Lemnos

Lemnos is a surprise. Where a small Greek island is expected, there is a broad, windswept land of golden plains and volcanic hills, with some of the longest, emptiest beaches in the Aegean. Myrina, the handsome port town that curls around its great bay beneath the castle, makes a natural base, with roads running out through the interior — past the prehistoric settlement of Poliochni, one of the oldest cities in Europe, older than Troy — and up to the ancient sanctuary of Hephaestia. The ruined villages of the island's north and the strange volcanic landscape around the mud volcanoes of the western coast reward the detour, as do the beaches where the sand runs for kilometres and the only sound is the wind. In the evening, Myrina's tavernas fill while the fishing boats tie up at the foot of the tables. Lemnos is an island of wide horizons and deep history, and it is wonderfully free of crowds.

Lemnos has one of the oldest histories in Europe. The prehistoric town of Poliochni, on the east coast, was founded in the 4th millennium BC and is one of the earliest urban settlements in the world, with stone houses, streets, and walls that predate the earliest cities of Greece. In myth, Lemnos is the island of Hephaestus, the smith-god, who was hurled from Olympus and fell on Lemnos, and the island was famous for its metalworking. In the Bronze Age it was settled by the Mycenaeans, and the classical city of Hephaestia and the sanctuary of the Cabiri were important centres of the ancient world, associated with the mysteries that rivaled those of Eleusis. The island was a possession of Athens in the classical period and of Byzantium in the Middle Ages, and under the Ottomans it was a poor, remote island of farmers and sailors. In the modern era, Lemnos was the site of the Greek air force's first base, and during the Balkan Wars of 1912 it was the first Aegean island to be freed by the Greek navy. Its broad plains and its volcanic hills give the island a strange, beautiful character all its own.

The name is recorded by Stephanus of Byzantium in the sixth century AD. His Ethnica is not a book of stories but a dictionary of Greek place-names, and for this one it says: "From the goddess called the Great, whom they call Leme". (Ethnica, s.v. Λῆμνος).

That is the whole of what an ancient source has to say about how the place got its name. It is a shorter answer than the guidebooks give, and it is the only one with a source behind it.

Lemnos has some of the longest and emptiest beaches in Greece. The beach of Plati, just outside Myrina, is the island's classic: a long stretch of golden sand with shallow, warm water. The north and west coasts are lined with beaches that run for kilometres with hardly a soul — including the beautiful Keros, Thanes, and the vast stretches of the west. The beach of Agios Ioannis and the coves around the island's volcanic headlands are quiet and wild. The water is shallow and warm, and the island's broad skies and empty sands make it a place for long, solitary swims. Bring a mask, a book, and plenty of sunscreen — and expect to have much of the coast to yourself.

Lemnos food is the cooking of a fertile island of farmers and fishermen. The island produces excellent olive oil, wine, honey, and cheese, and its broad plains grow the grain for which it has been famous since antiquity. The tavernas of Myrina serve the daily catch — grilled fish, octopus, and the small fish of the Aegean — with the classic Greek table and a generous, unpretentious warmth. The island is also known for its 'flomaria', a local pasta, and for the sweets of the island's festivals. For a proper Lemnos meal, find a taverna by the harbour in Myrina, order the fish of the day, a plate of the island's greens, and a carafe of the local wine, and watch the fishing boats come home.

May, June, and September are the ideal months on Lemnos: warm, golden, and uncrowded, with the sea perfect and the beaches empty. July and August are busier, but the island's huge beaches absorb the crowds easily. Spring is lovely, when the plains are green and the wildflowers cover the hills. Whenever you come, give Lemnos at least a few days — the island is larger than it looks, and its prehistoric sites and its empty beaches deserve more time.

Lemnos is reached by ferry from Piraeus, from the northern Aegean islands and from Thessaloniki. It also has an airport, with flights from Athens.

A car is the best way to explore. Do not miss Poliochni and the sanctuary of Hephaestia, the castle of Myrina, and the mud volcanoes of the west. Swim at Plati and the long beaches of the north, and spend your evenings by the harbour in Myrina. Lemnos is an island of wide horizons and deep history — give it time and it will give you a great deal back.