Ioulída - Agios Konstantínos - Mylopótamos - Fléa - Agia Marína - Plagiá - Písses |
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Evaluation:
This fairly long hike first follows the official hike
[2] and then it leads you to the green
valley of Mylopótamos, where in earlier days 11 water mills used to work by
means of the abundant well of Fléa. Unfortunately, the beautiful trail between
Ioulída and Korissía has largely been destroyed due to the construction of the
modern road. Only between the chapel of Agios Konstantínos and the valley of
Mylopótamos you can still find the ancient, broad path. After Fléa you continue
on gravel roads and a stretch of an unpleasant asphalt road, but also on a few
very beautiful trails. The valley of Mylopótamos, the strange tower of Agia
Marína and the trail from Plagiá to Písses are absolute highlights, lending the
hike definitely an evaluation of ***.
[If you want to avoid the 2 km of asphalt until Agios Konstantínos, you can
start this hike in Mylopótamos – see the hike Mylopótamos – Fléa – Agia Marína -
Písses and back. Estimated time:
You walk on the asphalt road for about 15 minutes and to cover the very
beautiful trajectory between Agios Konstantínos and Mylopótamos it will take you
some 18 minutes. You continue for about 20 minutes in the green valley past the
water mills, until you get to the well of Fléa. After another 35 - 40 minutes
you reach the tower of Agia Marína and from there onwards it will take you an
hour till Písses. All together this means an actual hiking time of 2h35, which
refers in fact to a fairly long hike of about 5 hours – we hiked from 11am to
4pm. Route description: (0h00) At the parking place under the Piátsa of Ioulída you take the asphalt road to the harbour of Korissía. After 1,5 minutes, when you get to the lower situated parking place, you keep to the right, obviously, and you go further down – on the left, against the medical centre, the well known Rakoménou-well from 1871 has been rebuilt. You descend for about 16 minutes to cover 1,5 kilometres; when you arrive at the sharp hairpin bend to the right, you notice on your left-hand side the remarkably broad trail going straight ahead. There is also a sign (Mylopótamos 25' / Korissía 50') and you can see a trail marker [2] on a pole. Slightly further the path passes underneath the chapel of Agios Konstantínos with a well next to it.
The well of Agios Konstantínos.
The broad path from Agios Konstantínos to Mylopótamos.
A nice curve with a beautiful pavement... (0h34) At the end of this path you pass a small chapel and then you reach the bed of the river Mylopótamos, where the main trail curves to the right (see the hike Ioulída - Korissía). Over here you take a left on a small gravel road.
You arrive in the valley of Mylopótamos.
The walking sign near the bifurcation of the path in the valley of Mylopótamos. Directly thereafter the trail [2] goes to the right, in between two walls and shaded by large cypresses.
The path in the valley of Mylopótamos. A little further
you keep to the right and the trail narrows. You rise above the very
green and narrow valley and after some 9 minutes you see the first large
bordering stones of the kalderími. You hear the murmuring of water and
one minute later you reach the ruins of the first water mill. You go up
on the left-hand side of this mill [2] and after another 2 minutes you
arrive at the second, somewhat restored mill. All together there used to
be 11 water mills and they all used the water of the upstream located
well of Fléa. The mill stones were driven by a horizontally positioned
wheel. Some two minutes later your trail descends until it gets to the
bed of the river. While looking at the streaming water
you notice a trail marker [2] on the house, on the opposite side of the
river...
A watermill in the valley of Mylopótamos. (0h46) The trail descends to the right, with steps (red sign on a rock), and you easily reach the other side; you get up on a staircase, next to two houses (2 times [2]), and, after the second home, you continue to go up BEFORE arriving on a small concrete road [2]. There is water everywhere, water comes out of the rock, water flowing from a channel, and on your left-hand side you notice the neck of a water mill (the rotating wheel was in there) and also a water shoot.
The "neck" of a watermill - here, the wheel turned... Slightly further
you pass underneath the Panagía and then you turn to the right sharply
and you go up (you DO NOT proceed straight ahead!). You thus get to a
small gravel road where you find the hiking sign "Mylopótamos 10'
". You continue up towards the right until you arrive at the
asphalt road, where you take a left.
The nice ruin of a watermill. (0h55) You then get to the left of a concrete bridge; near a large nursery-garden and past the bridge, you can see on your left-hand side the abundant well of Fléa – in earlier times this well drove the water mills. On a stone you notice the date 1877.
The well of Fléa. You DO NOT cross the bridge, but you continue straight ahead in the bed of the river. A few minutes later you leave the bed on the left, but later on you cross the bed again, in order to go straight ahead and up ... on an asphalt road, that recently replaced a gravel road. You go up now, and the steep climb is not that pleasant - but on the left, there is a very green valley, with lots of cypresses and later on with beautiful slopes full of blooming broom and oleanders in the bed of the river. |
The green valley of Fléa. (1h16) After some 20 minutes you arrive at a junction where you take a right (note the blue dot). But after 20 metres already you go left on a small gravel road; after about 30 metres this road is blocked by a metal gate – and on the right of this gate you find the beginning of a beautiful trail between walls. The following 10 minutes are really marvellous, on an obvious and almost flat trail: at first it is sometimes nicely paved, later on it more or less runs in a bed between the tall walls.
An unknown path between Fléa and Agia Marína.
A marvellous path, splendid walls... (1h32) And then, all of a
sudden, after 5-6 minutes, the surrealistic and incredibly high tower of
Agia Marína rises in front of you!
This
is a
Hellenistic tower dating from the late 4th century B.C. – it had a
double wall and five floors. It takes its name from the small church
built next to it. The tower was seriously damaged in recent times, and
as a result it is now very dangerous to approach the tower too closely.
The dilapidated tower of Agia Marína.
The tower and the little church of Agia Marína.
[You
could make a
detour of
3 minutes,
going first
straight
to
the source
of Agia
Marína:
it
is dated
1959
and you see
many
troughs
and a large
washing-place -
this proves that
this place once was
very lively,
which is not
that surprising
in this
very fertile
valley!
You then return
to the cross-roads.]
(1h32) You thus take the dirt road to the right
- a few minutes later, you see on your
left another trail that leads to the source of Agia Marína (sign).
A nice threshing floor of alóni. (1h51) This is a great, natural trail with a wall on the left-hand side. The trail gradually descends with on your left a truly magnificent valley, the valley of Kremastí. The trail is sometimes beautifully paved, especially the second part.
The first part of the monopáti between Plagiá and Písses.
A nicely paved part of the monopáti between Plagiá and Písses.
The marvellous valley of Kremastí, towards Písses. You slowly veer to the right and the broad fertile valley of Pisses appears in front of you. A little later, the descent becomes steeper - there are steps, and the monopáti is sometimes covered with tall grass. You discover rather quickly the gravel road, down in the valley, where you will arrive. But you first turn right again, then left and so you come down in the valley.
The bay and the valley of Písses, a panoramic view from the asphalt road.
After a pleasant descent of
some 20-21 minutes, you get to a dirt and concrete road, that you follow towards
the middle of the valley [12], between high walls, and you finally arrive in the
river bed [12].
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