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From Venizelou airport it’s one road all the way to Kalamata, just under four hours, needing a few euros to pay in tolls. Zero your milage trip, keep right, and off you go. Click here for kilometre by kilometre detail.

The drive has three stages:

1. Bypass Athens. All motorway. Leave the airport. Immediately follow signs to Athini, then quickly pick up the signs to Elefsina, a coastal town beyond Athens. Often heavy traffic. Bad lane discipline and tailgating is normal.

2. Coast - Motorway to Corinth. From Elefsina follow signs to Korinthos. Maybe come off the motorway at Korinthos to gawp at the canal. Where the motorway divides (one branch to Patras) pick up the signs to Tripoli. Light traffic.

3. Mountains - Corinth to Kalamata. Fast dual carriageway to Tripoli (nice coffee stop just after the tunnel), then single carriageway road with some very bendy bits. Signposts to Kalamata. You'll drive past Megalopoli (maybe seeing the two great power stations) en route. Stick with the same road until you hit about the fourth lot of traffic lights - at a major crossroad in Kalamata town. With good eyesight you may see a small blue picture telling you to turn right to Kalamata Marina.

If that's where you want to go . . . follow the tree lined dual carriageway until you arrive at the sea. Turn left over the bridge then immediately turn right. At the rubbish bin take a left, move on and look out for the marina 200m on your right.

Onwards to Pylos or Finikounda

If you didn't want to go to Kalamata marina: 5km before Kalamata centre, look out for a right turn to Kalamata airport and Messinia, (local destinations Koroni and Pylos). It’s at the second traffic light you’ll see entering Kalamata area. From here it takes about 40 minutes to Pylos, or an hour to Finikounda. Click here for kilometre by kilometre detail.

This journey also has three stages:

1. Flat Plain - Kalamata to Rizomilos. Pass Kalamata airfield and Messini town, following signs to Pylos. At the end of the Kalamata plain, you'll pass a selection of roadside vendors flogging oranges and things before reaching the small village of Rizomilos.

2. Hills, bendy road and olive trees - Rizomilos to Pylos. In Rizomilos you'll keep right - signposts to Pylos. Now comes the hilly and bendy bit, with occasional straight bits of road. Defensive driving. Enter Pylos through a series of hairpin bends with good views of Navarino bay. If you met overtaking oncoming traffic, consider a coffee stop at the square to calm your shattered nerves

3. New road - Pylos to Finikounda. Part way round the square (one way) at Pylos look out for the Methoni sign pointing up a steep hill. After a few wiggles, you're on a nice new (but narrow) road to Methoni. Fork left to Finikounda where the road splits by a football field and a row of fir trees. This is a wider new road with long straight bits and several deep cuttings. As you enter Finikounda (emerging from a road cutting) you'll see street lights and dual carriageway ahead. Before you reach that lot, to find our house, turn right down the narrow road signposted to 'beach', 'Anemomilos Camping' 'Windsurf School', 'Blue Houses' and more. You can see our house from that turn 150m away on the right, just beyond Dion-zois holiday cottages. Keep turning right until you’re through our blue gates.

Cost of Car Hire

www.ebookers.com gives you a good idea of the cost of car hire from Athens/Venizelou airport. In mid season this'll be about £200 a week for the smallest, and about £300 a week for a Ford Focus. Rates include air conditioning and collision damage waivers. Consider paying £2 a day for a second driver. If you book through ebookers you'll receive a voucher to hand to the relevant office (up at the right hand end of the building as you exit customs). You'll also need to give them a credit card print to cover late return - or any fuel used but not replenished.

Kalo Taxidi! (have a good journey!)

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