Join knitwear designer and historian Sydney Roseweck for a vintage journey through the Ioanian Islands of Greece! On this ten night tour, we will be walking in the footsteps of the Durrells - an English family in the 1930s who packed their bags to start a new life in Greece, as dramatized in the hit BBC series The Durrells in Corfu. Together we'll witness the wonders of Grecian folk traditions, culture, food, and animals. We will enjoy the adventures aboard The Aegeotissa II - a 12-cabin motored boat which looks like it sailed out of the pages of a folktale! With 8 days on board to enjoy four spectacular locations in the Ionian Sea, plus 2 nights on Corfu for the full Durrells experience, you will have plenty of time to swim, knit, sunbathe, eat, and explore! 

This tour aims to immerse you in the Greece that the Durrells would have known in the 1930s. Influenced by Gerald Durrell's deep interest in the animal world, we'll enjoy visits to a donkey sanctuary and opportunities to say hello to the local sea turtles. Like Margot Durrell, we too are lovers of fashion, and this trip will be brimming with explorations of traditional Greek textile arts such as weaving, tatting, embroidery, and of course knitting! We'll take a leaf out of Laurence Durrell's book with time for reading on board the ship and even a journal making workshop so you too can record your Greek adventures. And naturally, no trip to Greece would be complete without food! Like matriarch Louisa Durrell, we will strive to learn all there is to know about the local food culture here, with traditional cooking demonstrations and even a stop to an olive press. 

A typical day will be spent motoring to a new location in the mornings after a delicious homemade breakfast, a swim stop at an enticing and remote beach while lunch is prepared, and then a short journey to port where you can disembark and explore. Along the way we will have time on islands such as Corfu, Paxos, Lefkada, Meganisi, Ithaki and Kefalonia! 

Our voyage will begin on Kefalonia where we will visit with ladies from The Harokopio Textile Association who are preserving the textile traditions of the island, and a farm to table restaurant visit to learn how to cook a local dish like a pro! So what are you waiting for, dear reader? Grab your handknit 1930s swimsuit, the September 1934 issue of British Vogue, and let's go an a Grecian adventure together! 

To Register 

A Registration Form and a non-refundable $1000 deposit are required to join the trip. Once you submit your online registration and deposit payment is received, your spot on the tour is secure. See our Terms & Conditions HERE.

Have questions? Please contact us at info@rowantreetravel.com

Accommodation on the Aegeotissa requires going up and down ship ladders (very steep stairs), walking across a gang plank to get on and off the boat, and being able to keep your balance while we are underway. This is a 100 ft motor yacht, not a cruise ship, so you will feel the movement of the boat. Rowan Tree Travel does not take responsibility for injuries caused by mobility issues. If you are unsure of whether you will be able to get around on the boat, please contact Heather at (603) 738-2009. Electricity for CPAP machines cannot be guaranteed depending on the port we are in and the number of people needing access.  Two machines can always be accommodated, but more than that can be an issue, so please let us know if you will be bringing one.

This tour has been announced a "Go!" 

Unless otherwise stated, our regular Terms and Conditions apply to this trip and for any cancellations (click here to see our Terms and Conditions).

Tour Activity Level 

We would describe this trip as a Retreat.

Mobility Comfort Level = 3+

No Ground Floor Cabins, steep boat stairs, ladders & gangplanks, walks of up to 2.5 miles on the islands, and archaeological sites with uneven terrain.

Review our Tour Activity and Mobility Comfort Levels here.

Travel Insurance Rowan Tree Travel highly recommends purchasing travel insurance. You may purchase through our preferred partner Arch RoamRight by clicking here or through your own provider.  (*Arch RoamRight is an affiliate of RTTF and we will receive a small commission for policies bought through the provided link.)

Arranging Your Flights In order to gather easily for the tour, we will provide two options:  An optional flight package between Athens and the islands, or an arrival and departure "window" at Kefalonia and Corfu International Airports - accessible by flights from the UK and various European cities.  Flights scheduled outside the provided windows may result in additional transportation costs and missed tour activities. For this reason, we greatly appreciate your cooperation in booking travel that accommodates our specifications. Please do not purchase airfare until the tour is guaranteed by RTTF to go forward.

Please Note the Following Rowan Tree Travel reserves the right to alter any part of this itinerary in order to address weather conditions, unforeseen circumstances or to improve the participant experience.

Welcome to The Aegeotissa!

Ahoy, knitters! Our journey will begin on the island of Kefalonia - an island full of textile traditions and natural wonders! Fly in on our recommended flight from Athens, or fly direct from The UK or other European cities. Any early arrivals can check in with Sydney and Heather on the boat from 4 pm that day. After a quick safety briefing, we'll tuck you into your cabins and see you in the morning, when our adventure really begins!

Our recommended flight, which departs Athens at 7:00pm for the 1 hour plane ride to Kefalonia is available as a bookable add-on to your trip registration. This means that you will get yourself to Athens, and the Rowan Tree team will book the journey from Athens to Kefalonia for you. If you take this flight, your journey will include an airport transfer to the boat at 8:30pm. This add-on also includes a return flight from Corfu to Athens on our final day. 

Kefalonian Textile Traditions

Our day begins with an exploration of Kefalonia. This is a large, mountainous

island that has preserved and valued its textile traditions through the centuries, still practicing many of them to this day. We will visit with the local Textile Association to learn about those traditions and maybe try our hand at a couple of them ourselves!  

Traditional crafts and skill building continues on board the Aegeotissa, as we will have a journal making workshop early on in our tour so you have the remainder of the days to fill the pages with your memories. Then grab your kit and join Sydney for a vintage knitting workshop that dives deep into the world of traditional Greek lace knitting!

While on the island we will also enjoy a lovely vintage boat ride in Melissani Cave, learn about the earthquake that shook the island in the 1950s, and enjoy a farm-to-table meal, perhaps with some local wine. Before we leave, we'll have a chance to meet some of the local sea turtles that reside here as we chart the clear waters on a pedal boat! 

Ithaka and The Palace of Odysseus

Anchors Away! Here, we will truly begin our routine for the next week - motoring in the morning, a swim stop in crystal turquoise waters, an amazing lunch, motoring to our port for the night, with time to explore a port town or an excursion to the interior, and to find yourself dinner at one of the local restaurants. 

After our swim stop, we will head to the beautiful island of Ithaka for an excursion up to the amazing ruins of what is thought by some to be the legendary Palace of Odysseus.  Our local guide will meet us in town to introduce Homer and The Odyssey, along with the cast of characters dear to our hearts, such as Penelope the weaver. We will walk a half mile to the ruins where our guide will interpret their connection to The Odyssey for us. These ruins are situated on rough, hilly terrain, but the views are spectacular! (Walking sticks are not a bad idea here due to the terrain.)  We will walk back for a well deserved traditional Greek meal at a gorgeously situated restaurant overlooking the valley. 

Weaving Traditions - Meganisi & Lefkada

Over the next couple of days we fall into the gentle routine of eat, knit, swim, eat, sunbathe, explore, eat, knit, and repeat. We will visit Meganisi, a small island with a mighty weaving history. Here we will get to meet some of the local women who are preserving and upholding the island's weaving traditions, and see some of their stunning creations up close. 

Then it's on to Lefkas, home to The Aegeotissa. Between knitting and swimming, we will take an excursion to a folk museum with an amazing textile collection, and a wholly unique sunset tradition as well!

Paxos

The high seas await as we cast off this morning and head for the sleepy island of Paxos. Our visit to Paxos will include a visit to a historic olive oil press to see how this wonderful and fragrant oil is made. Here we'll have a chance to talk to a local who grew up on the island before tourism (and electricity!) were introduced to Paxos, giving us a feel for the island life of yesteryear. Later, we’ll set our sights and hopes on a visit to The Blue Cave for an unforgettable swim stop. This will be weather-dependent as daily conditions can change the ability to swim here, but perhaps an earnest wish sent to the Greek Goddesses will turn luck in our favor! 

Corfu Awaits!

At long last, we will pull into Corfu Old Town and bid a fond farewell to the crew. It's high time we get to know the actual home island of The Durrells!  We'll start with a tour around Corfu Old Town, then head to the Mon Repos Estate, birthplace of Prince Phillip, and filming location for the series as the home of the Countess.

Then it's off to spend two nights at the home of Lawrence Durrell himself, The White House. While living at the White House Villa, Laurence Durrell described the interior as, “the rooms look lovely and gracious with their white-washed walls, and the few bright paintings and books. The windows give directly on the sea, so that its perpetual sighing is the rhythm of our work and our sleeping.” While resting our heads in these beautiful 1930s villas, we will spend our final day on Corfu visiting various filming locations, and as a special nod to Gerald Durrell, take a trip to a local donkey sanctuary!

Sydney is a voracious knitter, designer, and knitwear historian. She has been knitting and studying fashion history for over fifteen years and recently turned her passions into a career at Squid's School of Vintage Knitting, an online school devoted to the education and love of historical knitwear. In collaboration with Rowan Tree Travel, Sydney works to develop tours that have a historical or vintage atmosphere, often with elaborately themed and niche activities! With over fifteen years of working in the fiber industry, Sydney continues to love meeting other knitters and sharing fiber experiences with them more than anything else. You can find her at patreon.com/squidschool or over on instagram as @squidneyknits. 

Heather loves designing and leading knitting and fiber tours. She’s fascinated with local traditions, unique yarns, and the modern twist added to both by current designers. Her ever-widening exposure to both has led to a long queue of patterns and a dramatic accumulation of stash!  She’s also been trying her hand at new wooly endeavors like felting and spinning. When not knitting, traveling or planning your next trip, Heather tends her small flock of chickens and ducks, volunteers in her local thrift shop, and spends time with her two dogs, her family, and friends in Dunbarton, NH.