Look at a map of the Greek island of Crete and it's obvious: if you drive through its mountainous interior between Agia Galini in the south and Rethymno on its northern coast, you take the highway. It only takes an hour and it's got everything: shops, petrol stations, a sealed surface, markings, guard rails, overtaking and stopping lanes. A lane for everything, really.

It's an undemanding drive, with nothing apocalyptic about it. You've got little chance of shattering an axle in a pothole or running out of petrol. You won't have to clear a path through rock falls or wonder why the road is narrowing for no apparent reason. And you're all but guaranteed not to hit a goat.