West Macedonia by bike: from Kastoria to the Prespa lakes

Everything about cycling in Greece, with routes, the best time to go and where to stay, is on our Greece destination page.

The morning sun is shining through the windows of Kastoria. In the Orologopoulou hotel most of the guests are still under their awnings. Or at least they don’t show themselves. Hotel manager Sideris Smaropoulos is already busy. When I walk into the breakfast room on my toes, he is there with a cheerful ‘Kalimera’ and a ‘Ti Kanis’ (how are you?). He shows that he is a good host. Or if I want some coffee. Of course I say no to that. Meanwhile, a similarly friendly lady from the kitchen comes with all kinds of delicacies. From warm mini apple slices to fresh cheese omelet, fruit and more. Greek hospitality at its best. That’s how we like to cycle in Greece.

Kastoria – Western Macedonia

Until a few years ago, many of us had never heard of the region of Macedonia in Greece, whether rightly or not. However, when the current North Macedonia When the EU application process came up, that changed. Greece objected to the country’s name and thus North Macedonia was created. Unnoticed, Macedonia also appeared on the map. The heart of the region of Western Macedonia is formed by the town of Kastoria. A favorite spot for Greek winter tourists and a destination in development for the rest. With the water and mountains nearby, it is a wonderful, Mediterranean place with a promenade, an old center, and absolute potential. We are exploring for a few days for a special project. This is our base camp.

Gruppetto

At breakfast, my fellow group members slowly trickle in. The head of this expedition is Nick Rachovitis, a well-spoken Greek who speaks Oxford English almost perfectly. The breakfast group is complemented by Spyros and Kostas, who are riding along and taking photos/organizing things. Spyros is also the mastermind behind Cyclonews.gr, a Greek website with news and information about cycling. Meanwhile, Stelios, one of the hotel staff members, is impressed by my bike. That’s only natural. He starts asking questions enthusiastically. Cycling is more alive here than you might think. The conversation continues on the terrace, where Iannis also joins us. He’s going to take some beautiful photos today. Absolutely great.

(Un)regularities

When you talk in stereotypes, Northern Europeans and Southern Europeans in general are really polar opposites. We Dutch people are more relaxed and regular. Greeks, on the other hand, are a bit less organized and everything happens as it happens. This morning was no different. While we are shooting footage in various locations (and I am driving back and forth over goat paths), new people keep joining our group. Lambros, who turns out to be the driver and handyman, is the first to join us. Stereotypically speaking, it could hardly be more so. Not only is he not fit to ride a bike, he has a cigarette in his hand and is shouting loudly. His booming laugh is infectious. I find it enjoyable. People also keep coming and going from the other side who are somehow involved in the process. That is also Greece: lots of captains, no ship. 

Community

Fishing is still really common on the lake of Kastoria. A few local fishermen come out and are immediately hired to take photos as a backdrop. As Nick immediately remarks: ‘That doesn’t happen in the Netherlands, does it?’ Unthinkable. Greece is much more of a community in that respect. People make contact, help or offer help, ask what you’re doing and are interested. I don’t see many people walking around with BEATS headphones. They just have their phone to their ear, that’s all.

Direction to Prespa

Today we’re going through the mountains towards Prespa, the lake (or actually the two lakes) that Greece shares with Albania and North Macedonia. The images on the internet are already beautiful, how could it be any different in real life? The road to get there is steep, first through some villages and then even through an area where bears have their habitat. I have to blink my eyes a few times when I read this. Checking with Nick confirms the text on the sign: this is bear country.

From the departure from Kastoria it goes uphill. Together with partner Spyros we have a nice pace and we do a short warm-up ride, with a maximum of five percent. Once we are up, we roll downhill but then I get a flat tire. My tubeless front tire suddenly loses air and we are standing on the side of the road. Our support team has meanwhile just gone to get lunch, so we have no choice but to sit down for a cup of coffee as well. It doesn’t get more typical than this. Time is your friend and that’s how they live here too. 

By heading towards the lakes

After changing the tires, we’re going for a little drive to make up for some lost time. With all the photo shoots and material issues, some time was lost. The road leads over a wide provincial road through the mountains. From this point on, there are no more flat meters. Whether it’s going (sort of flat) up or going down. What stands out: along the road there are several signs warning of bears. This is their natural habitat. It’s not like a bear is going to suddenly cross the road, right? You also see several signs with ‘Albania’ written along the way. The border with this Balkan country is very close by, and on the main road you also see many trucks driving from and to Albania.

Back to cycling. We turn left at the sign ‘Prespes’ and here the fun begins. A steep climb with beautiful hairpin bends. It’s a climb of over two kilometers in length, but suddenly you’re 180 meters higher on the globe. Figure it out. The steepest sections are at thirteen and fourteen percent! After the acid comes the sweet, they always say and that’s also true here. Because once you’re up there, a panorama opens up that you can’t help but say ‘wow’. We stop here to enjoy the view and take some photos.

Roll the bubble

Up to this point, the roads in Greece are of excellent quality. Only in the cities do you still see some challenges, but that’s okay. You can live with that. The road up the climb is quite good with just a single groove or a small gap. Nothing that would make you anxious. On the way down, towards the lake, things change a bit. The descent is quite steep and the first part towards Karyes is quite technical. Be really careful here. This is not a route for speed demons.

Once we get down there, we turn left towards Psarades. We drive through two lakes: the small and the big Prespa Lake. It’s a beautiful view. You can literally look from one side towards Albania and from the other towards North Macedonia. This is a tripoint with opportunities. If the border towards North Macedonia opens, you can take a tour of Prespa here. That’s impressive.

Psarades

The fishing village of Psarades is a kind of end of the world. You get there on the edge of Prespa Lake. To get there you have to conquer the treacherous climb to the church of Agios Georgios. Over more than two and a half kilometers you encounter stretches of over ten percent elevation gain. With a little bit of training this is a great challenge. The view of the lakes and the surrounding area is priceless. An additional benefit: it is so peaceful here. We don’t encounter any cyclists at all. Of course there is some vehicular traffic, but here it’s not the A10 in rush hour. That does provide a somewhat calmer feeling and more space to sometimes avoid a pothole in the road. The descent to Psarades is not ideal for our standard of riding. The view makes up for a lot, but you should keep your eyes on the road and your hands close to the brake lever.

In Psarades itself, time seems to have stopped somewhat. A herd of cows is running loose on a grassy field. The local elders gather at a café for coffee and a good conversation. Or they are sitting in the square in the sun. In Psarades, more than 24 hours are in a day. Our group also attracts some attention. They hardly ever see cyclists here, and even less on a bicycle with wheels that are financially inaccessible to most Greeks. It is good to realize where you stand.

On to Florina

To get to our finish point in Florina, we have to go back a bit along the same road. The climb up to Agios Georgios again, the beautiful short descent down, and then back up over the climb towards the viewpoint on the E15. They don’t even put up signs at the top anymore. There’s still a world to win. Or should we just leave it as it is? Because it’s so much nicer to climb up to the church of Agios Nikolaos or Anthonisos than the Prespaberg? I think so. There’s also a wonderful challenge waiting for us towards Florina. Where we used to go left at the intersection towards Prespa, we now have to turn left (we’re on the way back here) to Pisoderi. The Pisoderi ski resort. Because even though Greece may be a sun-drenched paradise for Cor and Don, in winter you can still ski here. Don’t expect Austrian or Swiss ‘mountain resorts’, but rather the opportunity to ski through the snow with the long poles.

The climb to Vigla

On a nine-kilometer stretch, you climb to an altitude of almost 1500 meters. At Vigla, the climb to the top is the highlight and something you definitely won’t want to miss: what a nasty mountain this is! You start off quite calmly with low percentages, but after the descent you’ll definitely need to warm up again. After two kilometers, everything changes abruptly. Suddenly, the Wahoo shoots towards double digits and you hit the fourteen percent mark. For 500 meters, the meter doesn’t fall below ten percent and you see the stars for a moment. Then it suddenly levels off again. That little trick repeats itself about four times. What you do know is that at every steep stretch, a beautiful hairpin bend is waiting for you.

Enjoying Northern Greece

Because of the time we turn around earlier. We spent almost the whole day on the bike, but in the end we took photos and videos. What does stay with us: it’s a beautiful environment. Wild, open, a combination of Basque country, sometimes Central France and then again Italy. You also see things that are very typical for Greece. The villages, the vegetation, the short climbs and the many churches along the roadside and sometimes also small altars in the shape of a church. A small reminder that not everything is sunshine and roses.