Timeline
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
Yesterday at 05:04
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
August 9, 2026 at 04:58
Reading the Landscape - Part 2: Stone
Limestone and the Karst Landscape of Apokoronas
The first ride in Reading the Landscape took me down to the coast and the salt pans cut into the rock beside the sea. Today the route went in the opposite direction, away from the coast and into the broken limestone country of…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
August 6, 2026 at 05:29
Reading the Landscape — Part 1: The Salt Pans
The landscape itself can preserve the memory of an industry long after the buildings, tools and people have disappeared.
The ride began, as so many do, in Kokkino Chorio, following familiar roads across the Apokoronas before descending towards the coast. The morning was warm but clear, with excellent visibility across…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
August 4, 2026 at 04:59
Objects Along the Way — Part 10: The Shepherd’s Hut
A small dry-stone shelter within Roupakias Forest preserves the practical knowledge of those who once worked and moved through this landscape.
Some objects stand openly beside the road. Others must be found. The shepherd’s hut lies within Roupakias Forest, the wooded area included in local walking route guides known as…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
August 2, 2026 at 04:28
Objects Along the Way – Part 9: The Minoan Tholos Tomb
Riding Through Time ......
Today's circular ride began and ended in Kokkino Chorio, covering 51.7 kilometres with 980 metres of climbing through the varied landscapes of Apokoronas. The ride took 4 hours 8 minutes overall, including stops for exploration and photography, with 3 hours 6 minutes of riding time. The…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
July 30, 2026 at 05:23
Objects Along the Way – Part 8: The Irrigation Manifold
Thousands have lived without love, not one without water."
— W. H. Auden
Water has always determined where people live, what they grow and, ultimately, whether communities survive. On an island where long, dry summers are the norm rather than the exception, every spring, stream and well has shaped the…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
July 26, 2026 at 04:24
Objects Along the Way – Part 7: The Threshing Circle
"The gods keep hidden from men the means of life."
— Hesiod, Works and Days
Every landscape has its places of work.
Some are obvious: the harbour, the quarry, the olive mill. Others survive so quietly that they are almost invisible. Hidden beneath the shade of old cypress trees, enclosed…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
July 19, 2026 at 04:27
Objects Along the Way – Part 6: The Underpass
Long before the national road existed, people crossed this landscape. The underpass simply allows them to continue.
"Eyes are more exact witnesses than ears."
— Herodotus, The Histories, Book I
Most people pass beneath this concrete structure without a second thought. Drivers travelling along the Northern Road Axis of Crete…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
July 16, 2026 at 04:29
Objects Along the Way — Part 5: The Road Sign
Every village sign marks a destination. Few reveal the history hidden inside the name.
Most of us drive or ride past village road signs without giving them a second thought. They tell us where we are, reassure us that we are on the right road, and then disappear in the…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
July 14, 2026 at 04:28
Objects Along the Way — Part 4: The Dry Stone Wall
Following the walls that shaped the landscape of Apokoronas
Objects Along the Way explores the ordinary features of the Cretan landscape that most of us pass without a second thought. Today's object is one of the most familiar—and perhaps the least appreciated—of them all: the dry stone wall.
The Ride
…Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
July 12, 2026 at 04:49
Objects Along the Way — Part 3: The Church Gate
This ride covered 29.6 km, climbing 674 m and descending 675 m, reaching a maximum elevation of 355 m. Moving time was 1 hour 58 minutes, with a total elapsed time of 3 hours 59 minutes, reflecting numerous stops for photography and field observation. Maximum speed reached 58.5 km/h, while…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
July 7, 2026 at 05:44
Objects Along the Way – Part 2: The Mitato
This morning's ride explored one of the most distinctive features of the White Mountains: the mitato, a traditional Cretan shepherds' stone hut. Starting at 378 metres above sea level, the route climbed steadily to a maximum elevation of 1,147 metres before returning along the same mountain track. The ride covered…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
July 5, 2026 at 04:29
Objects Along the Way - Part 1: The Roadside Shrine
Today's ride marked the beginning of a new series. Rather than following battles, myths or historical figures, Objects Along the Way turns its attention to the ordinary features of the Cretan landscape—the things that are seen every day yet rarely examined closely. Together they form another way of reading the…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
June 28, 2026 at 04:24
The Ground Decides - Part 10: The Ground Remains Unchanged
The ride covered 33.3 km with 650 m of ascent and 660 m of descent, set along a stepped rolling profile linking successive ridge systems, forest tracks, and village lanes across the Apokoronas uplands. Moving time totalled 2:09:49, with the principal ascents completed in approximately 24:51 and the major descents…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
Alan McWilliams went mountain biking
June 25, 2026 at 04:27
The Ground Decides - Part 9: The Long Way Still Works
The ride covered 41.2 km with 907 m of ascent and 914 m of descent, set along a stepped, rolling route linking a series of distinct climbs across the Apokoronas hills. Moving time totalled 2:33:09, with an ascent time of 1:27:50 and descent in 1:05:19. Gradients reached +16.2% on the…
Time
Distance
Speed
Ascent
Descent
July 29, 2026
@Alan McWilliams "Objects along the way." What an inspired organozing device for your rides. This an inspiration for me to stay alert and curious on my rides. Thank you.