The Corfu Trail Courtesy of The Corfiot - Corfu's English-language monthly magazine.

Corfu long-distance walking trail created The Corfu Trail, a long-distance footpath which runs the length of Britain’s favourite Greek island, is open to walkers.

The trail runs from Arkoudillas at Corfu’s southernmost tip to Cape Agia Ekaterini at its northernmost point and, meandering through all the island’s rural municipalities and avoiding heavily developed areas, takes in beauty spots, biotopes, beaches, picturesque villages, monuments, monasteries and diverse landscapes.

The Trail has been financed partly by the European Union’s Interreg II programme and partly from a private source on the island. Works included clearing of blocked paths, waymarking and construction of information stands at the start, centre and end of the route. No new footpaths were created since the Trail uses rights of way already in existence. Signs are yellow aluminium and are attached to trees, walls and other permanent structures, supplemented in places by yellow paint markers.

Waymarking of the route, approximately 220 kilometres long, is almost complete, and an official guide book will be available soon. It is expected that the Trail will be popular with both individuals and groups, who will have a choice of various programmes enabling them to cover the route within a chosen timescale and according to budget.

Possible programmes include a relaxed two weeks based in three centres with rest days on some of the island’s best beaches, a tougher one week based in two centres, two weeks in different nightly accommodation and an easy one-week programme of 'Corfu Trail Highlights'

Individuals and groups can book direct through a travel agency in Corfu, who will arrange the details of their desired programme, or through a walking specialist tour operator.

Since the most spectacular scenery and the biggest concentration of highlights are in the north of the island, walkers are recommended to follow the route from south to north, though it is fully waymarked in both directions.

The Trail is administered by a non-profit-making trust, and income from walkers, who will be asked for a small contribution, and from souvenirs and guide books, will be ploughed back into maintenance and improvements to infrastructure.

For more information, see the Corfu Trail website: http:// www.travelling.gr/corfutrail

Hilary Whitton Paipeti - Editor, The Corfiot Magazine