Vakóni - Aladinoú - Fállika - Pétrias - Livádia - Chóra

Evaluation: This hike is an alternative to the similar hike that follows the same paths to Pétrias, but then it follows the difficult route to Vrachnoú and down to Chóra (see the hike Vakóni - Aladinoú - Fállika - Pétrias - Vrachnoú - Chóra). The descent to Livádia is much easier. Also in this variant, the paths and views are beautiful. The signposting with hiking signs and plaques [18] and then [17a] is again excellent. Deserves the maximum of ****.
[Updated by Raymond on 30 June 2021].
[The translation of this walk was made with some help of Google translate - so, please, do not mind the mistakes...]

Estimated time: The stretch from Vakóni to Aladinoú, a walk that continues among many sources, lasts only a quarter of an hour, in actual walking time. It then takes 50 minutes (AWT) until Pétrias, where you cross the walk [1]. The descent on paths [1] and [17a] takes a little less than half an hour, and finally the long way to Livádia and then to Chóra takes an hour. The actual time for this 8,42 km long walk is thus two and a half hours. The total walking time (TWT) will, depending on your rest and picnic breaks, be much longer. We walked from 11 to 16 hours, which is exactly twice the AWT.....

Route description
(0h00) Walk [18] starts along the road Chóra Batsí, between Messariá and Pitrofós, in the hamlet of Vakóni and not far from the church of Agia Triáda. There is a very visible sign "Aladinoú 1 km / Fállika 1,9 km / Pétrias 3 km / Livádia 8 km".
.



The hiking sign at the beginning of walk [18].

You go down 95 steps, then you continue straight on a small concrete road [18] and you go down a little further on the concrete steps to the LEFT (sign and [18]) straight ahead, you could visit the source of Skadalórema...
You descend about 115 steps between the houses, and then you keep to the left
[18] until you reach a second source; to the left, you could walk to a third source and the church of Agia Triáda, but you descend to the RIGHT [18], in the direction of the Káto Vrýsi ("The source from below") [18]: so you go down 52 steps, until that source. Later on, an old paved trail descends along an irrigation gutter and some water pipes until you get to a shaded spot; a narrow cemented path [18] then continues between and next to the houses and a concrete staircase goes up to a small asphalt road, underneath the church of Agia Triáda - a clear sign + [18] points here to the right.

(0h10) You follow this road for a little more than one minute, then you descend the white steps to the right - some hiking signs show here the direction of another source, the Chamóvrysi (signs and [18]). You go down to the right, until you get next to a house and descend another 90 steps, down to the asphalt road. You go right [18] and you thus arrive at the bridge of Aladinoú.

The bridge of Aladinoú.

The old bridge crosses the "Megálos Potamós" ("The Great River"), which has its source on the other side of the island, near the village of Zaganiáris. Downstream, there is thus also the famous bridge of Stichioméni, where the walk [1] that leads from Messariá to the monastery of Panachrántou, passes. The river flows into the sea near Chóra, on the beach of Parapórti.

The bridge of Aladinoú, from the edge of the water.

(0h16) You pass the bridge and you discover in front of you an old road sign and other very visible signs (Fállika 1 km / Pétrias 2 km / Livádia 7 km): by following the stairs up to the right, you could follow the little walk [18a] to the cave of Aladinoú, and possibly to the villages of Sasá and Kouréli - see the walk Aladinoú - Kouréli - Sasá - Aladinoú.
There is also a clear sign with the phone number of Mrs Kaladami, which could be your guide during the visit of the cave (693 969 68 35).



The old road sign and the new hiking signs for walk [18] in Aladinoú.

You go left on the small concrete road along the river, but you then climb the concrete staircase [18] that goes up to the right, until it gets to a small concrete road: you go to the right for a few moments, then you follow the asphalt road to the left, but immediately you take the path on the right (2 X [18] on a small post). The beautiful rocky path climbs quickly between walls; after two sharp turns, the climb becomes even steeper you get a very nice view of the valley and you thus reach a nice bifurcation.



The nice path between Aladinoú and Fállika.

[It only takes a quarter of an hour to follow the beautiful path [1c] (sign Stichioméni 650 m) and a magnificent staircase in order to reach the bridge of Stichioméni, which is on the route of walk [1].]

(0h28) You continue to climb to the right [18]: this trail has been cleared recently, as it was impassable a few years ago! Sometimes it is dug in or it continues along a high wall, later on it has nice steps. After some concrete steps, you still get to the road, but the trail continues straight across [18]. About 3 minutes later, you keep to the left, you cross the asphalt road again and continue just opposite [18]. You arrive on concrete steps between the houses, you continue straight [18] on paved steps, then on many concrete steps again.

(0h45) After the culminating point ([18] on a pole), you go down for a short while until near the church; you go up a little bit [18], then you begin a long descent.

The nice staircase underneath Fállika.

You continue on a beautiful concrete path or on steps, leaving the village, and you arrive at an old dirt or rocky path, which goes around the basin-shaped valley. You thus veer slowly to the left, continuing most of the time flat.

The green valley underneath Fállika.

(0h55) After a short climb, you continue again almost flat, with a beautiful view on Fállika. Sometimes the path is shaded, it turns more to the right and arrives after another 8 minutes next to the ruins of Pétrias, an abandoned village.

(
1h03) Immediately after, you get to the main trail [1] from Messariá to the monastery. You follow it for a short time to the left ([1] and [18]), and soon, in a sharp bend, there is a small path to the right – walk [18] continues here to the right, to Vrachnoú and Chóra (hiking sign). You make here a sharp turn to the LEFT (dots and  [1]) and you now follow a rather long stretch with 225 steps which brings you to the overgrown side path off the left that also leads to Fállika – you continue straight.

(1h15) About 2 minutes later, you get to the obvious bifurcation between walls: the main path [1] straight ahead goes to Messariá - see the walk Chóra - Ménites - Messariá - Panachrántou and back -, while you should take a RIGHT here ([17a] and hiking sign Livádia 2,4 km / Chóra 4,5 km).

The hiking sign at the bifurcation of paths [1] and [17a].

The first 3 minutes, you follow a beautiful trail between walls, then you reach the edge of the plateau where you descend to the right on a staircase that goes zigzagging down for 11 minutes, with some 460 uneven and sometimes very small steps.

The splendid path back to Livádia.

While descending you see on the left and in front of you, on the other slope, the trail [1] going up from Stichioméni bridge to Messariá. After a beautiful descent on this old rocky stairs, you arrive down.

(1h31) You go right to cross the small bed to the left [17a]. You go up a little, then there is a nice end flat end between the walls, after which you descend to the left to the brook.

 

A splendid stretch between nice walls...

(1h37) You cross the water on stepping stones and you continue to the right on the other side (piquet [17a]). The grassy path quickly becomes a dirt road that you follow a little less than 4 minutes down to the water: you remain to the LEFT water [17a] - you continue a little more than a minute, until you get again to the road.

(1h45) You keep to left at a junction [17a]  
and, a little further, you continue just to the left of the bed (cairn and [17a]). Later, you continue a little higher and always to the left of the bed, until you arrive again at a small road and on asphalt. Shortly after, you cross the water for the last time and you follow the small road for another 6 minutes.

(1h56) At the level of the path [17] coming from the right (sign), you cross the small concrete bridge to the left and you go to the right [17] to follow the water. You continue straight up to the main road: you go to the right to cross the bridge, but you take an immediate left on a small concrete road along the river ([17] and road sign to Parapórti). Cypress trees, beautiful plane trees and other trees provide shade ...

(2h02) After 3 minutes, near the ruin of the old bridge, you cross the bed towards the LEFT; you climb the 9 steps to the right [17] and follow the paved path to the left of the river. A little further, you veer left and you continue now for about 3 minutes between walls. At the end of the pavement, you arrive on asphalt, where you go to the right [17] to follow a paved lane.
The lane winds between the walls, passes a pumping station where it becomes a dirt trail, and then continues rather long time between a wall and a large meadow. Further on, there is a large meadow on the left, behind the wall, and later, there is again a meadow on your right. You finally veer to the left and to the right, and the pavement starts again.

(2h18) You arrive between the houses and on concrete and 1 minute later, you zigzag on the right and on the left [17]. The cemented alley goes down, you veer left in front of a house and pavement [17] or concrete alternate.
You arrive definitively between the houses (picket [17]) and you continue between the 2 car parks.
You go up obliquely to the left, but at the top of the upper parking lot, you keep to the right, then you go left towards the beginning of the pedestrian street. Here, you take a right and so you get first to the big square and then to the church. (2h32)

 

Gpx-files:

 
https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/andros-vakoni-aladinou-fallika-petrias-livadia-chora-125290719



https://www.routeyou.com/en/route/view/12108491/hiking-route/andros-vakoni-aladinou-fallika-petrias-livadia-chora

 


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