The Ancient World of Delphi 11 Comments


Our journey south from Meteora to Delphi took a couple of days. We opted for a fast forward and head to the south quick route.. one to escape this up and down strange weather pattern and two, to make the most of the Greek highlights before winter arrives.

The first leg of the journey over the barren Thessaly basin was, flat! A great road for plonking your feet on the dash and singing away to some tunes. Beyond the plain, let the fun begin as Vin reared up and headed up in to the mountains. Up and away we headed.

We popped out with the coast in view and headed to Lami. Initially, our plan was to stop at Lami but road blocks and police suggested something wasn’t quite right, so we tootled on down to the shore line. We got swooped on to the toll road with a charge of €4.10 for a tiny section of road. After cursing the road system we drove through a small industrial village. Everyone gawped at us as if to say ‘the aliens have landed’. We smiled and waved in a ‘hi buddy’ kind of way, which confused them even more.

At the end of the town, a small, quiet, pebbled beach.  One end a wobbly pier and fishing boats and at the other, a ‘closed for the winter’ beach restaurant. Nothing glamorous or fancy but perfect for a nights kip. Mac n Tosh loved it, they got to play on the beach and chase pebbles. A great place to reflect on the last few year…wonder were we where this time last year?

Wild Camping GPS position Molos N037.833495, E022.652568

Our sunset from Vin

Our sunset from Vin


Mac n Tosh sniffed sand whilst Craig checked and topped up the leisure batteries with distilled water….and me, I ran between the 3 of them, trying to cater for their every whim…men!

The mighty King

The mighty King

Our journey along the Thermopylae pass to Delphi was very scenic but if I am honest, a tad disappointing. You see, I like to day dream and this morning was no exception. Over coffee, I was got acquainted with the local gossip and apparently just down the road some Persian King Xerxes attempted to conquer Greece a few years back. All this talk of kings, spartans and battles got me thinking…in my head, I had visions of hunky men running around, strutting their stuff in skirts and showing their toned thighs. Well, you can imagine my disappointment when we arrived at the battleground, stepped out the motorhome on to a cindered grass to be greeted by a chunk of marble. A whopping big slab of stone with King Leonidas perched on top and his two bessie spartans cocking their legs. No wonder I don’t remember this famous historic battle.

Sparton Buddy

Sparton Buddy

The mountain pass of Thermopylae wiggles and snakes between the mountains and the sea. Road conditions are good and no scary single tracks just plenty hairpin bends with no crash barriers. The occasional few thousand feet drop to your death helps engage the pelvic floor muscle and if your lucky, you don’t pee yourself.  However, the clean air, craggy mountains, limestone peaks, pine scented forests and trickling streams make it all the worth while. Phil & Carol, this will be a good test for your new Carado!

Beautiful Landscape

Beautiful Landscape

This is the sort of place where you might bump into a little old Greek lady dressed all in black and think…where did she come from? After searching for any sign of a dwelling you are left thinking someone forgot granny, bless.

After a good bumble over the mountains we arrived at our destination, Delphi. We headed to Apollon campsite just over a kilometre from the ancient sites and the old town. Vin checked in and then searched out the best patch on the site, after all we were the only guests here! We shuffled around and around and after an hour we moved to a ‘non’ patch. The campsite is built on a steep slope and all the parking spots run along a ledge with stunning views over the valley and down to the Corinth. We so wanted that view, but we struggled to either get level even with the chocs or fit in to one of the sectioned patches. In the end we just parked on some grass but you know, it had a cracking view!

We stayed at the campsite for a few days visiting Delphi and the surrounding area. In a nut shell, Delphi is just amazing. Located on Mount Parnassus, it not only has stupendous views but some of the best ruins and ancient sites we have visited.

The old town is only small but quaint and well served with mini markets, bars and cafes. Walk to the end of the cliff or climb onto a roof-top almost anywhere in Delphi and you are confronted with a sweep of olive trees for as far as the eye can see. This area is virgin olive oil land if ever there is one.

 

Delphi rooftops

Delphi rooftops

Entrance to the museum is five minutes walk from the town with on street parking. Once at the museum, the main site is through the gates and up, up, up whilst the rest of the sites are scattered along the road side (unattended). Entrance to the museum and main site is €12 pp and can be used over a 2 day period.

The Museum

Some excellent exhibits with brilliant information boards. I will let the photo’s do the talking.

Gold braclets

Gold braclets

East pediment of the Temple of Apollo

Delphi Ancient Site

According to Zeus legend, this is the centre of the earth as well as the dwelling place of Apollo. From the end of the 8th century BC individuals came to Delphi to chat with the gods as well as participate in the Pythian Games.  As Delphi’s political strength grew, so did its size, attracting gifts from far and wide.

Temple of Apollo

Also known as the Sacred Precinct, this is at the heart of a complex that also included a stadium and a sacred spring. It is entered through an agora from which the Sacred Way winds through the ruins of memorials and treasuries.

The treasury of the Athenians

The treasury of the Athenians

Just amazing and great time of year to visit, pretty quiet

The theatre

The theatre

Other Delphi Sites

After the Temple of Apollo, a path leads to the Marmaria Precinct, where the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia can be found.

Sanctuary of Athena

Sanctuary of Athena

Our Bumble Verdict: Excellent and well worth a visit for both the sites, ruins and views.

Delphi by moonlight

Delphi by moonlight

Our sleepy spot: Apollon Camping €19 with ASCI card. Campsite good, clean facilities with excellent views but the parking spots are a tad too small for motorhomes.  If we went back we probably would check out Delphi Camping, it did look a little more spacious as we drove passed their campsite.

Paid Camping GPS position Meteora N038.482710, E022.419935

Before you go… just like to say a big thank you to jetpack, it looks like our comments and subscriptions are now working, again!  And a big thank you for everyone’s comments over the last few weeks. I really can’t tell you how good it makes us feel when we get positive feedback. It inspires us to keep writing and sharing our stories and wild camping spots.

Jetpack also introduced us to some additional features. We’ve now included a new ‘like’ and ‘share’ button (bottom of each post), so if you enjoy one of our articles you can tell us through a simple click and if you really like it then share it with family and friends on facebook etc.

Well that’s it for today folks need to pack up and head off to the coast and let Mac n Tosh have a paddle or two before they rip the the surf board to pieces.


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11 thoughts on “The Ancient World of Delphi

  • Barrie Clarke

    All these €’s for toll roads and camp sites and these romantic dinners Craig will be having fits and need another Llidl. lol Lots of love Michele & Dad

    • Bumble Crew Post author

      Hey Matt & sharon, hows things!
      See you are back from Camino de Santiago, I bet that was some trip for you.
      Will send over all our Greek wild camping spots for you..amazing place.

  • Sue Anstice Brown

    your pictures brought back memories of when we vistited Delphi a couple of years ago… we fell in love with the Kittens who begged us for scraps of our lunch. Rob went exploring down the drains, and we saw mountain goats up in the hills. 🙂

    • Bumble Crew Post author

      Love the facebook photos you posted of Rob. I cant believe he went down the drains, what if he’d got stuck?
      Thanks for sharing….any tips on Athens, we are heading there soon?

  • Robert Ellis

    Some more great photos again are you trying to prove that you’ve kept off the Ouzo ? And I’ll tell you what the attendant in the yellow sweater looked rather smart ,he must be earning a bob or two ,Get the tank filled up & find Lidl before you set of again ,don’t get stuck in the middle of the mountains or you’ll have to yodel you’re way out of it ,l got this mail at 9 o,clock this morning but it kept playing up ,so I’ll scan all the photos again later & put them 2 little Greek dogs on or they will get RUINED too ,he he ,Bye bye for now ,maybe I’ll see you all on the Beach next time ,Luv as always DADxxx learn them to bark in Greek xxx