Western Cyclades 2020

Introduction

2020 will forever be known as the year of COVID-19. On the 23rd of March, the UK went into full lockdown, with all leisure travel restricted. Fortunately, come summer, travel rules were gradually relaxed, providing the destination country was on an approved travel list.

While many feared unnecessary exposure, I couldn’t wait to return to Greece. Leaving it as late as possible to see if the rules might change, I booked an almost three-week trip in September, coordinating my plans with Ed again. This time, instead of travelling out together, I was heading to Greece alone and meeting with him towards the end of the trip.

The Itinerary

Building on my previous Cyclades itineraries, I wanted to explore more new islands. Milos was recommended to me by my parents, who had visited the island some years prior. Figuring to start there, I mapped out a route north to Sifnos, then Serifos, before turning northeast to Syros, where I would meet up with Ed. After exploring Syros, we planned to return to Andros via a connecting Tinos ferry and catch a return flight home from Athens.

Unfortunately, last-minute changes to UK travel rules relating to the pandemic meant that Ed couldn’t get to Syros (for some bizarre reason, Tinos was blacklisted, despite being one of the less touristy islands). You could still visit, but it meant a period of self-isolation on returning to the UK. Instead, Ed extended his stay on Andros while I cut Syros short and met him on Andros a day early.

The trip was a huge success, though. I thoroughly enjoyed my boat trip around Milos and discovered my new favourite Greek island, Sifnos.

Start reading my trip diary here, or check out these posts for more background planning:

Western Cyclades 2020: Trip Planning Overview

Western Cyclades 2020: Nailing Down the Itinerary