My, my, how can I resist you?

Mamma Mia! thrust the Sporade Islands into the limelight. BRENDA WEBB visits the beautiful Greek Islands where the smash hit movie was filmed.

Whether you're an Abba fan or not, chances are you've seen Mamma Mia!

We saw it on a grey and gloomy December day last year.

The storyline was abysmal, but the bright and breezy music and spectacular scenery of Skopelos and Skiathos Islands had us wishing we were there.

Like Meryl Streep and company we wanted to jump into those pristine waters, walk on the golden beaches, wander the narrow cobbled streets and soak up the atmosphere in the traditional Greek towns.

Eight months after seeing the movie, we're here and I have to say, it's even better than it looked on screen.

The water really is that amazing turquoise colour, the sky is pure azure while the lush bush is various shades of green ranging from bright emerald to deep forest.

In the towns the dazzling whitewashed houses are contrasted with blue shutters and doors and splashes of scarlet and green from bougainvillea and grape vines.

The Sporades sit off the east coast of mainland Greece and consist of 11 islands, four of which Skopelos, Skiathos, Skyros and Alonnisos are inhabited. The others are marine and nature reserves surrounded by clean waters full of fish and bird life we've never had so many dolphins accompany us as we did in the Sporades.

Mamma Mia! was filmed mostly on Skopelos. The town is a photographer's delight. It's charming white houses with terracotta roofs cling to a hillside that curves enticingly around a picturesque harbour.

The narrow cobbled backstreets are a wonderful place to wander. House-proud Greek woman sweep their street frontages and water their geraniums, tomatoes and peppers that grow profusely in old feta tins.

Their husbands meanwhile, sit and drink thick and sweet coffee at local bars, working their worry beads frantically as they engage in animated conversation and play backgammon.

Skopelos' waterfront is thronged on one side with souvenir shops, boutiques, art galleries and bustling open-air tavernas while colourful fishing boats, day-tripper boats and yachts line the other.

Faded movie posters are stuck everywhere if you didn't know Mamma Mia! was filmed here before you visited, you soon will.

Everyone on the island, it seems, had a part of the action. The delightful Scot manning the animal rescue stall tells us proudly he had dinner with the cast when filming was over.

A woman in the art gallery talks of Meryl Streep wandering relaxed and casually through the streets.

A waiter at a souvlaki stall waxes lyrical about Pierce Brosnan and his children "who ate right here where you are sitting".

Skopelos is an island that begs to be explored by boat, car, bike or bus and it is easy to escape the crowds. The inland roads wind over and around bush-clad hills, dropping down into secluded bays. A few kilometres north of the town is the spectacular chapel where the wedding scene in Mamma Mia! was filmed.

It's built on a rocky promontory reached by climbing dozens of steep steps with sheer drops down to the sea.

Skiathos is the closest island to the mainland and attracts many wealthy Athenians which explains the spectacular waterfront mansions with their beautifully landscaped gardens.

We don't linger in the port town of Skiathos; it's busy, scruffy and somehow lacks the charm of Skopelos and instead head to the exquisite beaches on the southeast coast.

They are said to be the most beautiful in Greece and we have to agree large expanses of clean golden sand, crystal clear water and a backdrop of beautiful bush. It's easy to see why Skiathos is one of Greece's premier resorts.

Rugged, windswept Skyros is the farthest east of the group and therefore doesn't get the visitors it deserves. Its eye catching Chora (old town) sits high on a rocky bluff beneath a crumbling fortress with views down to the resort town on the east coast.

Of all the islands our favourite was uncrowded, laid back Alonnisos, with its lush landscape of oak, pine, cypress, citrus and olive trees.

The pristine waters around this glorious island are part of the national marine park and ecology conscious islanders maintain that by not discharging anything into the sea.

The port town of Patitiri is delightful with reasonably priced waterfront tavernas serving up fresh fish or traditional Greek food selected from large dishes in the kitchen.

The Chora can be reached by bus or by walking up a winding two-kilometre donkey track through olive trees with spectacular views.

For those who really want to get away from it all it's possible to take a caique (small boat) to some of the remote bays in the north or even to neighbouring uninhabited islands.

The Sporades offer something for everyone, and, if you really run out of things to do you can always go and watch Mamma Mia! it screens several times a day at open-air cinemas on both Skopelos and Skiathos.

- The Marlborough Express