Agios Nikólaos - Achla and back |
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Evaluation:
Until recently it was very difficult to find the route from the
monastery of Agios Nikólaos to the beach of Achla, as is also made clear
in the mails by some hiking friends from France. Estimated time:
The descent
of 4,15 km takes about 1h25 of actual walking time (AWT) and the return
route will cost you only a little longer, about 1h30. The total actual
walking time of 2h55 refers to a full hiking day of about 6-7 hours,
depending on the time you spend at the beach – we walked from 11am to
6pm. The heather is wonderful in the evening sun! Route description: [In order to make this hike, it is best to rent a car or a motor cycle and to drive to the monastery of Agios Nikólaos via Apíkia.]
The monastery of Agios Nikólaos - view from the car park. From the car park
you take a concrete staircase to the entrance gate of the monastery; at
the first gate you find a notice with the strict dress code (no shorts
and for the women no trousers or miniskirts), but past the entrance
there is a place where you can get some long wraparound skirts. In fact,
the people at the entrance are now much more friendly than they were a
few years ago – a man (not a monk) willingly gives some explanation of
the church, the ikonóstasi and the history of the monastery. The
forecourt, with the plane-tree, four palm trees and a beautiful well is
really magnificent. The entrance of the monastery. Also the façade of the church, with the alternation of white and coloured marble, is very beautiful.
The church of the monastery of Agios Nikólaos. The monastery is
about 1000 years old and the ikonostási would be 500 years old – the
statue of Our Lady (the Panagía Vlachérna) (the 2nd icon from
the left) originates from Constantinopel. In earlier days, some 1000
monks lived in this monastery and in the 90 (!) chapels in the
surroundings... (0h00)
Via the concrete
staircase you go back to the car park, you go left for a short while,
but after 10 metres already you take the path going up on the RIGHT
(there is a hiking sign [6] Achla 4,25 km). The beginning of the path to Achla is now very clear! Nice view on the complex of the monastery. The path is now fairly flat and rather easy; gradually you walk away from the wall of the monastery and after some 5 minutes you pass above a chapel [6]. You go up for a short while and then you get a beautiful view on the entire valley and on Achla, far away in front of you. You can see the trail continuing in front of you: it runs nicely among the flowering heather (on the 2nd of October 2009 – on the 10th of October 2018 the flowering was finished ), and on your left you can already see your final destination. Panoramic view on the valley and the bay of Achla.
(0h17) After a couple of
minutes you start to go down slowly – you descend now for many minutes,
on a pleasant and very obvious trail; you can see it running in front of
you all the time, on the gentle slope covered with heather and green
bushes. (0h24)
After about 19
minutes you descend steeply into a side valley – over here you can
already see how the path goes to the left until it reaches a stable, and
how it then continues to the gravel road. (0h32)
Just opposite you take the reddish path that continues amongst the
bushes (hiking pole [6]). Later on, the path draws a beautiful line in
the marvellous field of green and purple (Autumn) bushes. You really
have to wade through a sea of green and purple…
The heather leaves sometimes only a narrow line, sometimes the path is broader... (0h37) After a quick descent you reach a stable. When looking around the corner on the right, this appears to be an old and deserted little house – in the kitchen there is a fireplace and the former occupants have even left behind a rack with some service pieces… The former occupants left behind some service pieces... At this point you
get to a side-path, where you take a LEFT [6], again on a nicely
overgrown slope. It seems as if you go too much to the left, but after a
little over 2 minutes you go sharply to the right. You descend, you take
a sharp left again after another 2 minutes and then you take a few
shorter curves – on a sometimes deeply worn out trail, which narrowly
runs amongst tall, green bushes.
Finally, the long steep descent leads to a gravel road, where you go RIGHT
(hiking picket [6]). The path to Achla, after some 50 walking minutes. (1h05) You pass the ruin of a stable, You meander to the right and to the left, then you continue about 10 meters above the abundant river (April 20, 2019). You go up to the right [6], you climb slightly, then you go down to a point where the path forks: on the left, you could go down in the valley, on the right the path continues between walls and higher above the valley. You approach the bottom of the broad valley... |
(1h10) So you climb slowly above the valley with many trees and you
follow for many minutes a beautiful path between walls - a few years
ago, it was occasionally obstructed by vegetation, but now it is
completely cleared. You can enjoy a nice view of the beach and the river
Varídi. You continue for 16 minutes, still between walls, and you thus
arrive next the chapel of Agios Nikólaos (sign Agios Nikólaos 4,2 km /
Vourkotí 9,4 km).
There is also a big sign
indicating "Vourkotí". If this surprises you, remember that hike no. 6
actually starts in Voúrkotí and that it passes the monastery of Agios
Nikólaos, in order to arrive at the beach of Achla – see the hike
Vourkotí - Agios Nikólaos. (1h26)
From the chapel, a
staircase descends: in this way you will arrive immediately in front of
the river, with on the other side the wide beach. The path was overgrown by frýgana, but now it runs without problems to the beach of Achla. The chapel of Agios Nikólaos, above the beach of Achla. The beach of Achla with the river and its abundant water.
The beach of
Achla is one of the most beautiful beaches of the Cycladic isles: it
consists of very small pebbles and sand – although there is no shade,
the perfect arch of the waterside and the green-blue colour of the water
turn this spot into an amazing place. In summer, there
is the boat the Rania that connects Chóra and the beach of Achla a few
times a day- in the summer of 2009 the final return from Achla was at
6pm – for reservations and information you can call 697/65 50 224.
The perfect beauty of Achla. (1h26)
For the return route you retrace your steps starting from the chapel, on
the nice path between walls: after 12 minutes, you can see in the valley
the buildings of the Onar-resort and after 17 minutes you arrive almost
down in the valley.
[If there is less water in the river, you could return
by following the valley.
You then start the
return walk on the left bank (to the right of the river). You then have
to go through a broad gate and you take a clear path going inland – on
the slope on your left-hand side you can clearly see the trail you
followed on the way down. The beautiful colours in the valley of Achla. You walk through a
green wooden gate and then you get to the bed of the river for a short
while. But close to the bungalows of the Onar-domain, you leave the bed
to the left, following a grassy track.
(1h43)
Here, you can continue between walls, to the left of a house [6]; you
first have to descend slightly during 4-5 minutes, and so you get
to the bottom with the meadows, but then you get to a rocky and
sometimes very stony stretch, that rises gradually. After 4 minutes,
there is a little gate in reinforcing steel, then there is a pleasant
and most of the time flat stretch, until you arrive next to the first
house with a chapel, where you cross a little road. We climb out of the valley of Achla.
(1h58) A
little later, you have to pay attention: at a bifurcation, you
have to take a RIGHT (a
little further a [6]). Shortly thereafter there is another gate, where
you curve to the left [6], on a broad path between walls, going towards
another house. At the house you go up on the left; later on you
have to climb on rocky steps, walking under tall bushes. The colours of the bay turn golden in the evening sun. Looking out over the valley... (2h20)
The path goes up to the right [6] and remains steep for another 2
minutes, then trail becomes easy and it climbs gradually, still midst a lot of green and heather. (2h40) You keep going up gradually, still walking on the green or colourful slope. The heather is very colourful.
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