Psychro is a small village on the southern edge of the Lasithi Plateau, and it exists on the map for one reason: the cave above it. The Dikteon Cave, or Diktaean Cave, is a wide limestone grotto high on the mountain slope, and Cretan tradition makes it the birthplace of Zeus, hidden here by his mother Rhea so that Kronos could not swallow him as he had his other children. Archaeologists found offerings in the cave dating back to the Minoan era, so people were treating it as sacred long before the Greek gods acquired their tidy family tree.
Visitors climb from the car park on a steep path, sometimes with a mule for hire in the old style, and then descend into a cavern with stalactites, damp stone steps and a cool, dripping stillness after the heat outside. It rewards a slow visit, and the walk is hard in motorcycle boots, so bring something lighter if you plan to go in. The village below is lined with tavernas and stalls selling honey, herbs and woven goods, a fairly touristy scene by midday, but pleasant at either end of the day.
The ride itself is the plateau loop, a gentle road that circles the flat farmland at the foot of the mountains, with orchards, potato fields and the occasional white windmill. The bends are easy, but the surface is variable, and you share the road with tractors, tour coaches and the odd shepherd. Mália, on the north coast, and Ágios Nikólaos are the nearest towns of size, so fuel is best taken before climbing from either, and local shops here are better for water and a snack than for anything mechanical.
The plateau is high, so even in summer evenings are cool, and in winter snow dusts the surrounding peaks. Spring is the finest time, when the almond and apple blossom contrasts with the grey rock above, and autumn, when the harvest is in and the light turns gold. Stop for a coffee and a plate of something local, listen for goat bells from the slopes, and give the cave a visit if your legs agree.