Chóra - Tripótamos - Xóbourgo - Koumáros - Loutrá - Kámbos - Chatzirádos - Ktikádos - Chóra
Evaluation:
This hike is rather long, but it is really fascinating; along the road
you get to know about five beautiful villages in the interior of the
island and you can also climb to the 559-metres high summit of Xóbourgo.
A number of trails are absolutely marvellous. This hike definitely
deserves an evaluation of ***.
Estimated time:
The total hike takes 4h45– actual hiking time: 1h45 to the
foot of Xóbourgo,
15 minutes till Koumáros, some 20 minutes to Loutrá,
35 minutes till Kámbos, 30 minutes till Ktikádos and then another hour
back to Chóra. By taking it fairly easy we hiked from 10.30am to
7.30pm. If you want to climb up the platform of Xóbourgo you have to
add another hour – but you can also combine this climb with another
hike. You can considerably shorten the hike by taking a taxi to Xóbourgo
(7 € in April 2005) or by catching the bus from Kámbos back to Chóra
– if the bus schedule allows you to.
Route
description: (0h00)
You start from the center of the town of Tínos or Chóra, near the small
roundabout, the exedra, down the large avenue that goes up to the
Panagía Evangelístria (hiking pole for walks T1: Póles 30' / Tripótamos
1h50 / 4,4 km / Xóbourgo 2h / 5,6 km.). You follow the wide avenue
straight (=), near the penultimate street on the left, you see a small
blue sign Falatádos, but you continue straight (=) until the square in
front of the imposing building of the Panagía Evangelistria.
[If you
want to you can first visit the church.]
(0h07) You go there obliquely to the left (hiking picket Póles
20' / Tripótamos 1h20 / Xóbourgo 1h45) and you veer to the right (=);
you thus climb the paved street, to the left of the large building. At
the end you continue straight on the concrete slope (hiking picket and
=), but at the end of it you go LEFT until you get to a paved cross
street (=), where you go up on the right (old blue sign and =). Near a
sort of fork, you keep to the right until you reach the bypass road.
(0h15) Opposite, you continue to climb on the wide paved path
(hiking picket Póles 15' / Tripótamos 1h10 / Xóbourgo 1h35 / 4,7 km).
The pavement is beautiful, but the real old pavement only begins after 2
minutes – you then climb between traditional low walls. Let's not forget
that this is the old Venetian road, which centuries ago linked the port
of Tínos to the fort of Xóbourgo... You continue straight ahead.
(0h25) After a total of 25 minutes, you come to a side road on
the right (hiking picket Pyrgi Ochyrosis 1') – you can go and have a
look to the right until near two tower ruins, then you go back to the
main trail.
It is also where Poles was located, the ancient capital of the island in
antiquity...
(0h27) You continue straight ahead, climbing the magnificent
kalderími. All the while, you enjoy a very fine view of the monastery,
across the valley to your right, and also of the massive rock of
Xóbourgo, which slowly becomes visible above the ridge of the hill.
(0h46)
After another 20 minutes, you arrive for a short time on a gravel road that
comes from the left, but after 10 m already, you can continue straight on the
old monopáti. You pass below a small church, you gradually veer to the right and
thus, you have again a beautiful panorama over Chóra.
(0h53) After a little over 50 minutes, you arrive near the chapel of Kýra
Xéni - it used to be a well-kept place, but now it's almost a ruin... You can
take a little rest inside on a bench.
You are here at an important crossroads of two paths and you will probably come
back here a few more times (hiking picket T1 Ktikádos 20' / 0,8 km / Kiónia 1h15
/ 3,7 km / Tripótamos 30' / 1,4 km / Xóbourgo 1h / 2,6 km).
On the right there is only an obstructed path, on the left there is the
beautiful monopáti which descends in the direction of Ktikádos and Kámbos (= and
[4]) – see the hike Chóra – Ktikádos – Kiónia – Chóra).
Straight ahead (and to the right of the chapel), the path continues towards
Xóbourgo (=) - this is the direction you must take today. The path becomes
narrower and after 8 minutes there is still a left path [4a] towards Ktikádos,
but you don't take it of course.
Your path continues to climb and after 13 minutes, near an alóni (threshing
floor), you have a beautiful view of Xóbourgo and the mills on the ridge in
front of you. From here, you go down very slowly, then you go up again. A few
minutes later there is a fork: your path continues to the left over a small
bridge (=), to your right you see a beautiful spring. After another 5-6 minutes,
the path ends on the asphalt road, next to some houses of Tripótamos. Opposite
and to the left you see the famous cheese factory (the "tirokomío") (hiking
picket Xóbourgo 30' / 1,4 km / right Tripótamos 10' / 0,3 km / Mountádos 40' /
1,9 km) .
(1h15)
You go for a few moments to the left, but to the right of the entrance to the
factory (hiking picket), you can go down to a path sunk in the ground. You pass
to the left of a small church and you continue towards the right windmill. Once
there, you continue straight ahead, next to a white building. It's often very
windy here - it's no coincidence that there are windmills...
Just beyond the small white building, you take the path on the right (=), and 20
meters further on, you take the path on the right again (=). The narrow path
covered with vegetation climbs until you arrive about Xinára, in the direction
of the valley which is to the right of the impressive rocky hill of Xóbourgo.
After 10 minutes you pass to the left of a chapel: just before reaching the
chapel, there is a path on the left towards Xinára [2]. You continue straight
(=), but just beyond the chapel there is a large sign that sends you to the left
(hiking picket Xóbourgo 15’ / to the right Tripótamos).
(1h32) You now climb with a very nice view of the wide valley below the
Kechrovoúni monastery - you also see excavations on your right A little further,
the hike [3a] turns right - see the hike Kechrovoúni - Xóbourgo - Kechrovoúni,
but you continue straight ([3a] and =).
You cross the old
city, where excavations are still going on.
The beautiful old trail
ascends for 10 more minutes while you veer to the left around the rock, which is
crowned with other ruins.
By climbing up all the time you get underneath a white chapel and slightly
further down you can already distinguish the large building of the monastery of
Iera Kardía. A path on the left leads to the small church – this is a pleasant
picnic spot, not only because of the great panoramic view, but also because you
can sit out of the wind.
The landscape is green and grand, with a view on Falatádos towards the left,
with the Tsikniás and the monastery and Mountádos in front of you and with Chóra
on the right. The islands located in front of you are: on the left the island of
Mýkonos with the smaller islands of Dílos and Rhínia, and further to the right
first the island of Náxos and then Páros.
From the little church you walk back to the main trail, which you follow to the
left.
(1h43)
You arrive in front of the large building of the monastery of Iera Kardía (The
Sacred Heart) (hiking picket to the the left and ip kástro /to the right Voláx
M4 and Karýa T1).
[Just
before the wall, there is a staircase that goes up to the left - a wooden sign
indicates the direction of the kástro of Xóbourgo.
You are here at an altitude of 440 m and you can
eventually climb to the top of Xóbourgo, 559 meters high. After
about 3 minutes you already walk through some remains of ruins and after 8
minutes you arrive at the actual Venetian remnants of the kástro. By the way,
the name Xóbourgo comes from
the Italian Sobborgo (= suburb, walled city).
At this place, though, also remains of much older buildings have been found,
such as the remnants of the ancient city of Tínos, founded at about 1000 BC.
During the excavations, some geometrical and archaic statuettes have also been
discovered.
After a total of 11
minutes, you arrive at the top – it was not that difficult! Here you see the
cross of 1931 and the aerials on top of the 559-metres-high summit. The
panoramic view is fantastic over here: from the southeast to the southwest (and
from left to right) you can distinguish in clear weather: Mýkonos with Dílos and
Rhínia (and the islands of Náxos, Páros and Antíparos beyond), Sýros (with the
islands of Sífnos, Sérifos and Kýthnos beyond) and the uninhabited island of
Giáros. You can also discern many villages:
in the east, you can see the Profítis
Ilías and the villages of Falatádos, Myrsíni and Stení, and then the top of
Kechrovoúni (with antenna), with to the right the monastery and below Mountádos.
In the south, there is
Tripótamos, with in the distance Chóra and rightmost Ktikádos, Chatzirádos and
the beach of Kiónia.
To the west, you see Kámbos, with higher Tarampádos and Smardákito. In the
valley there are Xinára, Loutrá and the larger village of Kómi - with beyond
Kalloní, Káto Klísma and the distant Aetofoliá; still more to the right, you see
Krókos, Skaládos and even
Agápi.
To the
north finally, you discover Koumáros with beyond it Vólax.
In total, you can
distinguish more than 20 villages!
The descent is quite easy and
takes about 8-9 minutes - the path is rather uneven and there are 200 steps.]
You follow the LEFT road to the left (=): it veers right, but there is
immediately a path on the left (hiking picket and =). The start is very steep
and quite soon there are many villages which become visible in the valley, with
Koumáros quite to the right and below. The path becomes less steep and gets
after 7 minutes to another path which comes from the right.
[You could have taken this less steep path by following, a little further beyond
the path you took, the asphalt road for a few more minutes…]
(1h50) You go down to the left (arrow and =) and the path becomes very
beautiful. After another 5 minutes you already reach the first buildings; you
keep to the left near a small fountain (=) and you thus arrive between the
houses of Koumáros.
Notice the inscription on the left, on the second house: "Nos sciemus virtutem
et ipse ad nihilum deducet inimicos nostros 1857" or, in English "We will
practice virtue and he (God) will reduce our enemies to nothing".
(1h58) Quite soon, you arrive at a side path (hiking picket to the left
Skaládos / to the right Voláx 30' / 1,3 km / Agápi 1h20 / 3,9 km) - you pass
next to the self-service café I Leschi, then through a beautiful kamára (vaulted
passage) -
you walk
in this
way
through the village till you reach the
asphalt road, where you can find a nice well. You then walk back the way
you came and some 10 metres past the third vault and the café, at the
house with number 35, you take a right
(hiking picket and marble sign "Pros Loutrá").
(2h05)
You thus go down, but slightly further you keep
to the left (red dot) and in this way you walk in north-western direction out of
the village. At the end of the village, you take a sharp right (marble sign) and
you descend now a beautiful shaded staircase.
After a few minutes, you pass the source or "pigádi" of Koumáros.
You keep going down on an old staircase, always with a view on Xóbourgo on the
left.
The path with the uneven pavement arrives after a total of 8 minutes on a
concrete spot in a valley, but the trail continues across - there are a few
steps (red dot).
After 3 minutes, you get to a sharp bend of a dirt road, near a beautiful oak
[2]
– you have to take the gravel road going DOWN on the left (so the
second road).
(2h14) You follow this road for some 6 minutes, which means that you have to go through a broad open gate. You thus get near the village of Loutrá, on the asphalt road. You take a left for a short while and then you go right immediately, towards the village. You enter the village on the right of the school. You proceed in the direction of the museum, you go past the church and in the centre you take a left. You should have a look into the side street off the right, with the vaulted arches. You continue through the village in south-western direction, on the right of the Ursulin monastery, until you get to the left of the large building of the Jezuits.
(2h34)
Over
here you notice
a crossing – the trail on the right leads to the villages of Perástra and Krókos, but you continue straight ahead on the nice stone
staircase ([2]
and wooden sign Kámbos
35').
The descent that follows is really beautiful:
after 2 minutes,
you should keep to the left;
the trail is sometimes overgrown, further, it is dug in and after
another 6 minutes, you cross a
small river with streaming water (27 April 2005 and 30 April 2016) by
means of a number of stepping stones
- after 20 meters, you should take the left path, the right one leads to
a field...
Then you go up quickly: there is a beautiful passage under a tree, and
after 3 minutes, you keep to the left between walls - above, you have a
great view on the three villages behind you: Krókos, Skaládos and Loutrá
to the right. On your left-hand side you see the high rock of Xóbourgo
with the village of Xinára.
A little further on, you turn right under an old mulberry tree, you now
continue between walls and you get to open ground next to gardens and
some ruins.
(2h50) You go right between
the ruins and then you find on the left a nice path along a high wall
(red mark);
you veer to the left, you pass close to a house and you continue above a
cistern and several terraces.
You still pass under a mulberry tree in a depression, then you follow for
quite some time a path that runs under hanging Mediterranean oaks [2].
(2h56) Pay attention: just
after a [2] on a tree, you should take a RIGHT near a rounded wall [2]:
the narrow path quickly goes up between a high and a low wall, to the
right of a
ruin [2] and always with a beautiful view on your right side.
After another 4-5 minutes, you still should pay attention: next to a
rounded wall, you should take a LEFT on small rocky steps and below a
tree [2].
After another steep climb, you arrive after 3 minutes to the right of a
stable;
you pass underneath a chapel with a small blue spire, you go through a gate in
reinforcing steel and you climb on rocky or concrete steps until you
arrive next to another chapel.
(3h12) A wide paved trail now
runs straight to the blue dome of Kámbos and so you get to a bend in the
asphalt road.
You follow the road to the right, but after 2 minutes, you take the
concrete lane to the left, between walls [2].
You follow the cobbled street to the right and left, you cross a kamára
(archway) and you immediately go left and right again.
You reach in this way a crossroads, just before the second church - on
the corner to the left, you see the snack bar Romantica -
taking some rest is not a bad idea…
(3h17)
You
take a
LEFT
next to the bar Romantica (so
BEFORE
the second church),
until you get to the end of the village (have a look at the beautiful
side streets). In this way you arrive at the asphalt road, near a
telephone booth and the bus shed. You keep following the asphalt road to
the left, in the direction of the mill with a red roof. Some 4 minutes
further down, in a bend to the left and about 50 metres before the mill,
there is a concrete wall with a gate on the right, to the left of which
you find the beginning of a path between walls.
You descend
towards the blue dome of the church of Chatzirádos – after 4 minutes
you keep to the left at a chapel, obviously (there are some red dots),
and a couple of minutes later you cross a gravel road.
On a steep
slope you then proceed straight ahead.
(3h33)
The sloppy path
almost gets to Chatzirádos, but 50 metres before the church a broad
staircase comes from the right-hand side. Over here you enter a
paved alley on the left. Another 50 metres further down, on a small
square next to a little tower, you go up a broad staircase on the left.
You thus get next to the asphalt road with a bus stop. You
do not walk on the asphalt road, but you continue straight ahead on the
paved street on the right-hand side of this road. In this way you
proceed in the direction of a ruin of a mill on the opposite hill.
The concrete
street, later on with steps, leads to a bridge. You cross this bridge
and then the road keeps meandering between the dispersed houses – once
in a while there is a small church. You keep to the left and then to the
right (red dots) and you thus get to another asphalt road, which you
follow to the right for about 200 metres. At the end of this road (near
a bus shed) you go straight ahead on the street running on the left-hand
side of the large church. You are now in Ktikádos, another beautiful
village; you should have a look at the beautifully decorated lunettes
above the windows, even in the new houses. You first pass the Ouzéri
Agnánti, and slightly further the beautiful tavern Drosiá. Over here
you can have a drink, enjoying the great panoramic view. A little
further, though, the view is as beautiful from the forecourt of the last
church, the Panagía Megalómata (Our Blessed Lady with the big eyes)
– to get to this spot you have to go right for a short while, through
the gate with a nicely decorated frame. The view over the green
terraces is fantastic and in the church itself there are a number of
wonderful icons.
(3h47) Outside the village you immediately get to another beautiful path, on the left of the green valley. After 3-4 minutes you ignore the trail going down on the right, but you continue horizontally. You thus proceed straight towards the chapel far away in front of you, in the depression of the hills just opposite – this is where you were this morning! Just before you really start going down, you notice the beautiful staircase straight ahead on the opposite side… You cross the river on a marvellous arched bridge, built in 1859, and you then climb for 5 minutes on a nice, broad staircase towards the chapel.
(4h02)
In this way you
get back to the laid out terrace, from where you can already see the
tongue of land of the town of Tinos
and
the old harbour. On the left you distinguish the island of Mýkonos with the
small island of Dílos, and further on the islands of Náxos and Páros.
You take a right here, of course, on the beautiful and old monopáti,
which easily brings you back to Chóra. After 8 minutes you get to a
gravel road for a short while, but some 20 metres further down you take
a left again, onto the old trail – it still dates from the era of the
Venetians. During the long and steady descent in the evening sun you
gradually get a really beautiful view on the town of Tínos.