PLAGE DE KATERGO

Here's another postcard landscape: Katergo beach is often considered the most beautiful beach on Folegandros, and rightly so. It's a real marvel indeed. Only accessible by boat from the port of Karavostasis, or on foot from the village of Livadi, it's a long, pebbly beach with a unique environment and crystal-clear waters. Be sure to visit at least once during your stay to enjoy Katergo's truly amazing emerald waters. A word of warning for those who are a bit chilly: cold currents make for a refreshing swim here. And that's only the first blot on this idyllic picture: it's hard to imagine that this place could have been a hellhole in other times for some people.

Facing the long rock of Makri Katergo, the beautiful beach lies in a hostile, arid setting: you won't find any shade. That's why political prisoners from Folegandros were sent here to gather stones all day long, under the harsh, impassive sun. The beach was named katergo, meaning galley, in memory of these convicts. They were unsupervised, but how could they have escaped in any case, without a tree around to build even a makeshift raft? For a long time, this paradise beach was a natural prison for many political opponents, particularly communists. A tool of the repressive system put in place by the worst regimes in modern Greek history.

To get there, take the little caïque that runs to/from the port of Karavostasis. On foot, first take a scooter to Livadi (the village, not the bay), then follow the path signposted KT, which runs alongside the ruined cottages, remnants of the prisoners' huts, then descends to the left for around 40 minutes. The descent is steep and the terrain difficult. Be careful on this trail, which is not always well signposted. Another warning: make sure you take the path from the village of Livadi, as the path from Livadi beach is much longer, more difficult and very often unmarked, so be careful. Finally, there's absolutely nothing around Katergo, so bring plenty of food and bottled water. And avoid the hottest hours of the day, as the sun beats down hard: it's not for nothing that the place was chosen to make prisoners slave away...