greece

The village of Xirokambos in Leros

Xirokampos located in the extreme south of the island ,it is an old seaside village of Leros with a sandy beach and a few restaurants

It’s only about four kolimetres from Lakki and well signposted but those who miss the beach road turnoff end up in a large quarry and sharing the narrow and unfenced road with giant lorries.

The village, although tiny, has an impressive football stadium amng the olive groves, with almond and cypress trees spread along the valley. There are plenty of rooms to rent in the area and there is a campsite based here.

Above the village is an ancient castle, Paliokastro, built on the site of an even older Acropolis, thought to date from around 2,500BC.

The beach is coarse sand with a few trees and bisected by a small jetty from which local schoolchildren like to dive. For the more adventurous there is also a diving school based here.

Shady tavernas are parked behind the beach and out to sea sits the tiny islets of Glironisa and beyond them the very northernmost tip of the island of Kalymnos.