Tunnel beneath hill at end of Paligremnos beach

[Richard]

Went for a walk beyond far end of the beach last year, beneath the 'coloured' cliffs and heading towards the Kalypso. Found a tunnel with what looked like limestone chips on the flor. Didn't have a torch with me so gave up after fifty yards or so. Does anyone know where this leads, if anywhere?

[steven]

Google is your friend (sometimes)

https://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&q=plakias&rlz=#hl=nl&q=plakias+tunnel


From the cliff face is a path along the mountain to a tunnel, which opens into two large openings in the mountainside. About the path and through the tunnel ran once a lorrie Court, which until about 1930 coal were transported were extracted from the ground in the area. Into the mountainside was a mooring for ships. The German occupiers during the second world war extended the tunnel and slashed a second dock, where the water was deep enough to submarines

[Richard]

Many thanks for this, didn't think to Google it.

U-boats in Plakias though! Hard to imagine now. though it makes sense geographically

[Mike from Sussex]

I believe the tunnels date back to Ottoman times. Not sure about the U-boats though, they would need better facilities than Plakias could provide. Perhaps a story told by the old men to bemuse the young children?

[John R]

A local (Babis of Medouda) told me that they were coal mines but blown up during war to prevent the Germans using the coal.

[Mike from Sussex]

My understanding is that the tunnels are at the end of the coal transportation route, but I have never enquired as to the location of the mine(s). Destruction of the mine adits upon invasion makes sense.

[Richard]

Just had a chat with a local chap who also thinks that coal transportation (from a mine near Lefkoyia) for embarking on shipping was the original purpose, using a horse-drawn light railway.