Chóra - Livádia - Chóra

 

Evaluation: This is an easy and short walk, you can follow for a day of rest: it allows you to get to know the green valley underneath Livádia and two hamlets of this village. It deserves **. The way marking with [17] is very good.
[5th of May 2016.]
 [The translation of this walk was made with some help of Google translate - so, please, do not mind the mistakes...]

Estimated time: We can divide this walk in three parts: about 35 minutes until the vrýsi (fountain) of Káto Chorió, a little less than 20 minutes until the vrýsi of Péra Chorió and finally a little over 20 minutes until your starting point in Chóra. The actual walking time (AWT) thus amounts to a total of 1h15, but our total time (TWT) mounted to 2h30, taking into account all the breaks.

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 on the left side of the parking lot, but BEFORE you reach the second parking lot you should go right and follow a beautiful trail (hiking sign "Livádia circular route 5.5 km + [17]). You follow this path always straight and so you pass underneath the theater - and the alley with the beautiful pavement again arrives between the houses. [17]. The pavement becomes concrete, you climb some steps and you continue in this way above the green valley. The concrete becomes a nice pavement again and finally, you get to the bend of a concrete road, where you go RIGHT [17].

 (0h10) After a little less than 2 minutes, you keep to the left [17], you are continuing between nice houses - the lane continues straight between high walls and then becomes a dirt path along a beautiful row of cypresses. You veer to the left, you pass through a gate in reinforcing steel [17] and you continue next to a large meadow on a grassy path - you hear from time to time water lapping.

 (0h19) You arrive near a small building, where you veer left and right; you still meander right along the same large meadow, then left again [17] - in the wall, you see an inscription from 1874, again about K. Empiríkos. The pavement of the trail is now really beautiful, it continues between walls.

 (0h23) You arrive in front of the gate of a large house with a beautiful garden: you go left, between the house and a wall [17], and then you cross the valley by following a path that continues straight. You still pass next to a meadow surrounded by walls - remember that the  name "Livádia" means "meadows" ...
 You veer to the right, the old paved path now runs along a small river and reaches a splendid spot, near the old bridge of Livádia, between rows of cypresses.
 You descend some steps, then you go left to cross the water on stepping stones. On the other side, you follow the small concrete road to the right [17]. It continues in the valley between two rows of huge cypresses - and you thus get to the asphalt road.

 (0h29) Over here, you cross the bridge to the right [17] - Livádia lies on the left -, but you then continue diagonally to the left on a small concrete road that starts between a paved road and a marble yard (hiking sign [17] and [17a] Mon. Panachrántou 4.2 km – indeed, you now will follow for a few minutes the hike to the monastery, see the walk Chóra - Livádia -. Panachrántou and back).
 You still follow the course of the river, you cross a little concrete bridge to the left and so you get on the other side to the junction of hikes [17] and [17a]: your walk [17] continues straight while walk [17a] turns right (hiking sign [17] 400 m Káto Chorió / [17a] Mon. Panachrántou 3.9 km).

 (0h32) You follow the narrow concrete path that goes straight between walls [17]; near the houses, you go up the concrete stairs to the right [17] and further the narrow staircase up to the left. This long rocky staircase reaches the top, where you go left [17]; the path is overgrown for a while, you go down a little next to some houses, but while continuing straight between houses, you arrive next to a small white building with a tap, this is the Vrýsi of Káto Chorió.
 You walk down to the left [17] on an old concrete stairs and then you keep to the left to follow a concrete path [17] – pay attention, near the beginning of a row of cypress trees, it veers right [17]. You reach the bridge you crossed a little while ago, but you now follow the asphalt road on the right (hiking sign Chóra 2.2 km + [17]).

 (0h42) You follow the road until, in a sharp turn, you can descend some steps straight down - and then you go up to the right [17] to the church of Agios Konstantínos. At the top of the stairs, however, you get to the same road: you go for a few moments left, but in the next turn, you take the concrete alley that goes diagonally to the left [17].

 (0h48) You descend the many concrete steps, you cross a small bridge and you go up again [17]. Soon, you have a magnificent view of the cypress forest and across the entire valley. You arrive again between some houses, you go down 3 steps and you go up straight on a white staircase [17]; just past a house which bears the date 1983, you come next to the second vrýsi or fountain - you are here in another hamlet of Livádia, Péra Chorió.

 (0h53) You continue to the right of the fountain and you arrive at a small parking lot – pay attention: you now should go down IMMEDIATELY to the left on a concrete staircase [17]. You descend until the bottom of the fertile valley, where you see all kinds of fruit trees; at the end of the alley, you turn right onto a side path [17]. You still go along a row of cypress trees, you keep to the left [17] and you still reach the little concrete road that runs along the water - and you take a right here [17]. Cypresses, magnificent plane trees and other trees provide shade; after a nice 7 minutes, the road veers to the right (small sign [18] and [3]), while you turn left [17] crossing the wooden bridge of Baxédes.

 (1h06) The concrete path becomes paved and  after another 2 minutes, you get to a well- known spot, the circle is closed. You take of course a right [17] and you follow the road for another 7 minutes - and so you arrive in Chóra, between the 2 parking lots. You go up obliquely to the left, but at the top of the upper parking, 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. (1h17)