Corfu 2018

Corfu, my 3rd Greek island, having been to Crete in 2014 and Zakynthos in 2015.Corfu is the most northerly of the Ionian islands, whereas Zakynthos is the southernmost. Corfu lies alongside the western coasts of Albania and mainland Greece.

I stayed in Benitses on the east coast, south of Corfu town. Apparently Benitses was the party place for Brits in the 1980s but now is a quiet village and with more Russian and Eastern Europeans than Brits. There are several old abandoned buildings that used to be bars and discos from the busy times.

The beach is shingly rather than sand. There are lots of umbrellas and sun chairs, they are free as long as you buy a drink or something from the respective cafe. The sea was really clear. Although it was late Sept I found the water rather chilly for my liking and only ventured in a couple of times.

looking to the Greek mainland at sunset

sunrise over the Greek mainland

Immediately behind the village is a range of hills. I went up into the hills on a couple of occasions, when looking for the aqueduct and water tunnels. There are lots of olive trees on the island -

View of Benitses marina and looking towards Corfu town -

Benitses village -

Old Corfu Town is a World Heritage Site and dates back to the 8th century BC. There are 3 forts and a lot of Venetian influence.

Old fort and new fort -

The world's largest yacht, owned by a Russian and said to be worth £400 million -

Since childhood I have been a fan of Gerald Durrell and still have many of his books, so I was particularly keen to see the memorial garden to him and his brother Lawrence. They lived in Corfu from 1935-39.

National Gallery

1699 well

On the northwest corner of the island is the Canal d'Amour at Sidari -

See more on the Benitses water tunnels and Roman baths.