After a late night souvlaki and ouzo in Kambos I drove home and reached the abandoned convent on the other side of the valley from the hovel without incident. From the side of the convent the road descends rapidly. I have spent a few Euro patching it up, though that is actually the job of the municipality, but it is still a slightly bumpy first gear descent. On the non convent side of the road there is no barrier to stop one falling into a small ravine covered in undergrowth which is no doubt infested with all sorts of wildlife diversity.
About 50 yards down the track on convent hill, suddenly I spotted two really large wild boar. I stopped the car to ponder leaving the lights on full beam, with the boar staring stupidly at me and not moving. They seemed relaxed. I was not. Had I been on foot I’d have panicked as boar can be fearsome beasts. But the car offered some sanctuary though I did not fancy a head on charge from one of the animals.
Reversing back up the track with the ravine on my side was not something I really fancied but I saw no real option and revved the engine for a reverse hill start. That seemed to spook the animals who started to walk very slowly down the hill so I went for plan B and advanced. After a few yards the smaller boar scuttled off into the bushes but the larger one carried on along the road with me ten yards behind until we reached the valley floor at which point it too rushed into the scrub, delighted that it had encountered almost he only person resident here not to own a gun.
Over the years we have spotted more and more boar around here. The case for getting a gun and cutting a deal with someone to get home made salami, strengthens.