So they had a jagged and awkward farewell. ‘Nice talking to you!’ he said cheerily as he set off down the aisle.

‘Yeah, you too. Enjoy the hike!’ Catrin knew she sounded hysterically enthusiastic.

‘Who was he?’ asked Judith after Solomon had disappeared from earshot.

‘Oh, no one,’ she replied. ‘Just some guy.’

Lana complained for almost the entirety of the initial two and a half miles. She was cold. She was hot. She was tired. Her feet hurt. Her head hurt. She was thirsty. She was hungry. When they arrived at Neroutsiko, the first natural spring en route, a long queue of thirsty travellers had formed, desperate to refill their water bottles. ‘I wanna sit down,’ Lana declared.

‘Oh Larn, you’ve got to change the record, mun!’ said Judith. ‘You’re worse than a three-year-old.’

Sensing a potential row, Catrin stepped in. ‘Tell you what, if you can bear to walk a few more minutes we’ll reach the little chapel of Agios Nikolaos, which is a kind of resting place. And there’s more water there.’

‘As long as we can have a snack,’ Lana mumbled petulantly.

‘Of course.’

‘Are we nearly there yet, Mum?’ said Jude mockingly. Lana flicked her on the arm and they carried on walking.

Fifteen minutes later they reached the little chapel and quenched their thirst at the spring.

‘Come on, let’s find somewhere to sit,’ Catrin said, in an attempt to jolly them along.

Behind the chapel they found a little patch of dusty grass next to a cluster of magnificent cypress trees. Catrin took some Greek bread and tzatziki from her rucksack and cut an apple into six pieces. She shared it all out like a patient parent and felt the tension instantly dissolve.

‘Amazing what a bit of food and drink can do,’ she said, and lay back with her eyes closed for a couple of minutes’ rest. Gently dozing in the sun, she felt soothed by the sounds of nearby traveller chat and singing wood larks.

‘Tallest cypress trees in Crete, y’know!’

Catrin opened her eyes and squinted upwards. Solomon was standing there, admiring the view.

‘Oh hello,’ she said, caught unawares by how pleased she was to see him again and worried that she might be looking a bit sweaty.

‘Alrigh’ mate?’ said Lana. ‘You were on the bus, weren’ you?’

‘Yes, I’m Solomon,’ he said. ‘Call me Sol though if you like.’

‘You been inside yet?’ asked Judith, pointing to the ancient building.

Entering the cool stillness of the Agios Nikolaos chapel, the four of them marvelled at the delicate beauty of the icons on the wall. Catrin read aloud from her guidebook, adopting a slightly posh and eager-to-impress voice. She informed them that ‘this tiny chapel is built on very sacred ground, where Apollo once was worshipped.’ They all stood in respectful silence, the air heavy and pensive.

‘Hey Sol, we got a nightclub in Coed Celyn called the Apollo,’ said Lana, unintentionally ruining the moment. ‘Bloke got stabbed there last year. Danny Rhys. Borrowed a strimmer from Eryl the Smack and never gave it back.’