The remote islands of the Sporades

The Sporades, off the coast of Greece, are a line of islands stretching out into North Aegean. Once a refuge for pirates, known variously as Satan's Islands, Demon Islands, Thieves' Dens and the islands of the Magnesians, the Northern Sporades - literally meaning 'scattered' - with their dramatic changes from island to island, strange geological forms and historical remains, are among Greece's most delightful secrets. The three islands nearest the mainland, Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos, are generally well known to visitors. However the islands further out are not so well known and retain the feel and charm of an older era. This area is well known to flotilla and other yacht sailors for whom it provides a quieter cruising area than the Ionian, the busier counterpart on the Greek west coast. A constellation of glittering jewels scattered across the Aegean Sea, the Sporades are some of Northern Greece's best-kept secrets. Beyond Alonnisos there are: Perister...