Dehydration in the hills ↑ all posts

y new found confidence didn’t take into account the heat of mainland Greece. It’s oppressive and humiliating, I struggle up mild inclines, drenched in sweat as soon as I leave a patch of shade, the road ahead shimmering in the haze as mirages appear and fade. It’s almost 40 degrees today and no wind to speak of.

A good rule of thumb in endurance events is to drink a litre of water every hour of exercise, but I’ve only got three litres with me and it takes almost six hours to climb from the coast to Ioanina. By the time I arrive my mouth is parched and I have a pounding headache. Wild camping in this state is not an attractive option so I find a cheap B&B in which I can recover.

I turn up at a little guesthouse called Chrysoula’s Guests on the outskirts of Ioanina, and am welcomed in to an airconditioned heaven. The lady in charge saw what a state I was in and ushered me to my room, brought me two litres of cold water, two big slices of watermelon, and ordered me to get some sleep. I ended up sleeping for 14 hours. Lesson learned (for the second time!), if you don’t drink enough water, you’re going to have a bad time.