North of Lefkas town and the lagoon. Gira (or Yira) beach, set on the Adriatic sea, is a great favourite with Greeks, both locals and holiday makers. This is due to the continual breeze that comes from the North in the summer. A welcome relief from the heat of August. There is no natural shade on Gira so umbrellas are a must. Stretching for four kilometres the beach is a mixture of loose sand and shale and is backed in many parts by sand dunes. The water is clean but can get a little choppy due to that breeze. This is welcomed by many young locals, as they find it a great place to windsurf and fly kites. Half way around the lagoon,  travelling from the direction of Santa Mavra castle, are a few tavernas and further on there is a beach bar housed in one of the old windmills. There used to be twelve windmills on the beach, in the days when feeding the island was a must and holidays were unknown. Now there are only four in various states of repair.There is also a beach club called Milos but Milos beach is further south.

Just west of Gira is the beach of Agias Giannis or St John. This beach is named for the church at the very end. This is said to be the oldest site of any church on the island and it is reputed to be where St Paul preached on his way to Rome. The beach itself is a narrow, sand and shingle stretch flanked by a road. There is only one way in and out of the resort so traffic speed isn't a problem as such. Just parking in August is difficult. In the last five years many villas and a couple of tavernas have been built back into the olive groves. Last week, in December, there was a storm and the following day huge waves came in. I spent an hour just watching the surf boarders riding those waves. Good fun for them and me.