In ancient times, the Gods Axieros, Axiocersa Kasmilos and Axiocersos were venerated on this island of wild contrasts.

The north of the island is dominated on the coastal fringe by ancient forests of plane trees. The area around Fonias, in addition to these forests, is home to a relatively large wetland area.

Photocredit: photo by the site author.

The great oak forests which reached as far as the sea were felled in the nineteenth century, providing timber for ship building. Only remnants of these forests remain, hulking ancient trees, high on the slopes of Mount Saos and Fengari.

They are still at risk from excessive wood harvesting.

There is currently no programme to plant new trees; this is needed urgently, but will be costly, as each sapling requires staking and 1.8m tall sheathing to protect it from the goats.

Massive gnarled chestnut and walnut trees can still be found in the woodland that cloaks the narrow plain and the steep mountain slopes above Therma and Karyoutes.

Photocredit: photo by the site author.

On the far east of the island, a sole lonely road wends its way past a small military outpost to the isolated beach of Kipos.

The coast beyond Kipos Beach can only be reached on foot, or by boat. Here the famous Kremasta Nera waterfall wends it way across the rock face, and falls directly into the cold sea. It can only be viewed from a boat.

Photocredit: photo by the site author.

Beyond this length of fine pebbled strand rise the plunging cliffs of Chalakia on the south coast, where the mountains appear to fall directly into the depths of the sea.

This area can only be accessed on foot. The Pyrgoudis range of mountains rises to the left.

Just beyond Kipos beach lies Kipos Cove, a fine anchorage for yachts to shelter from the North East winds.

Photocredit: photo by the site author.

Further on towards the west are the delightful coves of Katarti

Agkali Vatos, with its small crescent shaped sandy beach

Further to the NW lies the wide and wild sandy beach of Pachia Ammos, which marks the beginning of the road that curves around the south western coast of the island towards Kamariotissa.

The beach at Pachia Ammos.

Note the sparse of tree cover, and desert-like landscape caused by excessive grazing patterns.

These slopes were once heavily wooded.

The land on this side of the island is heavily eroded, due to the depredations of the goats. The island can support a natural population of goats and sheep of around 15,000 animals. The current goat population is (2017) estimated to be around 60,000 to 80,000 animals, which are maintained by importing feed from the mainland. The goats range freely over the island, and are systematically destroying the environment. Topsoil is being washed away into the sea. Regeneration of the native forests and shrubbery is prevented because of overgrazing. This can be seen clearly on the hillsides above Pachia Ammos, which more resemble the semi arid desert of the African Karoo, than a forested Aegean hinterland.

Panagia Krimniotisa chapel is sited high on the mountainside above Pachia Ammos - a footpath leads up the mountainside.

The chapel can also be reached from the village of Daphnes, which is the first settlement encountered as we travel towards the west from Pachia Ammos.

Further to the west of Pachia Ammos Beach and Daphnes lies the village of Lakkoma.

Perched on the hillside above Lakkoma, surrounded by olive groves, lies the small goat breeder's village of Profitias Ilias.

From Lakkoma a long pebbly strand reaches in unbroken line along the coast, terminating in Cape Akrotiri.

This area is dominated by grain production. When a north wind is blowing is is particularly difficult for boats to round this cape, and reach the safe harbour of Kamariotissa.

There is an offshore reef here, that runs parallel to this coastline.

The area opposite the chapel of Agios Andreas is reputedly excellent for line fishing.

Photocredit: photo by the site author.

The windmills seen in the distance in this photograph have since been dismantled.

The north coast of Samothraki reaches from Cape Akrotiri until Cape Phonias.

A broad road runs along this side of the island, sometimes hugging the shoreline, and at times running slightly inland through the primeval plane forests that blanket much of the narrow alluvial plain that lies between Palaeopolis and Phonias.

Along the road between Kamariotissa and Palaeopolis are some remnant wetlands - as elsewhere in Europe, these are increasingly endangered by development. In particular, the regulations that allow building on land plots of over 4000 square metres, risk turning the entire island, in time, into a mundane suburban patchwork. Even areas within the Natura 2000 designated area - which, at the time of writing (2017) has still not been ratified by the central government.

UNESCO

The current treatment of the Man and Biosphere UNESCO reserve of Samaria Gorge does not bode well for Nature Conservation on Samothraki - even if the mission to turn the island into a Man and Biosphere UNESCO reserve is successful. Environmental protection needs to exist in law, as well as through proper enforcement - which in Samothraki is largely lacking, even insofar as the existing environmental protections are concerned.

Far better was the old way of preserving agricultural and wilderness land by packing the houses together cheek and jowl, as can be see in the ancient settlement of Chora.

The area around the Temple of the Great Gods in Paleopolis is increasingly affected by this encroaching semi-urban blight, which indicates a lack of centralised planning and foresight.

Development on the island need to be tightly controlled. To my mind, a National Park system, such as is found in the United Kingdom, would be better - with development strictly prohibited in certain areas, and intensive restrictions on building materials etc.

For example, no construction whatsoever should be permitted at the pristine wilderness of the beaches at Pachia Ammos and Kipos, or anywhere outside Kamariotissa within 300m of the coastline.

Alas, the first signs of development are already visible at Pachia Ammos beach on the west of the island - where no permanent construction should be permitted at all - and the very isolated wilderness that draws visitors to the island may be destroyed by poor planning regulations and poor environmental protection.

After all, what does Samothraki have to offer tourists? Only its wild nature. Once that is gone, what is left?

Photocredit: photo by the site author.

The landscape to the west of Palaeopolis.

A remnant wetland area can be seen in the foreground, with a small area of riparian forest further inland.

The deforested and eroded slopes of Fengari rise in the background. The lack of vegetative cover leads to poor storm water absorption, and in times of heavy rain there is risk of extreme flash flooding - as occurred in September 2017. Increased precipitation is a likely consequence of climate change, due to increased evaporation from the surrounding ocean - leading to increased precipitation.

It is probably that the flood of 2017 is no longer to be viewed an outlier event, but may signify the 'new normal'.

The surest long term protection for the island from flash flooding of this nature would be a program to restore the native oak forests that once adorned these slopes, and provided the island with a lucrative income from timber. That, combined with a marked reduction in the goat population, allowing regeneration of the ground cover, could offer some protection from future catastrophes.

Photocredit: photo by the site author.

From here, the slopes of Fengari plunge steeply, and there is a very narrow alluvial plain.

There is a roadside spring on this section of road,with a pleasant picnic spot with stone seating.

This narrow plain broadens out as we approach Zagariotes (Karioutes).

Broad alluvial fans can be seen here, witness to the force of the waters that come crashing down the mountainsides in the wintertime.

Gravel and debris is frequently swept across the roads, making passage hazardous.

During stormy weather large logs, and even entire trees can be found floating in the Aegean - washed down the Evros River.

This detritus frequently washes up on the Samothrakian shores, providing a steady supply of driftwood for summer cook fires on the beach.

A few rivers flow down the mountainside at Karyoutes, and inland can be found two small agricultural settlements, each surrounded by riparian forests. The woodland that runs along these rivers is contained in the Natura 2000 framework as a bird reserve. Above Karyoutes, the great mass of Mount Fengari rises steeply.

Beyond the alluvial plain of Zagariotes rises a low hill, beyond which can be found the small resort town of Therma.

The beach on the north coast is composed of large smooth rocks , making it somewhat difficult to enter the sea to bathe. The waters are clear, and excellent for snorkeling.

During stormy weather this stretch of exposed coastline is greatly battered by large and furious seas.

As we reach Therma, the road emerges from woodland, and on the left can be seen the large fishing harbour. It is seldom used, as it requires frequent dredging. The island's fishermen tend not to use it, as the market for their catch is in Kamariotissa.

Until 2017 the tourist ship Theodora was regularly berthed here, until it sank while in the harbour, due to an onboard fire.

On the right, a large and wide boulevard leads up to the town of Therma. This road is one of the few on the island that sports a pedestrian pavement.

The road terminates at a plaza in front of the Thermal Spring complex. A dirt track leads up to the right of the Municipal Thermal Pool Building, to the 'wild' pools of Psarotherma, which can be found after a short walk on the hillside above.

The small town of Therma is surrounded by forests.

Despite it being illegal, a large number of visitors to the island engage in free camping in the surrounding woodland.

Photocredit: photo by the site author.

Forested hillside above Therma.

This area, despite appearances, suffers heavily from over-grazing, and the main threats to the ecosystem here are a result of unregulated free camping.

Higher up the mountain, however, the sub-alpine and alpine flora are severely impacted by the excessive goat population.

The Saos mountain range rises in the background.

Peak Fengari can be reached by track from Therma.

Photocredit: photo by the site author.

Cape Fonias (part of the tower was washed away in the floods of September 2017). In this picture we are looking south-east towards Ano Meria.

In this photo,we look back in the direction of Kamariotissa, towards to west.

Cape Phonias can be seen in the distance.

The East coast road hugs the coast from Fonias, rising and falling over hills, until it eventually terminates at the beach of Kipos.

The landscape here is varied - with woodland patches interspersed with degraded landscapes dominated by bracken, and swathes of over-grazed uplands.

Offshore, just after Cape Fonias, lies the Lefki Reef, only 200 metres offshore. This coastline, all the way down as far as Kipos, is excellent for line fishing and harpoon fishing.

The coast between Cape Phonias and Cape Skepasto faces NE, after Cape Skepasto the land turns sharply, and the coast between Cape Skepasto and Cape Kipos faces due East.

There is a large shallow coastal shelf off this coast, with large fields of environmentally sensitive sea-grass. This is the sea-grass detritus that can be seen washed up on all the beaches on the northern and NE coasts of the island.

This is another view of the same stretch of coastline, looking northward from Cape Kipos towards Cape Skepasto.

This is the last section of road before Kipos.

Note the extreme devastation on this slope, wrought by over-grazing.

The goats are so desperate for food here, that they have grazed the vegetation right down to the roots. Only thorn bushes survive.

There are signs at Kipos warning drivers not to park up under trees, as if they do, the goats will jump onto the top of their vehicle, using it as a convenient step-ladder to browse the trees!

There is simply not enough grazing for the goat population; without supplementary feeding, they would starve. As it is, many of the goats on the island suffer from undernourishment.