Stephanie Hike fell in love with the Greek island of Skyros nearly thirty years ago, but it took a long time and nerves of steel to finally commit to making the move. Words Katie Wood
“Twenty-six years ago I had the opportunity to go on a holistic holiday, run by the Skyros Centre on the beautiful Aegean island of Skyros. I soon realized that this was an idyllic place, cut off from mainstream life. What appealed to me was the lack of crime (there are only five policemen on the island), and the fact that children can roam freely in the streets and play in the village square. Old men sit drinking their ouzo and playing backgammon, and life is wonderfully slow.
After a wonderful two weeks of taking courses at the Skyros Centre I stayed on to explore the island. Birds, wildlife and unique Skyrian ponies (a bit like the Shetland breed) are all over the island. Another British fan was the Romantic poet Rupert Brooke, whose grave can be found at the south tip of the island in a beautiful olive grove. The north of the island is covered in pine woods with olive trees, grape vines and wonderful scented flowers. Springtime is a magnificent blanket of colour and the scenery is spectacular.
What kept going through my mind was ‘could I live here’? Then, the time was not appropriate, but for the next few years I kept coming back. I did feel I had come ‘home’, but the big question was could I achieve a lifestyle here on Skyros?
Five years ago my 27 year marriage came to an end. My letting agency business was becoming overwhelming, and I no longer wanted to live alone in crime-ridden Brighton. I talked to my son, who is now married and 31, and he agreed that I should try changing my life. I sold my business and through an advert in a Greek magazine, I saw a house for sale in Chora, the main village. I called the owner, and came over to the island.
Read more in the October 2010 edition of Living Abroad Magazine
“Twenty-six years ago I had the opportunity to go on a holistic holiday, run by the Skyros Centre on the beautiful Aegean island of Skyros. I soon realized that this was an idyllic place, cut off from mainstream life. What appealed to me was the lack of crime (there are only five policemen on the island), and the fact that children can roam freely in the streets and play in the village square. Old men sit drinking their ouzo and playing backgammon, and life is wonderfully slow.
After a wonderful two weeks of taking courses at the Skyros Centre I stayed on to explore the island. Birds, wildlife and unique Skyrian ponies (a bit like the Shetland breed) are all over the island. Another British fan was the Romantic poet Rupert Brooke, whose grave can be found at the south tip of the island in a beautiful olive grove. The north of the island is covered in pine woods with olive trees, grape vines and wonderful scented flowers. Springtime is a magnificent blanket of colour and the scenery is spectacular.
What kept going through my mind was ‘could I live here’? Then, the time was not appropriate, but for the next few years I kept coming back. I did feel I had come ‘home’, but the big question was could I achieve a lifestyle here on Skyros?
Five years ago my 27 year marriage came to an end. My letting agency business was becoming overwhelming, and I no longer wanted to live alone in crime-ridden Brighton. I talked to my son, who is now married and 31, and he agreed that I should try changing my life. I sold my business and through an advert in a Greek magazine, I saw a house for sale in Chora, the main village. I called the owner, and came over to the island.
Read more in the October 2010 edition of Living Abroad Magazine
