Chóra - Lámyra - Strapouriés - Ano Pitrofós - Ano Aprovátou - Batsi |
||
Evaluation:
This hike is one of the longest that can
be done in Andros: it crosses the island in all its width, most of the
time on beautiful trails. It is also not too difficult - the crossing of
the island by Vourkotí, Arní and Katákilos follows a much higher route,
while the lower walk from Stavropéda to Messariá follows a less
interesting route. The monopátia are still among the most beautiful on
Andros. This hike deserves the maximum of ****.
The hiking sign for walk [1] in Chóra.
(0h09) In a
slight depression of the street, you go down the staircase on the right,
in between two electricity poles (sign and [1]; down at the foot of the
staircase, you continue straight on a descending concrete street [1] and
you reach in this way the river, which flows into the sea on the beach
of Nimborió. If necessary you can cross the river via the wooden bridge
(hiking sign [1]
Ypsiloú 1,6 km / Lámyra 3 km / Ménites 5,5 km / Messariá 6,2 km /
Panachrántou 9,6 km).
[Hikers staying
near the beach of Nimborió can also leave from the far end of the beach,
close to the bridge over the river. You then have to stay on the
left-hand side of the river and a little further on you even have to
walk in the bed of the river – which is only possible in the dry season.
In this way you will also arrive at the large wooden bridge [1].]
(0h12) Past the wooden bridge you go straight ahead [1] and via an earth road you cross the green valley. Strikingly, the valley is full of cypresses and all the way up to the left you can see the dispersed villages of, amongst others, Ypsiloú and Lámyra. About 3 minutes after your departure, you come on a concrete stretch, but, when the little road veers to the right, a clear path starts straight ahead [1]. After some minutes a nice pavement begins and after about 10 minutes, you cross a concrete road, where the path continues straight [1]. Another 4 minutes later on you cross a small brook by means of an old bridge made out of two flat stones – there was still a lot of water on May the 3rd, 2015 and on October the 4th, 2018.
The marvellous path to Ypsiloú, with a bridge built with flat stones. After another two
minutes the trail takes a right near a church with next to it a ruin [1]
– mind the flat stones on
the rood and the bended walls!!.
Always those beautiful paths to Ypsiloú...
(0h28) You
thus take a right and a couple of minutes later you get to a beautiful
stone staircase, wonderfully shaded – this shade is so characteristic
for Andros! Mind the nice walls and slightly further down you keep left
on a cross-trail; you notice a water pipe and a
[1]. The following narrow path is really beautiful, but rather steep and
it runs between high walls - a little later, you keep to the right
[1]. Some
concrete steps announce the village of Ypsiloú; a few minutes later –
pay attention – , you turn left [1], following the water pipe.
(0h36) The
following stretch is nice and runs in between (dry) water-shoots; at the
corner of a large house, you keep to the left (there is a [1] on the
staircase). You continue between a couple of houses; the path or the
steps are made out of concrete and you always proceed in the direction
of Ypsiloú. You cross an asphalt road and you continue on the opposite
side (hiking sign and [1]. First, you reach a little bridge (inscription
1891 of G.K. Empiríkos), immediately thereafter you reach a spot shaded
by a large plane tree: over here you can find the old Doubli-source with
an inscription from 1818, the "paradosiakí kríni Ipsiloú" – mind the row
of 4 plane trees in the brook!
A nice source in Ypsiloú. (0h43) You follow the paved path and after 1 minute, you keep to the left [1] along beautiful cypresses; your trail zigzags further on, passing some waters-hoots, gardens and citrus trees. After about 3-4 minutes you pass a small bridge from 1929 [1]. After a splendid old staircase, you reach a bifurcation, where you take the steps on the left (sign "PROS LAMYRA" and [1]). You then get to another well, a “paradosiakí kríni Ypsiloú” from 1842. You continue straight and descend slowly and – pay attention – , just pas some white houses and near a double electricity pole, you take a RIGHT (sign Pros Lámyra, a little further a [1]). A little later, you keep to the right of a high white house ([1] on the staircase) – the left path descends to a church. After a concrete stretch, you go up to the right on a staircase ([1] on the stairs). After a lot of steps, you keep to the left between 2 houses (sign Pros Lámyra and [1]) and you reach in this way the third white source of Ypsiloú: it dates from 1763 and was renovated in 1890 by the famous N.K. Empiríkos. The inscription on the third source of Ypsiloú. A little later,
you reach a concrete road, which you follow to the left for a short
while ([1] on a wall and a pole). Slightly further down, though, on the
right of a row of cypresses, you can get to the trail again [1]. You
then pass the church of Mesathoúri. (1h03) You now leave the route of walk [1] and you go up the stairs, while keeping to the right. At the end of the staircase, you veer left on a cemented path and you continue while keeping to the left onto a paved lane [10]. You go up, you go to the right at a bifurcation [10], but at the second fork, you take a left [10]. You still go up and arrive down at the retaining wall of a road, you climb the stairs to the left ([10] on a pole) and so you get to a concrete road. (1h09) You go left for 10 meters [10], but you then climb the stairs to the right, next to some cypresses [10]. You immediately veer slightly to the left, but after 1 more minute, you turn right on a paved street [10]. Later on, you still veer right and continue on a concrete path above olive trees and along a beautiful row of cypress trees. You arrive next to an impressive wall surrounding a huge property and you veer left and right [10] following a wider concrete road.
(1h16)
Pay attention: when the road veers to the left, you continue straight on
the staircase [10] next to this enormous "palace" in ruins (which is for
sale!); you go up to the left of a chapel, you veer left next to a house
[10] and you then take a little street to the right [10], which goes up
with steps along a row of cypress trees. You wind right and left, you
continue to climb amid olive groves, you come next to a house and you
finally go left at the end of the stairs ([10] on the steps). After 20
steps, you go to the left and you thus get to the asphalt road (hiking
sign Mesathoúri 1,1 km).
The hiking sign for walks [9] and [10] in Strapouriés. You thus continue
obliquely to the left (hiking sign Ano Pitrofós museum 4,3 km – 1h45 /
Ano Aprovátou 11,1 km – 4h10), at
the foot of a rock.
You go up between some houses and soon you get to a beautiful old trail
with nice steps [9]; after about 3 minutes you keep to the left [9] and
you arrive between beautiful walls. You continue on a flat trail high
above the valley, with a nice view on Chóra.
At first a nice climb, then a flat stretch above the valley of Ménites. (1h30)
Slightly
further you walk on some concrete for a short while, you cross the
little road and the old trail continues straight ahead, on the
right-hand side of a stable [9]. A little later, you keep to the right
at a bifurcation [9] and the nice rocky trail rises gradually between
rather high walls.
After another 4 minutes you veer left between some trees and cypresses
[9] and you continue to climb between walls. You thus walk between
beautiful walls up to the left of the green hill. Once arrived almost on
the top, you continue between holm-oaks and high walls. The view is
still beautiful: in the valley you distinguish
the elongated
village of Messariá, and on the opposite side the monastery of
Panachrántou with the villages of Fállika, Kouréli and Sasá (from left
to right).
(1h42)
You go down now, you get on a thick carpet of leaves next to beautiful
trees and you descend rapidly until you get in a small river bed, under
nice plane trees - you continue straight up, while keeping to the left
of course [9]. After a splendid flat stretch and 6 minutes, you arrive
between old terraces and a lot of holm-oaks and you reach a beautiful
double junction, with many water pipes: the left path goes down to
Ménites - see the walk Chóra - Strapouriés – Ménites.
(1h48)
There is another path on the right, but your walk continues straight
[9]. You proceed more or less horizontally, next to 3 water pipes, and
after a pleasant end, you come next to a very simple chapel - you are
just above Ménites now. (1h53) A little further you descend into a very little valley; you go up again for some minutes and you get to a more open ground, where the trail continues between beautiful walls, which are so typical for Andros – with pieces of normal walls, alternating with vertically erected and sometimes sharp plates [9].
The path continues between splendid walls! Further, you also note on top of the left wall a row of stones set vertically.
A nice detail...
A few minutes later, you descend a little to a shady spot under
cypresses and plane trees, and you veer to the left next to a large rock
[9]. Notice also the nice breakthrough into a wall, which offers a
beautiful view of the surroundings, with an alóni below you. A nice breakthrough...
The trail continues pleasantly and almost horizontally, always with the splendid
view of the valley full of cypresses.
Between very nice walls, with pointed stones... |
(2h10) When you arrive in the
middle of this triangular ground, you go to the far LEFT [9] for the
continuation of your path; you go down for a while and go right, again
between splendid walls and southward. You climb the bare hill and you
see how the trail continues far ahead of you on the next slope.
The building with the olive mill in Ano Pitrofós. (2h41) Just beyond the mill, there is a white staircase that goes up to the right (hiking sign [9]) Ano Aprovátou 6,8 km), you veer left, then you still walk up a white staircase (2 X [9]) and you arrive next to the Barberi-source with its washing-place. The Barberi source in Ano Pitrofós.
You still go up [9]
between the last houses on concrete steps, and you thus get to a small
cemented path. Attention: when it veers down to the left, near the last
house, you should continue STRAIGHT, climbing a small slope between a
stable and an alóni on your left side [9]. You go through a gate in
reinforcing steel and follow a kind of small gravel road for 1 minute,
and then you do not continue to go down, but you take the rocky path to
the left of a wall, right in front of you [9].
A splendid little bridge, and then a very nice climb... After a climb of 8 minutes, you pass next to a large rock, and you reach a triangular spot where you continue straight on [9]. You go down very slowly, sometimes on beautiful flat slabs.
Another nice path! The end of a beautiful stretch... (3h14) You descend in a riverbed, where you step with some difficulty over the water on step stones. You go up again on big, flat stones and after another 4 minutes, you step over a water shoot that comes from the slopes on the right – this is again a splendid stretch, with big, flat slabs.
Always those big flat slabs!
(3h18) You continue to climb
between walls, with sharp stones, towards the crest of the hill; after a
few minutes, you follow the right wall, then you again arrive between
two walls - and so you continue until you get to a rocky gravel road.
Here, the path continues to the left. The trail is vague at
first, it continues in the direction of a high tension pylon, but later
it becomes more obvious (blue mark): you follow a wall and further, you
get again between 2 walls.
(3h30)
For Ano Aprovátou and
Batsí, you should continue straight ahead between the walls (hiking sign
[9] Ano
Aprovátou 2,4 km / Ano Pitrofós 2,6 km / Strapouriés 6,95 km and [9a]
Paleópolis 2,2 km / beach 3,35 km).
(3h43)
After 2 minutes, you
should go up to the right, BEFORE the bend in the road, near a large
rock, and so you get to the old trail (hiking pole).
A very picturesque path... You descend again in a
beautiful valley and cross a third stream. It is very nice to relax a
bit here in the shadow of high cliffs and beside the refreshing water.
(4h33)
You can
follow this
beautiful path for 6 minutes again, then you finally arrive on a
concrete road, under a sloping rock, in the hamlet of Drása. (4h41) If you want to continue further towards Batsí - 1h20 more in AWT! -, you should follow the asphalt road straight, this is now the route [11a]. After 2 minutes, you already see a concrete staircase on the right - there is an information panel for the hikes + [11a]. The concrete staircase becomes an old staircase, then another concrete path that arrives between the houses of Ano Aprovátou on a concrete road that you follow obliquely to the right [11a]. This road turns right, left, right [11a] and left again [11a], then you climb until you arrive more or less outside the village; here you veer left and right again and continue to climb on the concrete road [11a]. (4h57) After 16 minutes since Drása, there is a trail that starts to the left of the rising concrete road (hiking pole [11a]). A little further, you keep to the right through a gate in reinforcing steel [11a], you climb again, then there is another gate. You climb again, you pass a reservoir, you go through another gate [11a], then a little further through a fourth gate. The dirt trail becomes rocky and goes through a fifth metal gate – and suddenly you get to a gravel road. (5h06) A little later – pay attention – you continue to follow the small road, while veering to the right [11a], and not the path that goes down - you already see Batsí. After 5-6 minutes, when the road becomes reddish and veers right, you go left on a cross road [11a], but after another 80 meters, you take a right on an obvious path, well signposted by [11a] . (5h15) After a few minutes, you arrive along a wall, first on the left, then on the right – with a nice view of Batsí – and you see the beautiful white path far in front of you. A marvelous pavement follows now, for many minutes, it is the plakotós drómos, the "paved road".
The splendid "plakotós drómos" or "paved road", that you can follow during 15 minutes.
(5h25) After 10 minutes, you veer right and you follow a wall; the
pavement continues - after 4 minutes, you cross a gate made of
reinforcing steel.
Gpx-files:
|