I’ve spent a lifetime travelling independently all over the world, since my first major trip in 1963, when I hitchhiked to the Middle East. I was a travel snob. I really tried not to be, because I don’t like that trait in others, but the idea of a package holiday to a resort has never appealed to me.
Then, last year, I bought a raffle ticket at the British Guild of Travel Writers’ annual dinner and had my eye on some other prizes. I hadn’t even listened properly to the description of this Greek holiday, so when my number came up I could only tell friends that I thought it involved running naked through Greece.
That wasn’t a complete flight of fantasy. I went to Tolon, a resort village in the Peloponnese, for the Nemean Games, which were one of the ancient games that started in the 6th century BC. Since 1996, a modern version has taken place every four years in the original stadium near Corinth. Unlike the Olympics, anyone can take part and they try to replicate the original conditions, although Sunvil explained that they didn’t insist on nudity.
The resort village was everything I thought I didn’t like, but it was another eye-opener. My friend Roz and I climbed out of bed into our swimsuits, wobbled along the beach from our apartment, and flopped into the sea. And there were organised group activities, which I thought I hated, but going for a bike ride to the nearby ruins and paddling around in a kayak for the first time was terrific.
At the Games, we smeared our bodies with olive oil and wore tunics. We entered a running race in the oldest group and, after a discussion about whether it was against the spirit of the original games to wear our hearing aids, we were off.
I ran as fast as I could, but could only see other women’s bottoms as they hurtled towards the line. It wasn’t fair – the winner was a mere stripling of 68. She got a palm frond. Roz and I got a sense of achievement, but we’ll have to go back next time. We’re serious – we’re already training for it. I got a taste for racing, but also learned that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with package holidays. Thank goodness I no longer have to pretend to be adventurous all of the time.
From the insider
Jackie Gogonas, a Sunvil representative for Greece and Cyprus, has lived in Tolon for 40 years
Tolon, in the north-east corner of the Peloponnese is a something-for-everyone destination. It’s family friendly with very safe beaches. It’s mainly flat, so easy for walking around. But it’s also got watersports, if you want to be active. Because it’s within driving distance of the capital, Athenians do come at weekends, which gives it an authentic feel; a lot of Greeks come in July and August for performances of classical Greek theatre in the amphitheatre at the nearby archaeological site of Epidaurus. People tend to think Tolon is a big place, but it was settled by just a handful of families who came from Crete in the 19th century. These same families still make up the bulk of the residents, so you’ll have one member catching octopus and fish in his boat in the morning, another running a restaurant, and mum, typically, in the kitchen. Some people come here to relax and enjoy the seaside, views and lovely flowers, but Tolon is also an excellent base for exploring the atmospheric town of Nafplio and the important archaeological sites of Corinth, Nemea and Mycenae in a hire car, or for taking a boat trip to the Saronic islands of Hydra and Spetses.
For personal, expert travel advice to all of these destinations and more, call Sunvil on 020 8232 9788 or visit sunvil.co.uk
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