Skiathos: the beaches

Due to the fact that it was either chucking it down with a Wagnerian thunderstorm to match or so hot that we only dared to stick an arm or leg occasionally into the direct sizzle we didn't go the sort of dark brown that usually either comes out of a spray can or belongs to the Caribbean or beaches of Goa. A rich biscuit colour is probably the best description.
To do this we visited just two of the thirty or so official beaches on the island: Kanapitsa and Koukounaries.
Kanapitsa is about 5km from Skiathos town and is (relatively) accessible by bus (fare 1.4 Euros). By relatively I mean that the bus drops you off at Bus Stop 12 on the main road and the beach is signposted down a side road. About a kilometre's walk later there is a steep set of steps leading down to the beach and the Taverna. The beach itself is very narrow - just over a sun lounger's length wide if you get the picture but of very soft sand and with a taverna and cafe just behind it. Sun lounger hire seems to be a steady 8 Euros a day or part of day (for 2 loungers and a shade) so the three hours that we were at Kanapitsa seemed a bit of a rip off. C'est la vie!

A few days later we ventured further afield to Koukounaries, six kilometres further along the coast and a full 1.8 Euros by bus from Skiathos! How does the bus company make any profit? Koukounaries has been justly praised for the quality of its beach and watersport facilities - The Rough Guide to the Greek Islands calls it possibly the best beach in Greece. Anyway it's at the end of the bus route which is handy and, even better, is a mere 100metres or so from the bus stop. There's a wooden walkway along the back of the beach and behind it pine trees which gives the beach a sort of tropical feel in a strange sort of way. The beach, allegedly is about a kilometre long though we weren't in the mood to test the distance - as it was a sizzling hot day we just found the best two loungers we could and took turns at being brave in the heat of the sun. Being September the sea was reasonably warm but nobody warned us about the fish. There are shoals of tiny fish just off shore which nibble at feet, legs anything fleshy which stays still! To recover from the combined attacks of fish and sunshine we found a lovely, cool bit of shelter at a beach side cafe which did a good line in sandwiches, hand cut chips and icy cold Mythos.  We had already been warned to leave plenty of time to get to the bus stop for the return journey - buses get full very quickly and standing up on a Greek bus even for a relatively short journey is equivalent to going on every ride at Alton Towers in quick succession with a raging hangover. Being at the end of the route is an advantage though as the bus seems to fill up more at other 'beach' stops before it starts to empty. By the time we arrived at Bus Stop 3 it was relatively empty and the sun was just beginning to cool down. Just enough time for a shower, a quick change and a glass of water before heading to the Old Port House for Mythos time!