Feature by Willard Manus

To visit the Greek island of Rhodes is to understand why the geographer Strabo called it the loveliest place on earth, and why the Knights of St John, on seeing the barren limestone of Malta where they had been banished, were said to have remembered Rhodes and wept.

Most of the million-odd tourists who visit Rhodes annually flock to the sea, which means that the hills and mountains are the private playground of walkers and hikers. Outside of the odd shepherd or two, trekkers can pass long hours without seeing another soul. With two sizable peaks to chose from, plus a variety of back-country trails, it's possible to spend an idyllic, crowd-free time on the island.

Access to the best hiking spots is a relatively easy. Public busses are plentiful, hitchhiking is possible (though it's mostly Greeks, not foreigners, who give the rides), and renting a motorbike is cheap. Even car-rental is manageable, with prices in the EU $45-a-day range.

Getting to Rhodes is also a simple matter. Hundreds of charter flights from all corners of the U.K. and Europe set down at Rhodes airport. Many of these flights include a hotel room or studio apartment. Rhodes city, located in the northern tip of the island, has the largest concentration of hotels--over five hundred, many of them high rise, but there are beaucoup places to stay in the smaller villages as well, such as Lindos, which becomes an English colony in summer. The bars, restaurants and discoteques cater to package-holiday Brits, most of whom drink and party till dawn, giving the town a garish, honky-tonk atmosphere.

Rhodes is also accessible by ferryboat, either from Piraeus (the port town of Athens), or from some of the other islands comprising the Aegean archipelago. Internal flights from Athens, Mykonos and Crete also connect at Rhodes. It's even possible to reach the island, via a 45-minute hydrofoil ferry ride, from Marmaris, Turkey.

Greece is beastly hot in summer, but part of the island is cooled by a prevailing wind from the northwest called the meltemi, making it possible to go climbing even in July and August. The ideal months to hike, though, are in spring and fall when days are balmy and nights cool. Climbing in winter can be a joy as well; the heavy rains generally fall in January and February, but inbetween are ample sunny days which bring out vast fields of wild flowers that cover the island like a quilt.

The other advantage in visiting Rhodes in winter is that the tourists are gone. The island quiets down and goes back to being Greek. The natives have more time for you, the tavernas make local specialties again, and the bars play bouzouki instead of techno music.

Regardless of the season, hotels and restaurants are on the reasonable side (compared to the rest of Europe). Fish is the most expensive thing on the menu (unfortunately, the Aegean is fished out). Specialty items like hiking boots can only be found in Rhodes city, but it is possible to climb the island's hills in a sturdy pair of shoes.

To get your legs in shape you can start walking around Rhodes city, which is divided into two sections. Many of the modern sections were built by the Italians, who colonized the island between the two world wars. Believing, in his final megalomania, that he was descended from the Knights of St. John, Mussolini built the new town as a seignorial retreat for his retirement. World War II and the defeat of the Italians put an end to that twisted fantasy.

The Knights' old town is a large medieval quarter inside a fortification of towers and ramparts that many architects consider the best of its kind ever built. The heavy Gothic buildings overlaid with influences--Norman, Venetian, Byzantine and Tudor--from the Knights' native lands, fuse into a strongly masculine style suitable to the Knights. Light playing on the squares and streets transforms them into gold in the sun and grey-mauve in the shadows. The Street of the Knights, lined by the Inns of the "Tongues" or ethnic groups, rises to the Grand Master's Palace. To walk it is to return in time to the 1600s.

The Knights' compound also contains the old Turkish quarter, a labyrinth of narrow lanes interspersed with mosques and minarets, markets, fountains and shops. Walking here can be a serendipitous experience as there are dozens of artisans working in cubbyholes fashioning copper, bronze, leather and ceramic articles.

The serious hiking sites are located in the interior of the island. There are two main walks, both of which are suitable for amateur hikers. Those who wish to spend a few days up in the hills can do so, though it should be noted that there are no camping huts up here. But if shelter is needed the peaks are dotted with tiny white Greek Orthodox chapels that are sometimes left open. Leave a few Euros in the kitty when vacating the chapel.

Rhodes' mountains are ideal for day-trippers; return trips can be clocked in as little as three hours (Mt Akramitis). The route up this 825-meter mountain starts at the village of Siena (450 metres), which sits on the western side of Rhodes, not far from the pagan shrine of Monolithos, which served as a lookout post during the Knights' stay on Rhodes. Vast, dramatic views of the pounding sea and, on clear days, the nearby island of Halki.

Mt Akramitis also offers interesting topography and botany--red blazes and cairns, pine and olive trees. The vegetation (and trail) thin out fairly soon, with an open slope soon connecting to the remnants of several stone huts (600 metres). Keep heading upwards. The trail leads to a Crusader look-out tower; turn west-south-west then and trudge toward a grove of pine trees.

You will soon encounter the chapel of St. Theologos. The adjoining courtyard has a cistern filled with rainwater. The view from up here is bracing and spectacular. Landmarks will lead you up another steep ltrail, to a verdant meadow. Keep climbing, until you reach a pine grove and the topmost crest of the mountain. To picnic up here with a panoramic view of Apolakia Bay is to experience a taste of paradise.

The hike up Rhodes' big daddy, Mt Ataviros (1215 metres), is more challenging, especially the top third. Start at the village of St Isidore and follow a north-westerly course which will flatten out at a thousand metres. Further along is a large ravine. Look for two giant oak trees after which the trail turns and culminates in a rock shelf overlooking the tiled rooftops of the village of Embona (famed on Rhodes for its wine and sausage).

Keep slogging up the mountain, past various heaps of stones, toward the Temple of Zeus. Don't quit here, though, because attaining the summit requires a hard slog. In a clearing sits the homely chapel of St John the Divine. The view from up here is breathtaking.

The return trip to St Isidore can be made in about two hours, if you're fixated on speed. Why not take the time, though, to poke around in the ruins up here and make a pit stop for food, coffee or wine.

While imbibing the latter, don't forget to pour a libation to the Greek Gods, whose dwelling places you've been priviledged to visit up in these ancient, venerable hills.