Things To Do in Lourdas

Big beaches like Lourdas just cry out to be explored on foot. It’s a lovely walk along the beach to Trapezaki, which is just around the bay. It’s not all soft sand, though. There’s a bit of clambering across rocks and some wading in the water, so take beach shoes. The taverna on Trapezaki Beach is a lovely spot for a refreshment stop before heading back.

You’ll need to book at this roof terrace restaurant overlooking Lourdas Bay because it’s as popular with locals as it is holidaymakers. Skewered fish, beef stifado and lamb kleftiko all make it onto the good-value menu, along with Greek salads picked from owner Leani’s own garden. And if you’ve room, she does a great baklava with ice-cream.

This lovely little bar is tucked away at the top of Lourdas Village. It's set in scented gardens with a trickling fountain and secluded tables. Nothing is too much trouble for owner Nadia, who gives you the warmest of welcomes and ensures everyone has a drink in their hand – whether it’s a milkshake, speciality coffee or one of her fabulous cocktails.

There are a few music bars in Lourdas – they’re mostly chilled-out affairs, though you’ll sometimes get karaoke. Generally, though, the nightlife centres around the village tavernas. They’re the kind of places that put on Greek nights, and once the traditional bouzouki music strikes up, you could find yourself doing some impromptu dancing along with the locals.

Mount Ainos is the highest mountain in the Ionian islands, and a national park. There are some great walks here among the unique pyramid-shaped Kefalonia pine trees, home to the European pine marten. And as you take in the scent of heather and thyme, you may even chance upon the rare wild horses of Ainos. It’s a 50-minute drive to the radar station – you can walk from here to the summit for stunning views across the island.

You’ll find beach bits and picnic nibbles in Lourdas’s little shops and supermarkets. If you’re looking for unusual gifts, there’s a jeweller’s shop at the crossroads between Lourdas and Trapezaki. It’s where you can buy replica Kefalonian coins, New Year lucky charms, and even a gold mandolin pendant celebrating the bestselling Kefalonia-set novel, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.

There’s rather an unusual festival on at Markopoulo, about 15 minutes’ drive away. Each August in the church, at the religious service for the Feast of The Falling Asleep of the Virgin, crowds gather to see small – and harmless – snakes emerge from the bell tower. They slither all over the church and the worshippers, who consider them to be good luck. After the Feast the snakes disappear, to reappear, fingers crossed, the following year.