Ioulída - Messariá - Profítis Ilías - Astrá - Elliniká - Agios Simeoón - Karthéa

Evaluation: In most publications on Tzia, this hike, which is signposted all the way by means of the trail marker [3], is considered as the most beautiful of the island. The trajectory past the Profítis Ilías, which runs through a unique oak forest, and the part from Agios Simeoón to Karthéa are magnificent, indeed. It is a pity, though, that a few parts of the original road between Karthéa and Ioulída (two of the four ancient big cities of the island, the so-called "tetrapolis") have disappeared when the modern road was constructed – as a result, you have to walk a couple of kilometres on the asphalt road. Without counting the stretches on this asphalt road, this hike would deserve the maximum evaluation of ****; now, the entire hike definitely gets an evaluation of ***.

Estimated time: In one direction, this long hike takes almost 4 hours of actual walking time: about 46 minutes to the junction at Episkopí, some 38 minutes for the trajectory past the Profítis Ilías to the road, then you have to walk on asphalt for 22 minutes until you get to Elliniká, 79 more minutes and you have passed the Agios Simeoón (a few parts are made out of gravel, but there are also 17 minutes of asphalt road) and finally, fortunately, there is a marvellous stretch of 51 minutes till Karthéa or the bay of Póles. From Karthéa you have to walk back to Stavroudáki (to reach the asphalt road) – which makes for another hour. So, all together, this turns into a hike of 5 hours actual walking time; this is thus a very long hike, maybe even a little too long. We divided hikes no. [3] + [6] in two, and in this way you can avoid a large part of the asphalt road: a first time until you have passed the Profítis Ilías, and a second time from Elliníká to Karthéa, with the return route to Stavroudáki.

Route description: 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 + 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 Karthéa).
The sign tells you that it will take you 35 minutes to walk to Messariá, the area around Episkopí. 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. 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.

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 a gravel road which arrives at the asphalt road after about one minute. The gravel road continues straight across, with a number [3] somewhat hidden on the left-hand wall. Almost immediately, the monopáti continues on the right [3], and it is nicely paved now and then. After another 6-7 minutes, at a tall electricity pole, there is a junction: trail no. [3] continues on the left and it then runs, somewhat overgrown, on the left-hand side of a wall. It takes some struggling through the thistles – long trousers and long sleeves are quite handy, again -, you pass underneath a beautiful knotty tree and after 5-6 minutes you keep to the left again. Some 2 minutes later you walk through a typical Greek gate made out of rusty iron and you get to a gravel road for a very short while. On the opposite side, however, your trail continues between walls. The trail is more obvious now and it is somewhat paved. After another 3 minutes you cross a thin stream of water; further on you keep to the left on a vague junction and then you arrive at a marvellous well with clear, potable water – the tablet mentions the year 1879.

You take the beautiful staircase going up on the left and after 2 minutes already, you reach a clear three-forked junction, without any indications (you can, however, find the remains of a small, broken off post): hike no. [3] continues up on the right, straight ahead you go to Sikamiá (hike no. [4]) and also to the old monastery of Episkopí.

[A small detour to Episkopí – so straight ahead and after 2-3 minutes taking a right at a hiking sign – will only cost you 15 minutes, up and down.]

You thus take a right on a beautifully shaded staircase; later on it turns into a regular path, which brings you to the asphalt road in 5 minutes. You take a right for one minute and between two houses you find the beginning of your trail no. [3] again, between walls (note the hiking sign). Slightly further, some beautiful pavement begins, and also the climb to the Profítis Ilías in front of you, with plenty of aerials on top of it. The monopáti is very large and after 12 minutes it describes a sharp curve to the right. The kalderími keeps on climbing and after another 9 minutes it becomes a nice staircase. You climb up on the shaded trail for 3 more minutes and then you reach the highest point – surprisingly, the summit of the Profítis Ilías on the left, is very nearby; also the view to the right, on the valley full of oak trees, is wonderful. A little further you arrive at the gravel road, leading to the top. You take a right, but very soon the old trail continues again. The pavement is still beautiful, except at the very end, just before you arrive at the asphalt road.  

[If you would like to divide hike no. [3] in 2 parts, you should do so over here, because you will now have to follow the asphalt road for 22 minutes. You can return the same way you came, but – according to the Anávasi-map - it should be possible to follow the asphalt road some 700 metres to the right and then you should take the gravel road off the right in the direction of Agios Nikólaos. Past the chapel, hike no. [9] takes a right, and via Kalogerádos and Thólos this hike will bring you back to Ioulída. For a part of this opposite trajectory, see my hike Ioulída - Thólos - Kalogerádos - Ioulída. Hike no. [9] is also the only hike on the island that is almost not indicated.]

If you would like to continue with the route of hike no. [3], you now have to follow the asphalt road for 22 minutes. After some 2 minutes you should NOT take the gravel road off the left, obviously, but you should stay on the fairly horizontal, main road. After 17 minutes you arrive in Astrá, with on the left a nice well with the year 1874 on it. You go up now, by describing a large curve and then, at the few houses of Elliniká, you finally notice the relieving hiking sign + [3]. On the left of the road you go down on a small concrete road, but this soon turns into a beautiful, stony trail – this continues almost horizontally and steadily. To the left you have a nice view on the valley, with the small island of Makrónissos in the sea and also the main land. Slightly more to the right you notice the nice cone of the Agios Simeoón. Some 10 minutes later you reach a beautiful spot, at the chapel of Agii Anárgyri, with a well and a washing place.  

You walk on concrete for one minute, but then the trail becomes beautiful again. After 2 minutes you keep to the right and another 3-4 minutes later you reach a nice staircase, which zigzaggingly gets to a gravel road. According to the hiking sign you are already 2h05 away from Ioulída; the path on the left (NOT the gravel road) is one of the hiking possibilities to the small beach of Agios Fílippos, but hike no. [3] follows the gravel road to the right.  

[At first, hike no. [8] to Agios Fílippos seems to follow nice trails, but after about half an hour we got stuck in a small valley without a clear trail. ]

You follow the gravel road for about 11-12 minutes and just before this road gets to the asphalt road, you find a monopáti going up on the right [3]. After 3-4 minutes, though, also this path gets to the asphalt road, not far away from the crossing know as Loúros. You go left for a short while, but a little further there is another narrow gravel road off the right – you follow this road, going down for about 1 km. At the end, after some 17-18 minutes, the slope gets steeper, you get to some concrete and then you have to watch out: just before a farm and under an electricity pole you notice a path to the left – there is an obvious [3] as well. This is a beautiful trail, which turns into a staircase later on; after a flat part you arrive at the asphalt road again, which you follow to the right. According to the hiking sign it has now been 2h40 since you left Ioulída.

[About 5 minutes further on you can see two trails on the left, at a small blue chapel; the right-hand trail goes to Agios Fílippos, according to the hiking sign only at a distance of 1h00. This hike no. [8] is probably the best and definitely the shortest hiking route to the deserted beach. ]

After 10 minutes of asphalt road, you should NOT take the gravel road on the left to Agios Simeoón, but you keep following the asphalt road going up on the right. This road does get narrower at this point and after 7 minutes it ends in a gravel road between walls, which you follow straight ahead. After about 6 minutes this difficult gravel road narrows down to a stony path. The sign straight ahead tells you that it will take you another 55 minutes to Karthéa.

You now walk on a gradually descending trail between the deep and beautiful valley on the right and a nice wall on the left. After 5-6 minutes you step over a fallen down metal fence and very far away you can already distinguish the bay of Póles. Some 14 minutes later the beautiful trail becomes narrower again and also rockier; the panoramic view over the bay is great and over there you can already discern the excavations of Karthéa. You continue easily, with a nice view on the valley full of oleanders (on the 30^th of May 2006) and on the retaining wall and the pillars of the temple of Athena. The descent gets steeper and after another 24 minutes you end up in the valley – you should walk to the middle of the valley, until you find the stony bed of the river; you can then continue on the left, between the oleanders. You thus arrive at the first small beach.  

On the cape between the two beaches of Póles you go up for a short while, underneath the retaining wall. You can then see the other beach in front of you. You go up on the right and in this way you reach the first temple, the temple of Apollo. You walk through the sparse remains of what used to be a temple of 31 by 16 metres. You then continue up to the second platform, which you could already see from far away. Over here you can find the remnants of the temple of Athena, a Doric temple from the late archaic era (500 BC): the foundations are still obvious, just like the "cella" or the inner room of the temple. The base of the old pillars of the long left-hand side of the temple is (moet het hier niet ‘is’ zijn ipv ‘zijn’?) fairly well preserved, and about four of the pillars have been renewed. This isolated temple is really situated on a wonderful and lonely spot.  

It takes you a few minutes to descend to the second beach, with a tumbled-down house and with the chapel of the Panagía toon Póloon. You can picnic in the shade at a stone table with benches. Far away, towards the southeast, you can distinguish the island of Kýthnos. The deserted beach is marvellous and you should definitely have a swim.  

[For the return route you still have to hike a fair distance. The best thing to do is to take the trail to Stavroudáki, hike no. [6], which begins on the right of the chapel, in the stony bed of the river. For this trajectory, see my hike Karthéa - Stavroudáki.]