Zákynthos: Up the West Coast

The west coast of Zákynthos plunges steeply into the sea, rearing up 1,000ft in places, pocked with caves, and the occasional beach, and dotted with convenient view points for drinking it in along the way, and restaurants with to-die for sunset views.

The first one, starting from the south, is Plakáki, reached by narrow road with viewpoint, overlooking a wooded heart-shaped islet.

Near one of the island’s more remote villages, Agalás is famous for a curious two-storey cave called Spília Damianoú (a ten minute walk down the path from the cliff-top car park). The legend goes that a dragon named Andronia once lived in the area and continually pestered the good people of Agalás for food.

The local lord Damiános punished the dragon by making him dig a dozen wells, one for each month of the year to make sure the people always had water, watching from the cave as he dug the twelve 15th-century wells with their old well-heads. The dragon, however, rebelled and Damiíanos killed him and that was that. In summer the restaurant by the cave is open.