Iraklia

Iraklia is the largest of the Small Cyclades in area yet among the quietest and least developed islands in the whole archipelago. Lying south-east of Naxos, near neighbours Schinoussa and Koufonisia, it has a permanent population of little more than a hundred and a landscape of bare hills, terraced slopes and a deeply indented coast. It appeals above all to hikers, campers and travellers seeking to disconnect from the busier Cyclades entirely.

Ferries arrive at the small port of Agios Georgios, a cluster of houses, rooms and tavernas around a sheltered bay that serves as the island's main settlement. A short distance inland and uphill sits the older village of Panagia, or Chora, a traditional hamlet whose annual festival on 15 August is the high point of the island's year. Between and beyond the two villages lies open country crossed by well-worn paths, and walking is unquestionably the best way to experience Iraklia.

The island's most celebrated attraction is the Cave of Agios Ioannis, a large natural cavern reached by a walk of a couple of hours from Agios Georgios across the hills. Inside, chambers of stalactites and stalagmites open up around a small shrine, and the trek there, with its wide views over the Aegean, is as much the reward as the cave itself. Other trails climb to the summit of Papas, the island's highest point, and drop down to quiet coves along the coast.

Beaches are low-key and unspoiled. Livadi, a broad sandy bay a short walk from the port, is the most accessible and the finest, with clear, shallow water and a scattering of trees for shade; smaller coves such as Alimia lie further afield. There is no nightlife and few facilities beyond the essentials, and that austerity is the island's charm. Iraklia rewards self-sufficient travellers happy to walk, swim and read away long unhurried days, and it forms a natural stop on a slow circuit of the Small Cyclades.