Glossa, Loutraki & the north

Glossa is the other Skopelos: a village of balconied houses strung along a slope at the north-west end, looking across the channel to Skiathos, with the small port of Loutraki below it and a ferry link of its own. Almost nobody stays here, which is exactly the argument for it — tavernas with local prices, a square that belongs to the people who live on it, and sunsets over the water from most of the village.

East along the north coast stands the thing most visitors come to Skopelos for without knowing its name: Agios Ioannis sto Kastri, a tiny chapel on top of a sheer rock reached by a flight of steps cut into it, used as the wedding chapel in Mamma Mia! Go early or late; the midday coach traffic is heavy and the steps are exposed.

This end of the island is also where the walking is. Old mule paths link Glossa with the monasteries and the north-coast beaches at Perivoliou and Chondrogiorgi — coarse sand, no facilities and, usually, nobody. Bring water; there is nothing to buy out there.