Kefalas

Kefalas is a village and a community on the island of Crete, Greece, 282m above sea level. It is in Vamos municipal unit in the Apokoronas region. The community consists of the villages Kefalas, Drapanos and Palailoni.

Kefalas owes its name to the first residents there, called the Kephalades, the leaders of the Byzantine settlers sent to Crete in 1182. It is about five minutes by car from the village of Vamos itself and about 10 minutes to Almyrida beach on the northwest coast of the island. A picturesque village right on the northeast edge of the Drapanos peninsula, built facing the sea with interesting architecture, Kefalas is well preserved. It is of interest to visitors with its village streets, sea views and tavernas. Eight churches can be found here. (Local residents talk of up to 25 churches in total, many of which are hidden in private gardens.) The views from Kefalas to the Bay of Georgioupolis and the Cretan White Mountains are spectacular and on a clear day Rethymno can be seen. Kefalas is largely unspoiled by tourism and the old traditional way of life still remains, although many new houses and developments have sprung up around the village for tourists.

As you approach Kefalas from Vamos you will see a stone structure with welcome notes in Greek and English. This is the tiny church of The Saint of Miracles, and was built by Vangelis, the museum curator (c.f. below). It is open to the public and offers views across the villages of Ksirosterni and Vamos to the Cretan White Mountains.

In Kefalas Square you can see the old school (now renovated and reopened as a School of Environmental Studies). Immediately on the left of the school is a very old house, which has been renovated and turned into a museum. It is filled with artefacts, donated by the villagers, to represent a typical village house from the previous century. An outhouse, across the yard to the rear, holds farming implements and various tools. The museum is open most summer evenings until 10 pm. Entrance is free but small donations are welcomed and help to pay for its upkeep. It will also be opened, on demand, if the curator (Vangelis) is available. He can be contacted via either of the two supermarkets. Also in the square are a taverna, a large church and a statue bearing the names of local people who died during the war.

Kefalas has no beach and no road to the sea. However, there is a rock-strewn ravine, down which one can walk to emerge part way down the Ombrosgialos road (c.f. below). The track begins at "to spiti ble" (The Blue House) at 35°24'45.68"N 24°14'58.51"E. It can be reached by car and there is room to park. It is possible to walk back up the Ombrosgialos road to Palailoni, and along the road to Kefalas.

The village Palailoni is 1 km north of Kefalas. Many old, traditional buildings still remain on the main street which is lined with large eucalyptus trees.

On the Drapanos side of Palailoni, as you leave the village, is a road at 35°25'21.67"N 24°14'21.68"E, which leads down to Ombrosgialos Bay (called "Octopus Bay" by those who struggle with the Greek name). There is no beach but there is a concrete ramp for boat trailers and the local people go swimming there. The taverna is currently closed (2012) because the council deemed it to be illegal. During summer a temporary snack bar may be open. Between Palailoni and Drapanos is a track at 35°25'33.09"N 24°14'13.30"E, which leads to the ancient Venetian Wells. These stone-lined, water-filled holes measure several metres in diameter and hold goldfish (and mosquitos).

The roads through Kefalas are very narrow in places and, as it is impossible to drive a bus or large vehicle through, work has begun on a bypass road, which runs from Palailoni down the hill to Ksirosterni. (Completion expected end of 2013.)

At the southern end of Kefalas is a narrow turning at 35°24'24.29"N 24°14'59.39"E onto a tarmac road, which leads to a small church and graveyard, with beautiful views towards the Bay of Georgioupolis. If you continue down the main southern road out of Kefalas you will reach the T junction in the village of Likotinara. Turning left takes you up a narrow street to a view point. Turning right takes you to the village of Sellia and then, via a left turn, down "Seven Bends Road" to Kalamitsi and either left to the Bay of Georgioupolis or right to Vamos.