much for your replies. I will show my sister -in -law your pics if that's OK and see how she responds. She seemed to be having trouble breathing when she told me about it on the phone, and that was just at the memory! Can I just ask Santa, why at night?! I think had the taxi driver done that to us we would have got out of the car, if we could move that is. I do remember from your previous posts though that some of you enjoy this road and are not scaredy cats like me.
Thanks again.
Alison

[Santa]

Chrs, John and Santa,
Thank you so much for your replies. I will show my sister -in -law your pics if that's OK and see how she responds. She seemed to be having trouble breathing when she told me about it on the phone, and that was just at the memory! Can I just ask Santa, why at night?! I think had the taxi driver done that to us we would have got out of the car, if we could move that is. I do remember from your previous posts though that some of you enjoy this road and are not scaredy cats like me.
Thanks again.
Alison

It was by accident-We were returing from Sfakia to Plakias and I just missed the cut off- after a while I told my wife we are headed in the wrong direction. By this time I figured what the hell keep going- soon it was dark. To tell you the truth, it was not as scary as you might think- First, there were not many cars and second, you could see their  headlights from quite a distance - I would do it again. We ended up in Vrissis , had a nice yogurt with honey and then took the main road back to Rethymnon and then tom Plakias. Go ahead and enjoy yourself-
Santa

[John R]

It was by accident-We were returing from Sfakia to Plakias and I just missed the cut off- after a while I told my wife we are headed in the wrong direction. By this time I figured what the hell keep going- soon it was dark. To tell you the truth, it was not as scary as you might think- First, there were not many cars and second, you could see their  headlights from quite a distance - I would do it again. We ended up in Vrissis , had a nice yogurt with honey and then took the main road back to Rethymnon and then tom Plakias. Go ahead and enjoy yourself-
Santa

You say you ended up at Vrissis after taking a wrong turning to Plakias from Sfakia. It sounds more to me that you indeed missed the Plakias turn after Sfakia (easily done in the dark) and then carried on up the Imbros pass aqnd not the Killikratis pass. The Imbros pass does have many quite hairy bends but it does not compare with Killikratis pass. That road (Imbros) would have taken you to Vrissis whereas the Killikratis pass on those photos would not. The start of the Killikratis pass is also very hard to locate and it is sort of "impossible" that you would go up it accidently en route from Sfakia to Plakias even though you do drive past it.

Now that I "know" that road - having done it a couple of times or so then I think I would find it more than ok at night. As you say you can see the headlights of the few cars that might be around. When I drive on it I concentrate 100% on the road - keeping on it and negotiating the corners using the whole road while my (willing) passenger Gillian keeps an active look out for any on coming cars. If any are spotted then refuge is taken early on a "wide" part - usually on or near a hairpin bend (believe it or not) so that we can pass easily. At night time, cars would be easily spotted. My main worry when starting the journey is if there may have been any rockfalls which may have partly covered an already very narrow road. So far so good. We never plan to go up that road - we just happen to be going past the end and one of us might say - oh go on let's have another go at it. It is without doubt the "best" road on Crete other than perhaps some unsurfaced tracks which we avoid.

John R

[badger]

Santa,
Thanks for your reply.The signposting out of Sfakia is really unclear, and handwritten at the moment. Paul and I took the wrong road up to the Lassithi Plateau back in the 80's, an unsurfaced road that was so narrow we had no choice but to continue, not knowing if it would get even worse!
John,
Thanks for the information and photos. You and Gillian, as well as Chris, must be the thrillseekers I remember from previous posts! Have you driven the road to Anopoli since it's been improved? If so, how does that compare?
Alison

[John R]

John,
Thanks for the information and photos. You and Gillian, as well as Chris, must be the thrillseekers I remember from previous posts! Have you driven the road to Anopoli since it's been improved? If so, how does that compare?
Alison

The new road up to Anopoli is now very wide and very tame - lots of hairpins but wide and very easy. Anyone should be able to drive on that without fear. I really don't know why they have built such a large road to such a small but beautiful area on a cul-de sac. The old road was somewhat hair raising and for me compared somewhat "favourably" with the Killikratis pass in that I actually got vertigo and was quite frightened on the old Anopoli road - there was always that steep drop right down to the sea. The Killikratis road is more dramatic in itself and is a fantastic feat of road building, narrower with more dramatic hairpins  but there does not seem to be the same sense of vertigo (for me anyway). The main fear is meeting someone as there just doesn't seem to be any room. Some of the hairpins are difficult for anything but a small car. I remember Chris telling me on the day rather colourfully (brown if I remember correctly) about his trip in a 4x4 which was a bit big for the bends and he was noticabely quiet (unusual) for that evening. We are not really thrill seekers but I was brought up near and still live near  the lake district and learned all my driving skills on the narrow roads and passes there. So these types of road are second nature to me.

John R

[badger]

John,
Thanks. I went to the Lake District with my dad when I was a child and he loved the roads there. Maybe we will be emboldened and try the Anopoli road sometime- perhaps on the bus, or maybe that's worse! I always remember watching the short wheel base buses leave Plakias for Sfakia when the road was partially unmade and went through the hillside villages instead of down by Frangokastello in the 80's, and thinking how the back must hang over the edge! We go to Loutro every year and although we've walked to Anopoli, we've only gazed at the road. I did go through a stage of wanting to see the Aradhena Bridge, maybe one day, I don't know!
Alison

[Santa]

It was by accident-We were returing from Sfakia to Plakias and I just missed the cut off- after a while I told my wife we are headed in the wrong direction. By this time I figured what the hell keep going- soon it was dark. To tell you the truth, it was not as scary as you might think- First, there were not many cars and second, you could see their  headlights from quite a distance - I would do it again. We ended up in Vrissis , had a nice yogurt with honey and then took the main road back to Rethymnon and then tom Plakias. Go ahead and enjoy yourself-
Santa

You say you ended up at Vrissis after taking a wrong turning to Plakias from Sfakia. It sounds more to me that you indeed missed the Plakias turn after Sfakia (easily done in the dark) and then carried on up the Imbros pass aqnd not the Killikratis pass. The Imbros pass does have many quite hairy bends but it does not compare with Killikratis pass. That road (Imbros) would have taken you to Vrissis whereas the Killikratis pass on those photos would not. The start of the Killikratis pass is also very hard to locate and it is sort of "impossible" that you would go up it accidently en route from Sfakia to Plakias even though you do drive past it.

Now that I "know" that road - having done it a couple of times or so then I think I would find it more than ok at night. As you say you can see the headlights of the few cars that might be around. When I drive on it I concentrate 100% on the road - keeping on it and negotiating the corners using the whole road while my (willing) passenger Gillian keeps an active look out for any on coming cars. If any are spotted then refuge is taken early on a "wide" part - usually on or near a hairpin bend (believe it or not) so that we can pass easily. At night time, cars would be easily spotted. My main worry when starting the journey is if there may have been any rockfalls which may have partly covered an already very narrow road. So far so good. We never plan to go up that road - we just happen to be going past the end and one of us might say - oh go on let's have another go at it. It is without doubt the "best" road on Crete other than perhaps some unsurfaced tracks which we avoid.

John R

Thanks John- My mistake- I will now look for the Kallikratis pass and try to navigate it-
Santa

[harribobs]

I did go through a stage of wanting to see the Aradhena Bridge, maybe one day, I don't know!
Alison

it's just up the gorge!!!

[badger]

Thanks Chris!