Chóra - Sinetí - valley of Dipotámata - water-mill n° 5 and back
Evaluation:
By hiking up and down, leaving from Chóra, this hike makes it possible
to walk through the magnificent valley of Dipotámata in both directions.
The trails, amongst others the one between Chóra and Sinetí and the one
in the valley of Dipotámata itself, are really beautiful, and in the
valley you come across some interesting remains of water mills. The hike
is well signposted with the trail marker [3]. It gets an
evaluation of ***.
[Update by Raymond on October 15th,
2013 and October 7th, 2018.]
Estimated time:
The hike to Sinetí takes 1h10 in actual walking time and then it will
take you another 1h10 to reach the restored water mill at the far end of
the Dipotámata-valley
- the total distance of this way there is 6,78 km. For the return route you can count on the same
span of time, which means that the total actual walking time is 4h40.
Depending on your rest and picnic breaks, the total walking time will be
quite a bit longer.
Route
description:
(0h00) For
all hikes
leaving from Chóra you have to depart from the main street
near the large church of the Panagía tis Kímisis – which is visible from
all over this town (for more details you might have a look at the
description of the small hike in Chóra itself). Today you should follow
the main street to the right (facing the church) and soon you arrive at
the big square of Vas. Goulandris, where you find an information sign of
Andros Routes. You keep following the pedestrian street (little signs
[1], [2], [3], [8a], [17] and [18]!). At the end of
this street, after 70 meters, you keep to the left and continue
obliquely to the right, in the direction of the parking lots (signs [3],
[17] and [18]. You follow the concrete street obliquely to the right,
thus on the left side of the parking lot and you keep to the left on the
road next to the second parking lot – where walk [17] goes right.
(0h09)
After a bend, you arrive at the bridge over the Megálos Potamós: you
cross it to the right and continue to the right ([3] and [18]). A little
later, walks [17] and [18] go to the right on a smaller concrete road
(next to the old
bridge, now useless), but you should continue STRAIGHT for hike [3]
(hiking sign). The road veers to the left in the direction of the
football ground, but just BEFORE the tavern Parapórti, you should take
the little concrete lane on the right – there is a hiking sign Sinetí
3km / Dipotámata 5,5 km / Ormos Korthíou 10,5 km and the trail marker
[3].
(0h13)
You follow a concrete alley next to a house, then you go up for some 8
minutes on a nice meandering staircase, with a view over the entire
valley; you can see Chóra with the villages of Ipsiloú and Lámyra
beyond. After 7 minutes and 265 steps the staircase is destroyed and you go up
on the left in the direction of a chapel. After one minute you thus
reach the asphalt road that runs to the little heliport.
(0h22)
On the opposite side and slightly to the right the trail continues [3]:
it will lead through a small valley and you already can see the trail
continuing on the opposite slope. Some 5 minutes later you cross the
small valley – the water is bordered with oleanders and there was still
water (with little crabs) on October 15th 2013! You now get
to a marvellous climb on a very beautiful, but slightly overgrown
staircase, with about 385 steps. Have a look at the way in which large,
flat stones have been used here, in contrast with the vertical and
smaller stones on the trail to Apíkia. Another 9 minutes later you cross the main asphalt road [3].
(0h36) You continue by
climbing by three sets of steps: first 80 steps, then a rocky stretch
that leads you down to a tiny bridge, which consists of one large flat
stone; a second series of 110 steps, which brings you
to a little rocky plateau, and finally another
45 steps, arriving at another rocky plateau, from where you have a
wonderful view of Chóra and the entire valley.
(0h46) You go up for some
moments and then go down slowly - Chóra disappears - and you climb again
during some minutes on a nice, rocky path, with the road and the deep
valley on your left side. Then,
there is a vague bifurcation - just past a nice threshing floor - where
you should keep to the right, and 1 minute later another clear
bifurcation.
[The right path is also very nice: it rises firstly for 3 minutes, then
it continues horizontally to the right, farther to the left. It is here
that you have a splendid view of Chóra, and the walls with sharp stones
are just as beautiful. There are vineyards on the left and the rocky
trail ends near some fields...]
(0h51)
You keep to the left (only a red mark) and it
will take now only 2 minutes to descend to the asphalt road, which you
follow towards the right – there are no trail markers at this point!
After 5 minutes you get to a junction and you should keep to the RIGHT
(hiking pole [3]).
[A few years ago, the hike continued here on the left and it followed the asphalt road for another 6 minutes. Just after a shelter on the left and just before a bench, there was a concrete path on the right, which entered the village ...]
Now you follow the road to the right for
7 minutes (1 sign [3]).
(1h05) It is only after 7 minutes that there is an obvious sign that
offers you the opportunity or to continue straight (without a visit to
Sinetí) or to go down to the left towards the village.
You go down the stairs on the LEFT (sign
Sinetí 300 m / Dipotámata 2,8 km / Kochýlou 4,8 km / Ormos 7,8 km) - you
descend about 160 white steps, which alternate with some flat ends. So
you pass high above the church.
After 4 minutes, you continue your descent [3] and after 75 zigzag
steps, you get to a side street where the indication [3] sends you to
the left. Further on, you still keep to the left [3], but near a spring,
you descend to the right [3] and you thus arrive next to the church,
where you veer to the right. At the end of the concrete lane, you go
down again to the left, but then you follow a cross lane on the right
(arrow with a [3]). You arrive in this way at
the kafenío I Vrýsi: there is a pleasant outdoor terrace, with on the
left a well ("vrýsi") with the sign "18 July 1892".
(1h09)
To
continue on this hike you take the staircase that goes up on the left of the
well. You then take, halfway the stairs, the first street on the left [3] and
after 1 minute you keep to the right in order to follow the concrete steps [3],
next to some water pipes – these steps bring you to the top of the rocky valley.
After many steps and some 6 minutes after your departure you arrive at a
concrete road; at this point this road runs to a dead end at the water tank. You
follow the concrete road to the left, it goes up quite steeply and after 7
minutes you reach the asphalt road once more.
(1h28)
You have to follow this road now towards the left for about 1 km.
You pass a first gravel road, which turns back sharply, and after
700-800 metres or 10 minutes you notice another gravel road on your
left-hand side. However, some 15 metres PAST this gravel road you also
find the beginning of a trail between walls. This trail runs parallel to
the gravel road (there is an information panel of AndrosRoutes, a sign “Dipotámata”
and a hiking sign [3] Sinetí 1,5 km / Chóra 4,8 km).
(1h40) Gradually, you now proceed deeper into the Dipotámata-gorge, via a marvellous trail with beautiful walls, with gurgling water underneath and midst blooming broom (May 2005). Even in September 2007, after a very dry summer, there was still water in the valley! The gravel road comes to an end after 6 minutes, but you continue on your marvellous path [3]. After some 15 minutes all together you cross the small river on a nice bridge – next to it you notice the ruins of a water mill. In earlier days there used to be more than ten water mills, upstream from here towards Exo Vouní!
(1h56)
On the other side of the
bridge, a wonderful kalderími climbs higher and higher; now and then you have
some great views on the right, on the gorge with the multitude of terraces and
on the ruins of water mills. After a while the trail becomes narrower, slightly
overgrown and also wet as a result of some streaming water. Thereafter it turns
into a very nice staircase path again.
About 12 minutes past
the bridge there is a junction: the trail on the left continues to Kochílou and
Ormos Korthíou (arrow + [3]) – see the hike Chóra - Sinetí - Ormos Korthíou.
(2h09) But today you have to
proceed STRAIGHT AHEAD, on a beautiful trail with nice flat stones on the side.
Right in front of you, on the other hill and running between walls, you can
already see the continuation of the path.
After 5 minutes you get to a T-junction, indeed, where you take a sharp right.
The trail is more overgrown now, and after one minute you have to
continue on its left-hand side; a little later you can walk on the old
path again. Some 3 minutes later you
get to an obstruction made of stones.
[On the other side of the
obstruction the trail continues and it descends into the valley – almost
immediately you notice a nice taffoni, on the other side of the wall on the
right -, but this runs to a dead end after only 5 minutes...]
(2h17)
Just past the obstruction you can take a vague trail going up on the LEFT, until
you arrive at the asphalt road
– there is even a cairn, left behind by Pierre Songis, an ardent French hiker.
You take a right on the asphalt road and you have to follow this road for about
700 metres or 10 minutes – until you get to a sharp turn at the end of the
valley.
(2h28)
About halfway the curve you find a small gravel road off the left – a signpost
points to the "nerómylo
n° 5". You can indeed follow the gravel road for a short while and take the
steps going down on the left to reach a restored water mill. On the right of
this mill you can climb onto the roof, to find out how the water supply used to
work: a reservoir was made of upright stones and through a whole, with a bung
and a lever, which was operated from below, the water was streaming on the flat
and rotating wheel.
(2h32)
For the return route you follow exactly the same road.
This means that you
walk back on the asphalt road and after 10 minutes you have to look for the
trail: past the second sign announcing a curve, and some 10 metres before a
large electricity post with supporting cables, you notice the cairn of Pierre
Songis - fortunately. A vague trail goes down and you thus get to a beautiful
trail, which you have to follow to the right for quite a while. You first step
over an obstruction made of stones and then you get to a part of the trail that
is rather overgrown – you even have to continue on its right-hand side for a
while. About 5 minutes further on you arrive at a three-forked road; going up on
the right would bring you to Kochílou, but you have to descend straight ahead,
into the valley. From this point onwards, the trail is really straight forward,
so a few short indications will be sufficient:
(2h51) You first keep going down and after 10-11 minutes you reach a nice bridge. The marvellous trail then goes up slightly, with sometimes really beautiful walls alongside it. Some 16 minutes later you arrive at the asphalt road again.
(3h17) You
take the road to the right and after
10-11 minutes you follow the
small concrete road off the right to Sinetí. Where this road runs to a dead end,
at the water tank, you go down the steps until you get to the concrete
cross-path, where you taje a left. After a little more than one minute, you
descend the staircase to the right and you get in this way to the little square
in the centre of the village, next to the café I Vrýsi – this might be a good
spot to take some rest?
(3h40)
You go left and go down a
bit, and near a pole, you go up the first staircase on the LEFT; you veer right
and you thus arrive at the right side of the church.
Beyond the church, you veer to the left and climb the stairs - and you thus
arrive at the cross-street in front of the little spring, where you take a
right.
About 4 minutes later, you go left on the stairs coming from the right, and so
you get to the asphalt road.
[If you take a right here, you can go down to the beach of Sinetí: you should
therefore keep to the left at the next junction (sign "Paralía Sinetíou") and
just beyond the house under construction,
there is a
concrete staircase that descends to the right...]
(3h47) To return to Chóra, you take a
sharp left here, you go up for 6 minutes and you keep of course to the right at
the crossroads.
After almost 6 minutes or 400 meters along the road, you will find on the left
side the staircase-path to Chóra (sign Chóra).
(3h59)
The continuation of the path is obvious: after
2 minutes you keep to the
right at the junction and very soon Chóra will appear
- from now on, you will go down
most of the time...
After a few steps, you reach a plateau and then you descend 40 more steps to
reach the second plateau [3]; a little more than a hundred old steps, and then
you pass the small bridge [3]. After again 70 steps, you get to the asphalt road.
(4h14)
The trail continues almost opposite (next to a road sign) ([3] on a stone).
After 350 steps, which are sometimes very large, you arrive in the river bed.
You go up for 6 minutes - a pavement with large flat stones - and about 110
steps later, you get again to the asphalt road.
Next to the chapel and especially
late in the afternoon, you have a magnificent view on Chóra all the way.
(4h27)
You continue on the opposite side [3] and you descend for about
8 minutes on a nice and winding staircase with old steps. You get to the little
concrete road and next to the tavern, where you take a right to the beach of
Parapórti. You walk along the beach, you cross the estuary of a small river and
you go up the steps to the square of Kaïri. By going left it will only take you
a short while to reach your point of departure. (4h49)
Gpx-files:
https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=setCurrentSpatialArtifact&id=65852094