Autumn in Corfu - The Mountain Village of Doukades

Yassas! We're home from an idyllic trip to beautiful Paleokastritsa in Corfu's northwestern coast, a village we love so much that we've stayed there five times over the last seven years.

For most of our 17 night stay this was our daily view, interrupted only by my twice-daily routine of jumping off the rocks and swimming over to Liapades, the beach you can see in the distance, whilst Jon honed his diving skills. Weather-wise, September in the Ionian Islands is notoriously unreliable but despite the dire warnings of near-biblical rain and severe thunderstorms, there was only three days where we weren't able to sunbathe (or swim).

With thousands of photographs to plough through, I thought I'd start my travelogue by sharing one of our walks, following the Corfu Mountain Trail up to Doukades, a traditional Ionian mountain village 5km from Paleokastritsa.

Island weather can change in the blink of an eye but, unlike the UK, the rain never lasts all day. The morning had started with rain and thunder but after a couple of hours, the storm was but a dim & distant memory and sun was attempting to break though the clouds.

Doukades originated following a period of devastating pirate raids on Corfu’s coastal communities when people retreated to the more remote interior. The earliest written reference to the village is from 1616.

Above is the former home of Georgios Theotokis, Prime Minister of Greece from 1899 - 1909. Another resident of the Theokoti Mansion was Lady Jane Digby, a notorious aristocratic beauty, who I wrote about HERE. Jane, a born gardener and a garden lover, celebrated her arrival at Doukades by planting a cypress tree in the grounds, It is still there, tall as a tower now, a dignified and delighted memorial to her - her only memorial in Greece. E. M. Oddie (1935)

After a frappe in the village bakery we wandered the narrow lanes, chatting the cats and picking out our fantasy holiday cottage we'd restore from a ruin.

 

When we visit Corfu in the Summer we hike early in the morning to escape the intense heat. In September we can go later in the day and stay for lunch.

We shared Greek salad, dolmades (stuffed vine leaves) and a basket of bread - baked hours earlier in the the village bakery directly opposite the taverna - and, of course, two large glasses of ice-cold Alpha.

By the time we'd got back to Paleokastritsa the sun was shining and the beach was calling. It was such a glorious afternoon that I was still swimming at 6.30pm.

Despite warnings on the travel forums of chilly evenings and how we'd need jackets & closed in shoes at night, the temperature remained at a steady 20°C after sunset - more than warm enough to sit outside in our short sleeved shirts, strappy dresses & sandals. The denim jacket I flew out in remained stuffed in my bag until the flight home!

Jon's in the garden of our studio apartment and I'm in my usual posing position overlooking La Grotta bay.

But what a difference a few days make! Although it's been sunny since we arrived home late on Wednesday afternoon, it's been rather chilly, although my new-to-me vintage velvet jacket and red leather cowboy boots helped sweeten the blow. This was Friday's outfit which got lots of love when I was out and about. 

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more of our Corfu adventures, coming up very soon.