Glorious Greece: Jane Horrocks is left stunned by the beaches, beauty - and beekeepers - of Captain Corelli's Kefalonia

By Jane Horrocks
Last updated at 11:55 AM on 18th January 2010

The views on the 90-minute drive north up the west coast of Kefalonia are either 'breathtakingly beautiful' or 'buttock-clenchingly scary' depending on your point of view.

We headed towards the fishing port of Fiskardo at the northern tip of the island. I am not a good passenger at the best of times, and windy roads nearly half a mile up the sides of cliffs hanging out over the Ionian Sea are not really my thing.

Kefalonia (or Cephallonia, or Kefallinia; spelling here seems to be more of an art than a science) is best known as the setting for Louis De Berniere's novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin and the Nicolas Cage film of the same name.

All Greek to her: Jane was amazed by Kefalonia's beauty - but left unnerved by its plunging cliffs

A word of warning, however: if you travel to the island in search of the typical fishing port of Argostoli and its beautiful Venetian buildings as portrayed in the movie, you will never find it - it was all a fantastically adventurous film set built to represent a Kefalonia that is now sadly long-gone.

The vast majority of ancient buildings on the island that were still standing during the Second World War were later reduced to rubble; not, as you might fear, by the advent of mass tourism but instead by the catastrophic Ionian earthquake of 1953. The island, famous for its golden honey, was devastated but has spent the past 50 or so years rebuilding itself with care and patience.

The Kefalonia you will find today is still wild, beautiful and untouched by the horrors of over-development. My partner Nick and I travelled there with our two children, Dylan, 12, and Molly, ten, to discover that the mythical birthplace of Odysseus is still magical and epic thousands of years on.

We eventually discovered our villa, Apollo, in the tiny village of Matsoukata just up the hill from Fiskardo itself. It is a modern villa but built in traditional style and, throwing open its shutters, we discovered that the views are nothing short of stunning.

Blue sky thinking: Myrtos Beach, on the west coast of Kefalonia, is the most photographed stretch of sand in the Ionian archipelago

A large open terrace looks out over an infinity pool, over the roof of the nextdoor villa down below and towards the island of Ithaca - as featured in Greek myth - just a couple of miles away in the distance; a dramatic backdrop for the to-ing and fro-ing of little motor boats, expensive yachts and colossal ocean liners in the straits in between.

The villa is flanked by almost tropically lush green hills; here at the northern tip of Kefalonia there was a mass exodus after the earthquake, and the hillsides are still dotted with the ruins of homes abandoned at that time, eerie witnesses to the devastation. Much of the land was left to run riot as the farmers and smallholders started new lives on other islands and in mainland Greece, and so the area is thick with firs and olive trees and rich with flora and fauna.

Finches and butterflies flit about above the pool and the rasping noise of the cicadas echoing across the verdant hills is almost deafening at times. The only fauna that can be a real pain are the wasps - wasps are everywhere in Kefalonia (especially during August) and they appear in squadrons when you so much as think about opening a Kit Kat.

Fiskardo itself is a busy little port. It is built on rock that seems to have acted like a shock-absorber against the earthquake, so much of the town survived its catastrophic effects and a number of Venetian buildings are intact. The harbour is lined with bars and restaurants; yachts are double-parked on the water and the air is filled with the drone of little motor boats.

Island buzz: Kefalonia is famous for the quality of its honey

Though busy, the small town very much has the feel of a family resort rather than a party destination, and much of the appeal lies in the variety of beaches and coves that you will discover here at the island's northernmost tip.

There are a couple of small beaches at Fiskardo itself, both within walking distance of the village. The beach in the north, Emblisi, is overlooked by the Emelisse art hotel which is well worth a visit at the end of the day - its numerous terraces and pool decks are the perfect place to wind down with a cocktail or two and its situation means you'll get a wonderful sunset, too.

Just to the south of Fiskardo is the tiny beach at Fokis, set in a dramatic rocky cove whose steeply sloped sides somehow make it feel more like a Scandinavian fjord than the Ionian coast. It is well shaded with olive and tamarisk trees here, and we encountered colourful fish and baby octopuses while snorkelling in the sheltered bay. There's a good seasonal taverna at the side of the road here too, and some fairly precarious parking on the rocky bends.

There are also a number of good beaches on the western shores of north Kefalonia, quickly accessible from Fiskardo by car. Past the village of Antipata (home to our very favourite roadside taverna, To Pefko) you will find the little village of Manganos - despite the fact that the main street of Manganos is small and narrow, there always seems to be someone trying to squeeze a juggernaut or coach through it: perhaps it's a competition.

Anyway, if you survive the traffic chaos of Manganos and push your way down the alleyway signposted Alaties, you will find yourself descending a quiet country road towards the sea. A fork in the road offers two options: to the right is the beach at Alaties - not much bigger than a large suburban garden and overlooked by a small taverna but with no facilities beyond that. The left fork in the road offers the better option, as it leads to the very pleasant beach of Agios Ierusalim. This charming little bay (white and pebbly again) comes complete with sunbeds and inflatable chairs for hire and has a brilliant and very old-fashioned taverna.

Going underground: Boats navigate the underground lake at Melissani

There is no menu here, so you are led inside the restaurant (under the watchful eye of large women peeling never-ending mounds of vegetables) to see what wonders they have bubbling away on the stoves. The food is inexpensive, top-quality, no-frills taverna fare --moussaka, more-ish braised pork belly and cheesy courgette pie were all delicious.

The bread (freshly baked daily and moist with fillings of tomatoes, olives and feta) is so famous that locals apparently nip down early in the day to buy it up for their own larders. The waiting service is a one-man operation, so make sure you get there early to avoid the tummy-rumbling agony of watching everyone else get served first.

To explore the eastern shores of the tip of the island, you are going to need to hire a boat in Fiskardo. This will cost you about £45 to £70, depending on the size and power of the craft, with fuel on top - but even after a very full day of boating, our fuel bill came in at less than £17.

We hired our boat from Regina, near the Nicolas Taverna to the north of Fiskardo bay, and flitted in and out of the little coves and inlets to the south of Fiskardo.

Since most of this area is totally inaccessible by road, the chances are that you'll be able to find a bay completely to yourself (apart from the wasps, of course) or get the chance to have a close ogle at one of the huge luxury motor yachts that moor up along this stretch.

If you're feeling slightly brave, open up the throttle and head for Ithaca. It will take you only about 25 minutes to cross over to the sheltered bay at Polis.

We found ourselves suddenly grabbed by the adventurous spirit of Odysseus here and decided to walk up the hill in the noonday sun to the village of Stavros ('crossroads' in Greek). Hot and wheezing half an hour later, we staggered into the garden of the Polyphemus Garden Restaurant, where the delightful Swiss owner plonked us in a shady spot and brought us ice-cold drinks without having to be asked.

Northern star: Fiskardo, at the upper tip of Kefalonia, is a small port of real charm

The service, food and location here are all wonderful: you sit in the shade of lemon and olive trees, surrounded by gardenias and bric-a-brac and are served traditional food of the very highest quality - particularly delicious was a puree of fava beans which puts a subtle spin on the ever-present humus. Rested and replete, we were even given bottles of water to keep us going on the journey back down the hill. Polyphemus is a really special and welcoming restaurant that shouldn't be missed.

Despite prior warnings from friends, we crossed the straits back towards Kefalonia at about 3.30pm, by which time the wind had got up, just like every other day. This made for a bit of an epic passage bouncing up and down on the choppy waters, so it's worth being a little sensible if you make the crossing at this time - we did hear a couple of horror stories of gung-ho tourists managing to capsize.

Travelling by car from Fiskardo, there are other spectacular beaches to be enjoyed. The world-famous Myrtos beach (the most photographed in the Ionian) is only about half an hour's drive away on the west coast.

Visible from the road high up above, it's an absolutely stunning curve of white pebbles backed by chalky cliffs. The waters are a staggering turquoise-blue here, but they are also extremely fierce.

When we went for a dip, Molly and I found ourselves tossed around in a frightening manner, and parents with small children should be very wary indeed. Crossing to the other side of the island, we all enjoyed the sheltered bay at Antisamos outside Sami. The waters are dark but calm so there is fun to be had with pedalos, kayaks, donuts and all the rest.

Little voice, big island: Jane in Fiskardo

There's a stylish open-decked beach bar that pumps out bassy chill-out music all day in an attempt to turn the place into Ayia Napa, but the high, lush green hills that rise behind the beach give it an almost Caribbean feel instead.

While in the area of Sami we managed our only bit of noncoastal tourism as we paid a visit to the amazing underground lake at Melissani, once a shrine to the god Pan.

Try to visit here at about 11.30am; as the boatmen punt you over the ice-cold waters, so the sunlight breaks through the holes in the roof of the cave that the earthquake created, turning the lake a magnificent electricblue. Truly magical.

Travel Facts

SunIsle (08000 911601, www.sunisle.co.uk) offers a three-bedroom villa in Fiskardo from £789 for seven nights' accommodation-only in May, rising to £2,373 in August. Return flights are also bookable through SunIsle and cost from £224 per person in May and from £235pp in August.

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