Gramvousa Crete

holiday report and Crete map

Gramvousa Crete

The islet of GRAMVOUSSA sits off the northwest tip of Crete on the large peninsula that gropes northwards from Kastelli Kissamos.
Gramvousa islet is one of the most spectacular sights on Crete. Two rocky islets sit in a shallow, azure sea and linked to Crete by a wide sandbank.
The islet to the north of the promontory is Agriogramvoussa, south of it and slightly west is Imeriagramvoussa - the prefixes mean wild and tame respectively.
Because of its strategic location the Venetians built a fort on Gramvousa, now in ruins. Construction started in 1579 and ended in 1582.
It was destroyed six years later however when lightning struck the powder store but was rebuilt in 1630. Gramvousa was once a base for pirates who plundered every passing ship.
Just opposite Gramvousa is the splendid beach of Balos. It can be reached fairly easily along an unsurfaced road, then along a track down to the beach.
The sea here is a virtual lagoon; very shallow and extraordinarily blue. Its growing popularity means that more tourists dump their rubbish here each season.
The rise in numbers of passing ships has also resulted in some sticky black tar deposits on the beautiful beach.
Balos beach is a shelf of fine white sand that lies between a couple of small streams. The white sand gives the shallow sea an emerald glow that is unique to the area.
There is good hiking to be has over the whole peninsula which is covered in thyme, oregano and wild flowers.