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Santorini has become a firm favourite with Brits looking for picture-perfect Greece holidays in recent years but its popularity also means it can be full of crowds

With its white-washed, blue domed buildings, Santorini has become one of those destinations that you’ve no doubt seen all over your social media feeds.

The island’s beauty has led to an influx of visitors flocking to the island every summer. The result has been crowds of tourists queueing to get to some of the best viewpoints, restaurants being crowded and prices being hiked up as peak holiday season hits.

However, the good news is that there is an easy way to explore the island and take in the views without the crowds, not to mention it gives you access to some of the quieter beaches and spots that can’t easily be reached by other visitors.

READ MORE: Greece tourist hotspot so overcrowded there are sunbeds in the sea

According to recent data from SamBoat, bookings for boat trips rose by 75% last year, with increasing numbers of Brits opting for a day at sea as part of their holidays. When you consider that it can offer spectacular views of a destination without jostling through crowds, the appeal is very quickly apparent.

In fact, it’s why a boat trip could be the answer for exploring Santorini without having to face hordes of tourists. The SamBoat experts explained: “Santorini’s postcard-perfect villages are stunning from land but even more magical from the sea. A boat trip from Ammoudi Bay or Vlychada lets you uncover the island’s quieter side, with hidden hot springs, unspoiled swimming spots, and peaceful black-sand beaches like Mesa Pigadia and White Beach. For a romantic day at sea or a group celebration, a motorboat or small catamaran is an unforgettable way to soak up the caldera views.”

One writer recently headed to Santorini and was surprised to find a dreamy part of the island just 10 minutes away from the capital. It wasn’t full of tourists, even though she visited in July during the height of the summer holidays season.

READ MORE: Lesser-known national park has turquoise waters, dramatic cliffs and no crowdsREAD MORE: You can currently bag three nights in Benidorm for £42pp including flights

“The dreamy images of Santorini that most people conjure up are likely of Oia or Fira, the island’s capital,” wrote Angela Patrone. “As my friends and I began planning our trip, we discovered how these two locations were often bustling with tourists. To escape the flurry of tourists, we opted to stay in two lesser-known towns, both brimming with charm and beauty.”

Instead, they headed to Vothonas and Perissa, which she said “turned out to be a brilliant decision”, as they rented a car and could easily reach most areas of the island.

She added: “Vothonas, a mere 10 minutes from Fira, is a charming traditional Greek village with hardly any tourists. If you’re seeking a tranquil and relaxing holiday setting, this is the place to be. The village is nestled in a picturesque ravine and features traditional houses carved into rocks. A leisurely walk around the paved lanes reveals white-domed churches and traditional homes.”

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RESIDENTS of a tranquil village are worried that their home will be overrun by travellers with caravans and ponies this weekend.

The two-day event called Tracy Cooper’s New Forest Drive is set to take place in several parts of the district, including Ashurst and Woodlands.

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The traditional family event has been running for more than 20 years.

It sees hundreds of riders make their way across Hampshire to the drive on an eight-mile ride.

Travellers bring along their prized horses and two-wheeled carts.

But locals are not happy with the planned event and shared their thoughts on social media.

One wrote: “Feel so sorry for the horses involved Please this needs to be stopped.”

Another said: “Should not be allowed to take place. And the Old Bill will be invisible as usual.”

A third commented: “Just NO! It was horrendous last year. I work in the community access was blocked to places I needed to be in, it was mayhem.”

“Thank you for the heads up, now we know to avoid the area this weekend,” said a fourth.

Authorities say they are working together following the controversy caused by last year’s pony and trap ride-out.

Cops launched an investigation after a pony broke its leg at an Ashurst cattle grid.

And sharp objects were scattered at a popular picnic area near Brockenhurst, possibly in an attempt to sabotage the event.

Speaking at the time, Hampshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, vowed that concerns surrounding the get together would be fully investigated.

She said: “The ride-out caused a traffic backlog in an already busy seasonal area and it is so sad that a horse had to be put down.”

In a separate statement, Ms Cooper stressed that the Ashurst incident did not take place during the drive itself.

Forestry England said it was working closely with other authorities to minimise the impact of the event.

A Hampshire police spokesperson added: “We are aware of a planned pony and trap event taking place across the New Forest this weekend.

“We are working closely with our partners and have been engaging with the event organisers to ensure the safety of the people and animals involved as well as residents and visitors to the Forest.”

Ashurst and Colbury Parish Council has issued a similar statement.

Every August, people travel from Totton, near Southampton through the national park.

Their route from Totton traditionally ends at Balmer Lawn, where riders showed off their skills in the stream.

Visitors can buy and sell horses, harnesses and dogs at the event.

It is named and organised by Tracey Cooper, 50, who owns a burger van which she takes to local events and horse shows.

The travellers gather to raise money for charity – before riding back to Totton for an evening of fun.

May 29 (UPI) — Hungry Gazans broke into an aid warehouse in central Gaza on Wednesday, which caused two reported deaths, according to officials with the U.N. World Food Program.

“Hordes of hungry people broke into WFP’s Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, in search of food supplies that were pre-positioned for distribution,” the WFP said Wednesday in a prepared statement.

“Humanitarian needs have spiraled out of control after 80 days of complete blockade of all food assistance and other aid into Gaza,” the WFP said.

The agency said “alarming and deteriorating conditions” in Gaza and a limited availability of humanitarian aid to “hungry people in desperate need of assistance” have increased risks associated with aid distribution.

“Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance,” the WFP said. “This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve.”

The WFP said initial reports indicate two died and several more were injured, but those reports were not confirmed as of Wednesday night.

Another 121 trucks owned by the United Nations and international organizations carrying flour, food and other aid entered Gaza on Wednesday, the BBC reported.

Wednesday’s warehouse incident occurred after Gazans overwhelmed two aid distribution sites in southern Gaza on Tuesday.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported three Gazans were killed, 46 injured and seven others were missing after Israel Defense Forces fired warning shots into the air as crowds of hungry Gazans swarmed over one of the aid distribution sites, NBC News reported.

The U.N. Human Rights Office said 47 people were injured during Tuesday’s aid-distribution chaos and gunfire from Israel Defense Forces caused most of the injuries.

IDF and Gaza Humanitarian Foundation officials initially denied the reports and said no one was injured or killed during the first three days of food and aid distribution.

IDF soldiers fired into the air and did not shoot towards people, an IDF spokesperson told the BBC. The IDF is investigating the incident.

They said the GHF and IDF are preventing Hamas militants from stealing the aid from four distribution sites in southern and central Gaza, which Hamas has denied, the BBC reported.

The U.S.-supported GHF is in charge of distributing aid within Gaza after Israel ended an 11-week blockade of all aid into the war-torn Gaza Strip after a recent cease-fire deal collapsed.

At least four distribution points in southern Gaza are being used to deliver aid to Gazans, and more distribution sites are to be added, NBC News reported.

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) says that “hordes of hungry people” have broken into a food supply warehouse in central Gaza.

Two people are reported to have died and several others injured in the incident, the programme said, adding that it was still confirming details.

Video footage from AFP news agency showed crowds breaking into the Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah and taking bags of flour and cartons of food as gunshots rang out. It was not immediately clear where the gunshots came from.

In a statement, the WFP said humanitarian needs in Gaza had “spiralled out of control” after an almost three-month Israeli blockade that was eased last week.

The WFP said that food supplies had been pre-positioned at the warehouse for distribution.

The programme added: “Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve.”

The WFP said it had “consistently warned of alarming and deteriorating conditions on the ground, and the risks imposed by limiting humanitarian aid to hungry people in desperate need of assistance”.

Israeli authorities said on Wednesday that 121 trucks belonging to the UN and the international community carrying humanitarian aid including flour and food were transferred into Gaza.

Israel began to allow a limited amount of aid into Gaza last week. However, UN Middle East envoy Sigrid Kaag told the UN Security Council this was “comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk” when everyone in Gaza was facing the risk of famine.

A controversial US and Israeli-backed group – the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – was also established as a private aid distribution system. It uses US security contractors and bypasses the UN, which said it was unworkable and unethical.

The US and Israeli governments say the GHF, which has set up four distribution centres in southern and central Gaza, is preventing aid from being stolen by Hamas, which the armed group denies doing.

The UN Humans Right Office said 47 people were injured on Tuesday after people overran one of the GHF distribution sites in the southern city of Rafah, a day after it began working there.

Another senior UN official told journalists on Wednesday that desperate crowds were looting cargo off of UN aid trucks.

Jonathan Whittall, the head of the UN’s humanitarian office for the occupied Palestinian territories, also said there was no evidence that Hamas was diverting aid coordinated through credible humanitarian channels.

He said the real theft of relief goods since the beginning of the war had been carried out by criminal gangs which the Israeli army “allowed to operate in proximity to the Kerem Shalom crossing point in Gaza”.

The UN has argued that a surge of aid like the one during the recent ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas would reduce the threat of looting by hungry people and allow it to make full use of its well-established network of distribution across the Gaza Strip.