After waking up with an extra elbow - how could the new route finding possibly go wrong! The previous evening, Simos, Alaric and I had discussion about start point etc. We started at a point where Simos had walked a few years back, but couldn't remember how rideable it was.

ANAVASI Map Topo25 Mt Parnitha 1:25000 Starting from Sfendali Station near to Malakasa just off the National Road. We drove past the station and a little way up the dirt road, and parked the car. We unloaded our bikes from the new bike carrier. We set off on our unknown journey along a steep fire road ascent. At the little church we forked left, then at Agios Merkourious we forked right, keeping our eyes peeled for some singletrack on our left. "There it is!" "But it doesn't point in the right direction". A great looking piece of downhill singletrack jumped out at us, but after some dicussion, it turned out not to go anywhere useful. Instead, we took the singletrack climb up the steep bank...

This first trail was mostly walking/carrying with short busrts of riding. It was a little disheartening, but you have to do these things. At a T-junction, Simos was pumping up hi tyre again, so I took the opportunity to investigate the trail to the left (it was our plan to turn right) - Happily it looked great, 95% rideable all the way to a meadow. Maybe we could link the left and right trails together?! We walked back to the junction, took our bikes and started on the other turning. It started off lovely, smooth woody singletrack and then, as usual, on a trail-finding quest, quickly became an over-grown bike carrying/pushing trail.

When we eventually exited the trail at a meadow, Alaric and I realised we'd been there before last year. Alaric had half-ridden the singletrack ascent with Dimitris, but just to see if it was 'good' or not. So, the intrepid explorers started up the trail. As it got more and more difficult to ride and we started to push our bikes, Alaric wondered if we should go back to the meadow, cut our losses and make our way back to the car via dirt road and tarmac. Simos, on the other hand thought we should finish what we started - so we did. Another bike push up the hill to another meadow - a hunt for the start of the next part of the trail, push our bikes (or let them fall) down the next overgrown loose, steep descent and then ~ phew!

We happened upon a beautiful flowy, woody, singletrack, rooty drops, little rock gardens, swoopy dirt track for about 2km. It was georgeous! More so for knowing we would almost certainly never ride it again. After the pain there was finally pleasure! Then downhill all the way back to the car. An adventure it was...