Patmos is one of our new locations and somewhere we in the office have all been dying to swim. Towards the end of this year, Lydia drew the lucky card and got to join one of our departures there…
The Greek Island of Patmos may look a little unassuming at first, but the 'Holy Island' is a place of great religious significance. It was here where Saint John wrote the 'Book of Revelation', inspiring many Christian pilgrimages to a now UNESCO-listed Monastery and the evocative Cave of the Apocalypse.
Of course, our trips focus a little more on activities at sea, so while we do soak up the Dodecanese atmosphere, whitewashed villages, and bustling ports, we also get to know the coasts, beaches, and surrounding waters in a more immersive way than most travellers. Our swims take us far out into blue Aegean waters, sailed long ago - so the stories say - by both Odysseus and Alexander. There are many uninhabited islands and secluded bays for us to find as we roam the sand-fringed Patmian coastline.
When the day ends, we wash off the salt and relax in style at the incredible Patmos Eye Boutique Hotel - most guests say it's a highlight of the trip! This is our base at the vibrant heart of Skala, which is just an 18-minute walk from Melloi Beach.
"The 'Holy Island' is a place of great religious significance..."
We took some time before the Christmas break to catch up with Lydia from SwimTrek HQ. She had been back in Brighton for about two months, so she had enough time to digest her most memorable experiences. Our interview is accompanied by some of the fantastic imagery shot by Scott Salt this year as well.
First Impressions
SWIMTREK: “Was this the first trip you've done with SwimTrek?”
LYDIA: "Well, earlier in the year I had guide training, but obviously that's slightly different to the familiarisation trip. And I did previously do one about 10 years ago when I worked for SwimTrek before. I went on the Lycian Way trip to Turkey."
"I remember the Turkey trip was great and I think the itinerary hasn't changed too much from back then to now. The boat's really good, and the food's fabulous. It's very different, I think, to a lot of our other trips. By comparison Patmos is very new on our calendar, and when I went it was just the second week of being there, so it's really still a pioneer trip."
SWIMTREK: “What was your first impression of Patmos when you got there?”
LYDIA: "Oh, beautiful. After leaving the main port, which is bustling with locals and ex-pats, I arrived by ferry into this quaint town on Patmos, and it was just so pretty. It has all those typical, white Grecian houses and it's so much quieter by contrast, setting you up for a relaxing trip."
"It has all those typical, white Grecian houses and it's so much quieter by contrast, setting you up for a relaxing trip..."
"We were lucky that we did manage visit both the northern and southern reaches of the island. Some of the little beaches and bays we were deprived towards the end of the week though after the wind picked up. We did see the smaller islands off Patmos and many of the highlights."
"We did also visit the *Cave of the Apocalypse and the Chapel of Saint John. A lot of people who arrived on Patmos, and the hotel I was staying at, they came for a night. They dropped their bags off at the hotel and headed straight to the cave because it's such an important religious site."
Best Swims
SWIMTREK: “So, what were your most memorable moments in the water?”
LYDIA: "We were the first group to do the swims around Arki, which is small and only a few miles east of Patmos. I think the week before they swam around Lipsi, which is another neighbour in the Dodecanese islands. Most of the swims are around islands and all coastal."
"We had our acclimatisation swim on the first day. Then the next day we headed south of the island and the following day we went north to a more protected area to escape the wind. The itinerary was varied, and every day had some excitement. Some days we swapped what we were doing, and the guides were great at forward planning. The day when we swam around Arki was just fabulous. The scenery is completely different to Patmos and that was one of our best days for weather too. I loved how varied all the swims were and the guests were all buzzing afterwards as well."
"The day when we swam around Arki was just fabulous..."
”There are only about 35 residents on Arki, which we circumnavigated on one of our swims. There are only two restaurants on that island, and it is very quiet and feels undiscovered. We only saw a handful of people there, but the marina is quite busy with local boats and yachts.”
Wildlife
SWIMTREK: “And, what were you seeing below the surface during your swims?”
LYDIA: "Underwater you see all sorts of rock formations and some sea life too - all kinds of fish with different patterns. There were a lot of shoaling fish, in fact, and more than what I was expecting since some Mediterranean waters are less good for seeing wildlife. I was trying to look for eels, and octopi as well, but didn't find them. We did see a seal poking its head above the water at one point. I was confused and thought it was a lost swimmer at first. I wasn't able to swim fast enough to see it underwater as it swam away before we got closer. Our guide, Ricky, had a slideshow where he pointed out the Mediterranean monk seal and all these species of fish we might see. One lunch, he showed us all the animals he thought we had already spotted on the trip, which was great!"
Best Food
SWIMTREK: “Can you tell us about your favourite meals you had while you were there?”
LYDIA: "So, I have seafood allergies unfortunately. I wasn't trying any of the shellfish or anything like that, but other than that, it was fabulous. The guides directed us to lots of nice Greek tavernas at lunchtime, and then all the guests shared a delicious Mezze with grilled cheese, stuffed vine leaves and Tzatziki."
"There was a typical mixture of Greek dishes that the guests seemed to enjoy. We were able to try different things and not take on anything too heavy ahead of our afternoon swims. The hotel owners served yoghurts with locally sourced ingredients and made all their own jams - fig, strawberry, plum, and peach - in glass jars. They were great with our breakfasts each morning."
Where Next?
SWIMTREK: “If you could join any of our trips, which one would you want to go on next?”
LYDIA: "I have to say it would be the Philippines, I think. I would just love to explore more of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia area and the Philippines just look so amazing. I would want to see all the different sea life, like whale sharks, and all the exotic fish. Seeing those different species of wildlife is very appealing to me – other than the fish and seal we saw in Patmos, of course."
Want To Learn More?
If you are looking for more information on any of our trips, including dates of travel, kit lists and further itinerary information, please reach out to us at info@swimtrek.com.
