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The White Mountain region of Crete is one of Europe’s pocket wildernesses, a region of savage, desert mountains traversed by deep gorges through which small streams flow in spring. The best known of these is the lovely Samaria Gorge (see Samaria Gorge). In winter, the White Mountain peaks are under heavy snow, but in summer temperatures can rise to 35°C.

It is still promoted to tourists as the “Plain of Windmills”, but few of the thousands of white-sailed windmills exist in working order. That said, the drive to this bowl of rich farmland surrounded by mountains is stunning in itself. Lasithi’s patchwork of fertile fields, gardens and orchards strikes a contrast with the treeless grey slopes surrounding it.

This tiny islet, a stone’s throw from the mainland, may in Venetian or Byzantine times have been a preserve for deer, for its name means “deer island”. Between Elafonisi and the shore is a lagoon of turquoise water. It is possible to reach the island simply by wading (see Elafonisi).

A group of sturdy date palms on a crescent of sandy beach at Vai is claimed to be Europe’s only palm forest. The palms may originally have been planted by Arab raiders or ancient Phoenicians. Today the palm grove is carefully protected.

Fed by an underground spring which provides Crete with most of its bottled mineral water, Lake Votamos is a deep blue ring of cool, clear water surrounded by flinty, barren slopes. Tavernas near the shore serve grilled trout from the lake, and a good gorge walk starts nearby.

Not as long as the spectacular Samaria Gorge, the Imbros Gorge extends between the villages of Komitades and Imbros. Its narrowest point is only 2 m (6 ft) wide. It can be walked in three to four hours.

A fertile plain, ringed by rocky slopes, lies high up on the northern side of the White Mountains. Millennia of winter rains have washed the topsoil down from the surrounding slopes to create this upland oasis. Most people pass through without stopping, but, especially in spring, this is one of the prettiest, most peaceful spots in Crete.

Terrapins and migrant water birds are among the wildlife to be seen in and around Crete’s main body of fresh water. It is prettiest in spring and early summer.

Frogs, terrapins and tiny water snakes splash and slither in freshwater pools at the bottom of the pretty canyon which emerges near Plakias on the south coast.

The valley of the “white river” – a stream which, like most Cretan watercourses, flows only in winter and spring – opens into the sea at the east end of Makrygialos beach. Surrounded by pines, boulder-covered slopes, terraced fields and olive groves, it makes a pleasant walk.