Hand Luggage.

Agios Ioannis Kastri

Mamma Mia we’re in for a climb with the next sight seeing stop . . . we’re heading to the tiny chapel of Agios Ioannis Kastri.

Made famous for being the little church in the Abba inspired film Mamma Mia – it’s where the high octane matriarch Donna (played by the ever marvellous Meryl Streep) gets married at the end of the movie.

But heck there’s a lot of steps up .. in real life if a bride tried to run up the steps like Meryl did then she’d probably have an asthma attack . . .

Its name actually means Saint John on the Castle, assuming that there was probably was a small castle in the past to protect the island from pirates and enemy invasions.

Agios Ioannis cove is a small beach that lies adjacent to Agios Ioannis Kastri.

It gets very crowded due to the influx of tourist boats decanting masses of sightseers every hour.

But when the boats depart you get to enjoy this stunning little cove virtually to yourself (at least until the next drop off!)

Panormos Beach

Panormos Beach is a wonderful sweep of pebbles leading into perfect waters.

The term Panormos is ancient Greek, and was mentioned by Homer, meaning “sheltered harbor” or “sheltered moorage

The large, bowl shaped bay consists of a long, fine pebbled beach, lots of small coves.

Onto Skopolos

We’ve spent seven days on Skiathos so we’re now on the move to the next smaller island of Skopolos.

The islands are well served by regular ferries so we’re onboard and off!

Skiathos town

As with all Greek Islands, Skiathos has a lovely old capital town (chora) full of maze like alleys, colourful flowers and a plethora of cafes, shops and eateries.

The harbour has a view of the Bourtzi fortress and an attractive tumble of white washed houses.

We meander upwards to discover where the locals live as well as encounter some fuzzy felines.

Mandraki Elis beach

My favourite beach of the trip so far is Mandraki Elis beach. A white sandy sweep of sand.

There’s a nice beach front restaurant where we snaffle some fries and soak up the view.

Aselinos beach

Aselinos beach is next in our sandy sights and its another corker – as per all of the Skiathos beaches so far.

It is protected by the green mountain of Kounistra and is surrounded by verdant hills and pine forests that offer a unique natural setting.

Panagia Ikonistria

We briefly stop off at the tiny Panagia Ikonistria monastery between beaches.

Cared for by a tiny, old lady, it is full of icons, strong local coffee and cats – perfect!

Hubby’s made another fuzzy feline friend!

Mikros Aselinos

Next on the Skiathos beach hitlist is another tiny wild one at Mikros Aselinos.

Down a rickety set of steps to another windswept stretch of lovely sand.Mikros Aselinos or Small Aselinos is a petite sandy beach right next to the larger Megalos Aselinos beach on the north coast of Skiathos.

There’s a lovely sand duney cafe serving cold drinks and basic snacks, with its wooden sculptures and wind blasted wood it feels almost as if it has sprung from the hot sands themselves.

Panagia Evangelistria

The Monastery of the Annunciation, commonly known as the Evangelistria Monastery, is a monastery dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary which sits on a hillside some 4 km north of Skiathos town.

The monastery was founded in 1794 by a group of Kollyvades monks, who had left the monastery of Mount Athos after disagreements about matters of Christian ritual.

The small museum has some interesting artifacts including the loom on which the first Greek flag was created.

We also quickly visited the small village of Kastro, which was in the Middle Ages the capital of the island. In Kastro you can see the ruins of a castle.

It was built in the 14th century and the inhabitants of the island moved here to escape from the pirates that ravaged the island.

Ligaries beach

The first beach of the day is Ligaries Beach. A windswept and lonely spot that is empty save us when we arrive.

Getting to the beach can be a bit of a challenge – there’s a dirt road that leads to the beach which is passable with our quad bike but could be a bit of a challenge for the basic hire cars that you usually get from the local car rental shops.