Estimated time: This fairly short hike only takes about 80 minutes (actual walking time) to the gravel road in Kalogerádos and then another 30 minutes till the mills and thus back to Ioulída – this means a total walking time of about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.  

Route description: (0h00) For all hikes departing from Chóra you leave from the parking place (with bus stop). You walk on the left of the small shop of Kianos, through the picturesque arched passage (the stóa). In this way you arrive at a tiny square, the Piátsa, with the outdoor terrace of the café/estiatório I Piátsa. The small street on the left leads to the Kástro, but you take a right, through a modern vault, to the centre. After some 20 metres you keep to the right at a large wooden hiking sign; in front of you, you can see the church with the red dome of the Agios Dimítrios. You pass the nice bar + outdoor terrace En Levkoó and via the Odós A. Lazarídi it takes you a few hundred metres to get to the central square, the "platía", with the "dimarchío" or town hall.
You continue and at the small electricity store you take a right almost immediately; you then go up the staircase street (a small sign points to the "archaíos léoon", the "old lion"). After some 2 minutes you get to the junction of the important hikes [1] (straight ahead to the Lion and Otziás) and [3] (on the right to the Profítis Ilías and Karthéa).
The sign tells you that it will take you 35 minutes to walk to Messariá, the area around Episkopí.

The hiking sign in Ioulída, at the beginning of walk [3].

(0h05) You thus take a right into the Odós Ilía Malavózou, which is a nice staircase street. After 14-15 steps you go up straight across and to the right [3] and further on you keep to the left [3]. After 77 steps you pass one of the three bakeries of Ioulída and later on there is a mini-market on the left – over here you might buy some more drinks or other supplies. The street continues to go up and by means of a small, climbing concrete road, it leaves the village after 4 minutes; on the left you have a nice view on the site of the Lion.

View on the site of the Lion and path [1].

Another 2-3 minutes later you pass a nice well; from here, the view on the location of the Lion and on the trail of hike no. [1], which runs past the cemetery, above the Lion and then further on, is the most beautiful. The following climb up is really steep and then you arrive at the asphalt road; the staircase continues on the opposite side (a sign points to Elliniká and Karthéa + [3]). You have now been hiking for 19 minutes

(0h19) The beautiful path, which is, especially in the beginning, a broad and paved staircase, passes a few houses. Some 4-5 minutes later it gets to the little asphalt road,  that runs over the hill crest with the mills, close to a chapel. Over here, there used to be 26 mills, mainly on the right, but also on the left – this is the largest number of mills anywhere on the Cyclades! You follow the road to the left, but some 50 metres further, between a house and the first of two mills, the old trail takes a right; in this way you pass on the right-hand side of the 2 mills. You thus avoid a part of the road, but a little later you do get to this road again, where you take a right. Further down, you go to the right again (there is a [9] on the wall). 

[Some 10 metres on the left of this road you find the beginning of the overgrown staircase, leading to the 512-metres high summit of the Thólos.]

(0h25) You thus take a right on the concrete road and you climb up a little. You then have a nice view on the row of mills; you can count 13 of them, of which some have been restored.

The hill crest with the mills.

Agios Theológos.

(0h35) Slightly further, you can see a cart track on the left [9] and you now walk steadily, usually going down slightly on the slope of the valley full of oak trees. After 11-12 minutes, you pass above a little white chapel in the valley, and then you have to pay attention.

[In order to follow hike [9], you have to watch out, some 13 minutes after the beginning of the cart track, or 14 minutes after you have passed the chapel of Theológos! Just past a recently built chapel, you notice an obvious rocky staircase going down into the valley on the left - there is a [9] on an oak tree. See the walk Ioulída - Agios Nikólaos.]

(0h48) Today, we walk past the barely visible turn of hike no. [9] and some 4 minutes further, the cart track turns into a path – which is fairly narrow and overgrown. A couple of minutes later you pass a large bush (not without difficulties), and then also some tree-stumps. This should not put you off, though, because after a few minutes you reach a junction, about 32 minutes past the chapel of Theológos. Over here you take a right and thereafter the trail becomes broader and more obvious.

The shaded path towards Kalogerádos.

Some minutes further there is another junction and you go right again, and up. The clear trail goes up fairly steeply now. You then get to a flat part, where you can admire the green interior of Kéa. On the left in front of you, you can clearly see the continuation of the trail and indeed, the following climbs up are rather nasty. You finally arrive at a gravel road, some 50 minutes all together after the chapel of Theólogos.

You now follow this gravel road – which is not indicated on the Anávasi-map – to the right. This road gradually curves to the right and after some 10 minutes you can already distinguish the mills of Ioulída far away in front of you. About half an hour later you arrive at the hill crest with the mills. You take now the gravel road on the hill crest which passes the ruins, to the right. Later on, you can take the beautiful trail to the left, before the last mill on the small hill (as described in the hike "In and around Ioulída"). You can also continue a little until you get to the sign to Thólos and Kalogerádos, where you have started hike [9] earlier today and where you should take the staircase to the left, of course, to the highest part of Ioulída.

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