The wind-ridden one (in Greek, Ανεμόεσσα): Lemnos, Greece
A place not many have traveled to or thought of as a kitesurfing location but this island in the north of the Aegean sea is a must if you want to avoid the European summer crowds but want great wind, clear blue Mediterranean water and sandy beaches.
Quick Location Overview:
Windy Months: June — September
Air Temperature: 26–32°C (79–90°F)
Water Temperature: 20–24°C (68–75°F)
Water Flatness: Flat (North-end Keros Beach), ~30cm chop elsewhere in bay
Beach/Ground Type: Sandy
Wind Direction: N — NE
Wind speed: 16–25knts
Wind time: Morning to early afternoon (6am — 3pm)
Wind Expectations: 5 out of 7 days
Experience level: Beginner — Expert
Gear rental/Storage: EasySurf, Surf Club Keros, Siroko
Accommodation: Keros Blue (Apartment), Surf Club Keros (Camp), AirBnB
Closest Airport: Lemnos Airport (Airport Code: LXS)
My trip suggestion: Kite at the north end of the beach as it is super flat. Store your gear at EasySurf. Stay at Keros Blue if you want quiet or at Surf Club Keros if you want to mingle. Eat at Surf Club Keros or local cafes.
Wind Conditions: The best place I found to kite on the island of Lemnos is Keros Beach. The windy season is from June — September but you will also get a wind on either side of these months. The predominant wind is the Meltemi wind from the northeast and is warm in the summer, but provides a cold breeze in the winter. Expect winds from 16–25knts through the summer period.
The wind is pretty consistent when it is on from the N-NE. It builds in the early morning peaking at 11am and then start to drop off after 2pm.
Water Conditions: The water at Keros beach is that beautiful Mediterranean blue with a white sandy beach bottom. The water temperature in the summer months will be in the low to mid 20’s which means, no wetsuit :D
Keros beach has three different sections to it. The far north-end is super flat as the water is shallow (~0.5m deep). The middle of the beach is small bump and jump chop but still shallow so great for learning. This is where most of the schools do their teaching and where the majority of weekend/vacation kiters are. At the southern-end you will find slightly larger chop (~0.5m), similar to what you will find in the middle of the bay. The locals were telling me that in the winter months you can get some waves at the southern-end which are rideable.
Where to stay: Keros beach is pretty remote with only a few accommodation options available.
Free: You can bring your RV and park it along the side of the beach road or setup camp in the little forest about 1km from the beach. This seems to be a popular option for the roaming/budget traveler.
Paid: Surf Club Keros seems to be the oldest running setup near Keros beach (400m walk). This is a popular place for most kiters and windsurfers that have come to experience this place. It has more of a camping/glamping style to it with lots of chairs and hammocks to relax and unwind after a day on the water. It also has really good healthy and fresh food which is a real stand out with lots of yogurt, nuts, vegetables, salads and meat/seafood. Another option is Keros Blue which is right next door to Keros Surf Club. It is brand new (opened summer 2017) and has beautiful apartments. They are focusing on a more premium clientele that is looking for more of a private atmosphere. There is also a bunch of AirBnB options around the area that are reasonably priced.
How to get there: Two options but the most popular is to fly into Lemnos Airport (LXS). There are direct flights from all over Europe in the summer season but the most common daily flights are from Athens. The other option is via the ferry that you can catch from Athens (~12 hrs), Thessaloniki (~7 hrs) or Kavala (~5 hrs) to the main city of Myrina on Lemnos.
Experience level needed: Keros beach is a great place for people that are wanting to get into the sport or refine their skills as there is plenty of open space. If you want to practise your freestyle tricks, the flat water section is not huge but you will not find any beginners in it as they are quickly pushed downwind and out of the way and the schools are all further downwind.
Who goes there: Its a remote spot on the island so the only people you will find are kiters and windsurfers. The majority of people are European but there is a lot of Bulgarians as it is super close for them to travel to.
Internet: You can get really good 3G HSPA+ cell service around Keros Beach and the camps offer reasonable free wifi service in the common areas/rooms. Like all places with free wifi, they get overloaded when everyone gets up in the morning and when they return from the beach in the afternoon as they are all syncing photos with the cloud and sharing their pics of the day on their favorite social networks.
No wind activities: SUPing or going for a walk is all about you can do around the Keros Beach area. If you have a car I would suggest exploring the island and checking out the Castle in Myrina and also the little marina area as it is quite pretty.
Must Do Activities: Early morning sunrise kite session as you will get the whole of Keros beach to yourself. Note that if you are storing your gear at any of the schools on the beach you will need to get your gear out the night before as all the schools don’t open until 9am.
Luggage Tip: If you fly into Lemnos with Aegean Air or Olympic Air, try and travel with a kite bag labelled as a golf bag as they will allow you to take it for free as long as it is under 23kg (50lbs). Otherwise they will charge you 50 EUR.
Have I left anything out? Feel free to comment below to help others out with this kiting location. Also make sure to checkout my blog for many other reviews of kiting locations at www.ikite.surf
Originally published at iKite.Surf.
