Korinthos to Diakofto

April 29, 2009

Early the next morning we dropped down from Ancient Corinth to the coast, and followed it westward the rest of the day along the Gulf of Corinth. It was a leisurely day, passing through the string of resort towns that line the south shore. They were all but empty this early in the season, so we enjoyed fairly quiet roads except for a few spots where we were forced back onto the main highway. We weren't in the best of shape yet this early in the Spring (and I was fighting off a pretty bad cold), so we appreciated starting off our tour with a fairly gentle ride.

One thing that quickly impressed us was how well we had timed our trip - roads were quiet, temperatures were mild, and fields were in bloom. It was an undramatic but quite lovely ride.

We ended the day's ride at Diakofto. This small town is famous as the base for the rack-and-pinion train that shuttles precipitously up and down the Vouraikos Gorge. Built in the 1890's to support mining activities, it has evolved into a significant tourist attraction. Our plan was to take the train up to Kalavrita with our bikes, both to enjoy the ride and to dodge the steep 3000' climb from the gulf into northern Arcadia. I wasn't certain we could take our bikes - I'd gotten mixed information on this from internet research - so we enlisted our innkeeper to walk over to the station with us and ask the stationmaster. She got mixed information also, but thought they said it would work.

That evening we walked through the small, very quiet commercial center of Diakofto, looking for dinner. Somewhat timidly we entered a small diner and pantomimed our way into a meal.

The start of the train route up the Vouraikos Gorge from Diakofto on the Gulf to Kalavrita, in the highlands of Arcadia.

The old engine from the Vouraikos train line.

The overview map for the Vouraikos line. This route is a famous attraction in this part of Greece. We looked forward to riding it when we returned through here from Delphi, and hoped to avoid cycling the long steep ascent to Arcadia from the Gulf.

Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 75 miles (121 km)

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