Agios Nikólaos - Achla and back

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.
At present, the road is very obvious again and also the point of departure at the monastery is well indicated. The descent is really marvellous, but it is advisable to make this hike in autumn (the end of September or the beginning of October) – in that period the heather flowers most beautifully. The beach of Achla is absolutely great – without doubt this is one of the most beautiful beaches of the Cyclades. The only disadvantage is that there is no shade, but in autumn this is not much of a problem. The hike is definitely one of the highlights of Andros and it deserves the maximum evaluation of ****.  
[Update by Raymond on April The 20^th, 2019.]
[The translation of this walk was made with some help of Google translate - so, please, do not mind the mistakes...]

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.]

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.
Also the façade of the church, with the alternation of white and coloured marble, is very beautiful. The monastery is about 1000 years old and the ikonostási would be 500 years old – the statue of Our Lady (the Panagía Vlachérna) (the 2^nd 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). 
You arrive at the foot of the cistern [6], where the trail continues straight ahead and horizontally – there is a large sign "Achla" [6] and you have a nice view on the entire 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 2^nd of October 2009 – on the 10^th of October 2018 the flowering was finished ), and on your left you can already see your final destination.

(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.
You thus go down into this valley and then you keep going down rather steeply, on a trail that is worn away and later on also fairly stony. After another 5 minutes you get to the left of a wall [6]; further on you walk between converging walls and on the left of a large stable [6]. You take a LEFT while going down along the left wall and then immediately to the right [6] on a narrow trail; in this way you arrive at a red 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…

(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…

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]).

(0h42) After 2 minutes, after a bend and some 10 metres before a metal gate, your path continues on the left (hiking piquet [6]).
The path descends between walls now and later on you have to walk through a wooden gate. Thereafter you go down rapidly, on a nicely shaded and rocky trail. Further on you notice an occupied house, on the right of the wall, and to the left there are some fields. The path becomes easier again and it passes through a gate in reinforcing steel [6] and net to another house.

(0h56) You cross a small road, you go down a little, then the wide path continues between walls. Six minutes later, you still pass through a metal gate.

(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.

(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 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.
There is no housing at all – but fairly far away, going inland, there is a domain with 8 houses – the website of Onar (meaning "dream") presents this as if it were a dream location. Indeed, this can be a dream location, but then only for people who enjoy living in the middle of nowhere...see http://www.onar-andros.gr 

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. Note that in Summer, the bay is full of boats and the beach is crowded!

(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.
A couple of minutes later you end up between a number of wonderful plane-trees; you cross the rocky bed of the river and you continue meandering on the other side. 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.
The gravel road goes up, rising above the valley, and after 16 minutes you arrive next to the breach in the wall, where you walked to the path higher up a little ago.]

(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.

(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.

(2h06) A little further, you go through the wooden gate and in this way you arrive at the little gravel road that comes to a dead end at a gate, a little further to the left (hiking piquet [6]).
You take a right, of course, but past the curve you have to watch out: after 2 minutes, a hiking piquet [6] marks the path going up on the left. The first part is difficult, because the path is steep and worn out. You then get to a number of short, successive curves – left, right, left and right -, this is followed by a straight stretch with at the end a sharp turn to the right. Finally, there is a sharp turn to the left and a straight stretch, ending at the little house/stable. In the meanwhile you can admire the panoramic view on the colourful slope and on the far-away bay. On the opposite slope you notice a beautiful, large taffoni.

(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.

(2h27) Some 7 minutes later you cross the little road (hiking piquet [6]), 1 minute further you veer to the right next to the stable [6], a little later you keep to the left and you go up quite some time on a steep and stony path. Another 13 minutes later you arrive in the little side-valley, where you veer to the right.

(2h40) You keep going up gradually, still walking on the green or colourful slope. Some 6 minutes later the path becomes more or less horizontal. Another 5-6 minutes later you walk above the chapel and then the grey monastery appears in front of you. You pass above the monastery, you walk next to the cistern and you then find the stony path going down, bringing you back to the car park. (2h57)