Oropos – nice spot near Athens

Oropos (known also as Skala Oropou) is a nice spot not far from Athens overlooking the island of Evia. The beach is grassy and the water is suitable for both freeride and freestyle on the local shallow lagoon. On the way we stopped at the Corinth Canal and admired its height, beauty and history.

Corinth Canal

From Nafplio we set off to the north, after an hour and a half drive and a stop at a supermarket we arrived at the Corinth Canal. We parked at the Corinth Canal Old Bridge and went to see the canal.

Along the road bridge there is a platform for tourists on both sides, so you can admire the views towards the Gulf of Saron, as well as towards the Gulf of Corinth.

The total length of the canal is 6346 meters and it is dug at sea level. From the bridge, you can see the mouth of both bays. The side walls of the channel are almost vertical and are up to 90 meters high. Even the view down is breathtaking. I was seriously considering trying local bungee jumping, but it wasn’t met with much enthusiasm in the family. Maybe next time.

There are several taverns and refreshments on site, as well as souvenir stands. We ordered a couple of souvlaki sticks and a Greek salad. The food wasn’t very tasty, but we were too hungry. We got into the car, drove over the bridge towards Athens, and thus definitively ended part of our road trip through the Peloponnese.

Road to Oropos

There was also plenty to see on the way to Athens, now in mainland Greece. Tankers, mining ships, and natural gas storage tanks passed through the factory, even these unnatural views were very interesting. On the coast, we passed several kilometer-long campsites with hotels and discotheques, and the beaches were absolutely packed with tourists. It was clear that Athenians come here in large numbers, even by train, whose route runs along the coast and the main road. Close to Athens, the navigation guided us to a toll-free section of the highway, so we drove through the entire Greek capital even in the afternoon rush hour without any problems. It was late afternoon and we were finally approaching another spot called Oropos. It is really only an hour from Athens, so kiters from the capital are not far away.

According to Google, we reached a “kitesurfing base”, but we didn’t see any kites or anything to indicate that we were there. But the kites flew in the air a little to the north, so we turned the car and drove through the road among residential houses and apartments and reached the small beach of Akrotiri. The paved road ends here on the beach, and only rutted tracks continued through the deep sand, so we parked and went to see the peninsula on foot.

Kitesurfing spot Oropos

Beach

After a short journey, approx. 300 meters, we were surprised by the beach. The area where the kiting is done was grassy, ​​straight, without any mess, and absolutely luxurious for starting and landing the kites. According to the information, it is possible to kite in the southern part, but the access and water there are not as pleasant as in the current, more northern location. And the beach is not that tidy and the seabed is not that comfortable.

Several cars were parked right here on the spot on the grass, one car even in the water, which rose slightly at high tide and flooded a bit of the more solid road through a kind of moor.

There were about five kites on the beach and in the water, even though it was almost eight o’clock in the evening. We exchanged a few words about the spot and the wind with the family from Athens and returned to the car, excited for the next day.

Evening and surprising newcomers

After quite a demanding day, we went for a swim and watched the sunset on the island of Evia directly from the water.

Already in the dark, while preparing dinner, we were interrupted by a large motorhome trying to park right next to us. Coincidentally, a Czech family full of kiters arrived in a car. So we had some wine, chatted, and went to bed.

Kiting day

The next morning we enjoyed swimming. The beach was full of people and there were plenty of cars, even though it was Monday. Fortunately, no one minded our motorhomes at the end of the road. Excited from the previous day, we expected the wind and were a bit worried about how many kiters would be on the spot.

The wind was spinning from several directions, especially from the north. Around two o’clock, the guys from the Czech car took the dog out and went to check out the situation at the spot and arrived with the good news that the wind is already blowing in the right direction. So we packed our kites, boards, and snacks and headed to the spot.

Fortunately, our fears that the “Athenian” spot might be overcrowded were not confirmed. It was either because it was Monday or because the forecast had been threatening for a long time that Meltemi wind would arrive from the north and thus it would be impossible to kite on Oropos. In the end, only two local kiters arrived, and that was late in the afternoon.

Around three o’clock the whole spot was only for the Czechs. The wind was blowing weaker and varied, but we still took turns several times. I had to take Soul 15, but Veronika had enough with our 12m. There were also a few moments when the wind got stronger and for the whole afternoon we had a good ride and enjoyed a new and rather pleasant spot.

Wind

The wind was blowing from the southeast between the island and the mainland. So at the spot, it was side-shore and we were kiting towards Evia and back. The waves were smaller and the place is definitely suitable for learning as long as you pay attention and have someone to help you if you get further out to sea. In the water, you can reach the bottom a few tens of meters, and then there is depth. A good wind here is SE, E, or NE.

One of the boys also went to the lagoon, where you can fool around on flat water. The water was really ankle deep so you have to watch out for bad landings and crashes, but it’s a great spot for freestyle, you just have to have a good wind.

Normally here it should be around 8-10 m/s, we had to be happy with about 6-7 m/s. In any case, according to available information, the spot and beach used to be full, and various races or festivals were held here. But it was evidently quite empty here this year too, and you could goof off here and not be afraid of other kiters on the water.

Time to go

On Tuesday, unfortunately, the predictions came true, and already in the morning, a strong northerly wind came from the island of Evia. We really wanted to see Evia and go to Lefkandi (another nice spot), unfortunately, the wind was not in our favor again. We would be riding purely off-shore and the wind would not be pleasant at all because it would go across the whole island and be gusty. Regardless of its strength. There are a lot of other spots on Evia and we plan to go around and see it all some time because it didn’t work out this year.

So we enjoyed a free day at the beach and after six o’clock packed everything up again and headed towards Faros Skarfias. In any case, we were looking forward to Raches, which we know, other acquaintances were supposed to be there, and honestly, we wanted to stay in one place for a few weeks and not move from place to place all the time. The journey through the Peloponnese was quite long and tiring. But before that, we had to stop at the lighthouse opposite Raches because this spot has its own charm with its location, lighthouse, and emptiness. More about that next time…

Author: Karel

I simply love kitesurfing :-).