Chavouná - Karthéa

Evaluation: (0h00) This short hike describes one of the four ways to get to the beach of Póles and the archaeological site of Karthéa. There is firstly walk [3] which begins in Ioulida and follows perhaps the most beautiful and easiest descent to Karthéa (see walk Ioulída - Karthéa ), walk [5] that starts from the Káto Meriá (the inverse of walk Karthéa - Káto Meriá ), walk [6] which begins in Stavroudáki (the inverse of walk Karthéa - Stavroudáki ) and this walk, number [7]. The descent from Chavouná is the shortest, but it is the least picturesque and deserves only **.
[The translation of this walk was made with some help of Google translate - so, do not mind the mistakes...]

Estimated time: This very short walk requires a little more than 40 minutes (AWT).

Route description: [To reach Chavouná , you should rent a car or call a taxi (€ 20).]

[Before starting this hike, you should first drive towards the Káto Meriá and then to Chavouná. After the crossroads at Stavroudáki (there is a road sign showing the direction to the left to " Archéa Karthéa ", that is the beginning of walk [6]), you have to continue a little straight . Once you have reached Chavouná, with some houses and ruins, you see on your left side, in a long right bend, a wide path between walls.]

(0h00) You take this path on the left, and already after 20 meters there is a small chapel where you continue straight. The nice broad trail descends between walls - sometimes it is rocky , but very often there is a beautiful pavement. After 5-6 minutes, you see a sign where you should take a left (sign Karthéa ).

[If you continue straight, you can go to a source, where there is a plaque with the date 1952.]

(0h06) The path that descends to the left is narrower and far more stony. The descent is steep so that you arrive after 5 minutes in the bed of a river. But the trail continues to the left of the bed, and after another minute, you move away from the bed, full of oleanders, while continuing between walls.

(0h12) After a flat section, you go up on a low hill crest you see to the left in front of you. You thus pass the small chapel of Taxiárchis, then you descend slowly next to a wall on the right slope of the valley.

(0h22) Ten minutes after leaving the bed of the river, the wall on the left ends. Now you should keep a little to the left, while searching your way on the rocky slope. After a few minutes, you arrive in the bed of the river, where your path continues between a wall and a metal fence. Then you go up to the left again and the trail becomes easier to follow.
Soon after, you see on your right side the nice little beach Kaliskiá.

(0h30) A little further on, you come to a bifurcation, where the right path goes down to the beach of Kaliskiá - you should keep to the left through an obstacle of bushes. The trail becomes nice again and sometimes it is bordered by large stones. You now descend straight to the bay of Póles, with a beautiful view on the rock in the form of an acropolis of Karthéa and on the splendid retaining wall of the upper temple. After a rather steep descent, you arrive in a stony stream bed, surrounded by bushes, and you go right. You are now on the path of walk [6] which comes from Stavroudáki.

(0h38) You continue for exactly 3 minutes in the river bed and then you get to the beach, next to the chapel of the Panagía toon Póloon  (0h41)

To the left of the beach, there is a staircase leading to the first temple, dedicated to Apollo. You walk through the scarce remains of what was once a temple of 31 to 16 meters, that was built in 530 BC. The ground-plan has been beautifully restored and a sign gives some explanations. A cavity in the rocks contained a statue of Apollo, found in 1811.
At the end of the terrace a path continues to the upper temple of Athena, via steps underneath the wonderful retaining wall.
On the second plateau you first discover the remains of the Propylaea (a kind of gatehouse from the 5th century BC) and other Doric buildings. A little bit further to the right are the remains of the temple of Athena, a Doric temple from the Late Archaic Period (500 BC). The temple measured 12 to 23.2 meters, with 6 columns on the short and 11 on the long side. The foundations are still visible, as well as the "cella" or inner room of the temple. The basis of the old pillars on the long left side is fairly well preserved, some columns are (partly) restored. You also see the remains of the sewerage and also 1 original Doric capital (on the left under a shed).
This isolated temple stands on a truly beautiful, lonely place.

You can picnic on the beach, in the shade of the chapel, at a stone table with benches. Far away, to the south east, lies the island of Kýthnos.
The lonely beach is really beautiful and your swim will be disturbed by anything or anyone.

[It goes without saying that you only can go back on foot. You thus retrace your steps, but the path to Stavroudáki is really nicer – this is the path of walk [6], which also starts to the right of the chapel, in the stony bed of the river. See the walk Karthéa - Stavroudáki.
As for us, we returned following walk [5] , a beautiful route with great views, that finally gets to a gravel road that you will have to follow for nearly half an hour. You then arrive in the Káto Meriá - see the walk Karthéa - Káto Meriá.
If you left your car in Chavouná, you should return by the asphalt road, a monotonous walking of some 45 minutes... ]