Chorió - Psáthi - Goúpa - Agios Nikólaos - Klíma - Xaplovoúni- Chorió

 

Evaluation: On the south-east coast of Kímolos there are a few small fishing villages, with the typical boat garages – on the island of Mílos, there also many boat garages, some of which are even much more beautiful, such as the ones in the villages of Klíma, Fourkovoúni, Mandrákia, etc. Although the hiking trails are not really extraordinary, it is still very pleasant to walk along this picturesque coast. The hike deserves an evaluation of **.

Estimated time: In a little under 20 minutes you descend from Chorió to the small harbour of Psáthi; via the bays of Goúpa and Agios Nikólaos it will take only 40 minutes to reach the most distant point of this not very long hike, namely the beach of Klíma. Via the mills on Xaplovoúni it will then cost you about half an hour to walk back to Chorió.

Route description: (0h00) Just like for all the other hikes you have to leave from the Kámbos. This time you take the little street on the left of the row of houses with the kafenío and the kámara (a vaulted passage). This street goes up and it runs on the left of the Byzantine church of Ioánnis Chrysóstomos. You follow the signposts to the "archaeological museum", you thus walk around the kástro and you get to the museum and then to the large Mitrópoli. 

[The museum is often closed – it should be open, though, from 8.30am to 3pm, every day except on Mondays.]

(0h05) Between the museum and the large church - near the war monument – you take the broad staircase going down. This is the ancient road to the harbour and the staircase is painted with white figures and squares. After 1 minute you keep to the left, of course, and in this way you descend for a few more minutes, until you arrive at the asphalt road. You take a right for a short while, but after 40-50 metres you find the continuation of the paved path on your left. Unfortunately, this old trail is almost completely covered with concrete.

(0h12) Some 3 minutes later you pass a small church and immediately thereafter you find a trail off the left, leading to Goúpa.
You could of course take a left here right away, but today you decide to first descend to the little harbour. After 3 minutes you reach the asphalt road, you go left and after a little while you get to the waterside. Straight across you notice the small jetty for the Panagía Faneroméni, the small ferry boat going to Pollónia on the island of Mílos. On the right there is the pleasant restaurant "To Kýma", but the road continues a little to the left, where there is also a larger pier for the bigger boats.

(0h18) For the continuation of the hike you return to the asphalt road, and already after one minute you find the ‘old’ trail on the right. You take this trail on the right, BEFORE the little church: at first it is a gravel path, but then it turns into concrete. About 2 minutes later you reach a fence with a sign "no entry", but on the left you notice a narrow path continuing into the valley. The somewhat sloppy trail runs in the valley, between tall walls, until it gets to the little harbour of Goúpa, where you already notice some boat garages. The Greeks talk about "sýrmata" ("dragging roads") or "magaziá" ("shops, storehouses") – nowadays these old storages for fishing boats are often converted into depots or even very simple holiday homes.

(0h30) Sometimes you have to clamber in order to continue between the waterside on one side and the boat garages on the other. A little further you have to walk over a simple bridge next to the limestone rocks. You thus get to a small road where you take a right, going down to a second little bay with even more boat garages. By means of steps you arrive at a path, which runs around a little cape – BEFORE a house you have to keep to the left on a concrete slope. You then get to a third bay with boat garages and via some steps and a trail you proceed easily in this remarkable landscape. Have a look to the right, towards the little island with rock arches.

(0h39) Watch out now: just before walking between a wall and some trees, you have to turn to the left sharply and take a trail between walls, on the right-hand side of a house – the continuation along the sea is really picturesque as well, but the trail runs to a dead end and in any case - if you continue -  you will have to walk back until this point.

The path is worn away in the rocks and it runs towards the interior of the island. After some 2 minutes it gets to a small concrete road which you follow to the right. Another 3-4 minutes later you keep to the left, of course, and a while later you go straight ahead. You pass four modernized, so ugly, boat garages; the road narrows and it turns into a stony path between walls. It continues meandering, not too far away from the water. Between tall walls you finally reach the bay of Agios Nikólaos, some 12 minutes after the sharp turn. You notice another 10 not very picturesque boat garages.

(0h51) Next to the final garage there is a small road going up; you pass underneath the chapel and after 6 more minutes you reach the asphalt road.
You follow this road to the right, past the petrol station EKO and after 4-5 minutes you arrive at the modest pebble beach of Klíma – there are a couple of nice trees to provide some shade.

(1h02) You return, past the petrol station and the point where you came from Agios Nikólaos just a moment ago. Already half a minute later, though, you take the gravel road on the right, past a few houses. The road curves to the left, it passes some heaps of stones and then it goes straight up – unfortunately, the gravel road was recently broadened and ‘improved’. This turns out to be quite a steep climb and you have to stay on the main road all the time, also when you notice a trail coming from the right after about 10 minutes.

[This trail comes from the valley, near a stone quarry. And indeed, from Klíma there is a path running in the valley to this quarry; you could then turn to the left sharply and take another trail going up between walls, until you reach the gravel road – it seems that the final part of this trail is completely overgrown, though.]

You keep climbing, you curve to the left and you get to a kind of stony plateau, where you already notice a couple of mills right in front of you. You stay on this very unattractive road, which meanders to the left at first, but then it takes a right to get to the mills – after some 23-24 minutes of climbing up.

(1h30) You are now on the hill ridge of Xaplovoúni, where you discover the remains of 8 mills all together. Only two of them are somewhat preserved, even with their roof covering. The entire site looks rather miserable: only ruins are remaining, with flung down millstones, and a few turning mechanisms with their large spindles. The panoramic view from here is really worthwhile, though.

For the descent to Chorió you should leave from the last but three ruin, on the left of the only house. You go down in south-southwestern direction, on the nicely paved path. It meanders on the southern slope of the Xaplovoúni, which is covered with a mass of cacti. About 3 minutes later the pavement becomes concrete and after a little over 6 minutes you reach the Kámbos again, via the Odós Marigos Polyxénis. (1h36)