Journey to the centre of an epic myth

Physically, Ithaca comprises two sets of drowned mountain ranges in the Ionian Sea joined by an isthmus. Mentally, it has long occupied a place in the imagination, as the homeland that Homer's exiled hero, Odysseus, hungered for – and to which the gods forbade him to return.

For nearly 3,000 years, Homer's epic poem The Odyssey and the island have been synonymous. Ever since reading "Sailing to Ithaca", by the 20th century Greek poet C P Cavafy, I've wanted to sail there. Today, it is a cinch. I rented a small motor-boat in Fiscardo, an attractive but crowded harbour resort on the northern tip of the neighbouring island of Kefallonia. The coast of Ithaca was shrouded in sea-mist and the nearest safe landing point, Polis Bay, was hardly visible. But what took 40 years for me to get round to doing took just 40 minutes to achieve.

Polis harbour is about one-and-a-half miles from Fiscardo, and is simple harbour serving Stavros, the second largest town on the island. There's a small jetty with a concrete area where there are a few plain trees and a solitary café that sells drink and sandwiches from the back of a dilapidated caravan shaded by rush-matting.

The moment I arrived in the bay I entered the world of Homer's epic poem. In the 1930s, archaeologists excavating a cave in the bay unearthed a fragment of a female clay mask which bore an inscription that translated as "To the Glory of Odysseus". This, along with earlier findings, showed that the cave had been a place of deity worship over 4,000 years ago. The cave collapsed in the massive earthquake of 1953, burying whatever further secrets it contained.

The mask is only part of the evidence that identifies the island as the home of Odysseus. Coins from the fourth and third century BC bearing his name, and landmarks that match descriptions in The Odyssey, all point to Ithaca as the birthplace of Homer and his hero. There is now little doubt that a King Odysseus existed. But the more one follows Homer's trail, the more reality and myth tangle.

To explore Homer's Ithaca fully, transport is needed. Fortunately, even in summer, the few mountain roads on the island are relatively deserted. The village of Anoghi, for example, has a church from the early Byzantine period and has some of the most beautiful frescoes on any of the Ionian islands.

Two miles from the port is the Cave of the Nymphs, where according to Homer, Odysseus hid the treasures he brought back from his voyage of exile. It's here that one first meets the problem of untangling fact from fiction. Although the cave is included as an attraction in the island's travel literature, it has recently been declared unsafe. I was assured that the eminent archaeologist in charge of this site is convinced there are major discoveries to be made in the cave. At the same time, other archaeologists are convinced it is not the "real" Cave of the Nymphs. That, they say, has been destroyed. So we find intelligent people disagreeing over the location of a cave associated with an ancient king who blinded a one-eyed Cyclops, and built the Trojan Horse and beheaded a monster.

The cave might disappoint, but the journey up the short mountain path towards it is more than worth the effort. Climbing up, you are overwhelmed by the smell of thyme, and the hum of cicadas almost drowns the sound of goat-bells. Once you are outside the cave the view is staggering. The Ionian Sea glitters down below, and in the distance mountain ranges rise up through the heat-haze, their tops capped by a halo of white cloud.

Ten miles north of Vathy, 1,600 feet high, is the monastery of Kathara. The monastery is a gem, my favourite of any I've visited anywhere in Europe. It is untidy in the tidiest possible way. It is lived in, alive. Built about 400 years ago above the ruins of a temple dedicated to Artemis, it has an outer-walkway, a sort of all-round veranda below which is a sunken courtyard with a plum tree and pots of geraniums. A vine offers shade, and wild flowers sprout from various nooks and crannies.

For the last 10 years, the monastery's sole guardian has been Theodosios Vlismas, a monk born on the island. He keeps goats and ducks, and in a tiny wired-off enclosure is growing a single melon. He mentions that Winston Churchill and Onassis once visited the monastery together. Another visitor to the monastery was Lord Byron, who was here in 1823, a year before his death at Missolonghi during the Greek War of Independence. I wondered how deeply Byron connected with Homer's hero, for like Odysseus, he too was an exile.

Theodosios is, rightly, proud of the monastery: "It is a hard business running this place alone but it is very sweet for the soul."

Brian Patten travelled as a guest of Tapestry Holidays (020-8235 7800, www.tapestryholidays.com). His new collection of world stories, 'The Story Giant' (Collins, £14.99), is published on Monday

Travellers' Guide

Getting there: Ithaca has no airport. First, get yourself to Kefallonia. There are plenty of charter flights available for the next couple of weeks, with fares in the £120-£170 range from Gatwick or Manchester, but then they begin to dwindle. In winter, a scheduled flight via Athens could be the only option. On Olympic Airways, this can involve a five-hour wait at Athens airport for the connection. Fares are likely to be around £250 return.

From the port of Sami you can sail to Ithaca's capital, Vathy, or hire a boat at Fiscardo for a day-trip to the north-west of the island.