Ioulida-Lion-Agios Dimitrios-Spathi and back

Ioulída - Lion - Agios Dimítrios - Spathí and back

Evaluation: This hike first follows the same walking trails as walk [1] to Otziás and as the walk to Kastrianí: so we follow the same route up to the Lion and the source of Venjamin, then we turn right. After a short stretch of the asphalt road, we begin a beautiful trail that descends into the deep valley of Spathí. The beautiful curves of the kalderími make that this trail is one of the most beautiful of the Cyclades. Unfortunately, we have to follow then – during some 45 minutes - a gravel road in the bottom of the valley, but the beach is lovely. Deserves **. If you do not want to make the round trip, there are two possibilities: - you arrange with friends to take you down by car – there is only one problem: the very stony gravel road leading from the paved road near Kastrianí to the beach of Spathí, is in a very poor condition - probably a taxi will hesitate to take you back to Ioulída ... - another solution can be the following: you drive by car to the chapel of Agios Dimítios or a little bit further (point (0h37)* or (0h41) of this walk) – in this way, your hike will be shortened by about 1h20. [Updated by Raymond April 27, 2012.] [The translation of this walk was made with the help of Google translate - so, do not mind the mistakes...] Estimated time: The way out takes, in actual walking time (AWT), about 2h05: half an hour until the bifurcation of walks [1] and [10], a quarter of an hour until the beginning of the descent into the valley of Spathí, 40 minutes with beautiful and truly unique trails and finally 45 minutes on the gravel road that runs in the bottom of the valley. The return route takes a little more, about 2h20 (AWT). This means a total AWT of 4h25, but the total time (TWT) can easily go up to 7-8 hours, especially if you pay a long visit to the Lion and if you stay a long time on the beach for a picnic break and for swimming. Route description: (0h00) For all hikes departing from Chóra you leave from the parking place (with bus stop). You walk through the archway – stóa – with the small shop Kianos on your right. You enter a tiny square – the Piátsa, with the outdoor terrace of the café/estiatório I Piátsa. Turn right, through a modern vaulted archway, to the centre. Left leads to the Kástro. The 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. About 80 metres after the wooden hiking sign you get to the central square, the "platía", with the "dimarchío" or town hall. You continue and at the small electricity store you branch right; you then go up the staircase street (a small sign points to the "archaíos léoon", the "old lion"). After 2 minutes you get to the crossing of the important hikes [3] (on the right, to Karthéa) and [1]. The hiking sign for the walks [1] and [3]. The hiking sign points straight ahead and in this way it takes you 1-2 minutes to reach the large church of Agios Spiridónas, with next to it the beautiful terrace of the restaurant To Stéki. Past the church you keep following the nice and broad main street, which goes up slightly. You leave the houses behind you and you arrive at a marvellously paved trail. On the opposite side of the valley you can already distinguish the continuation of the trail, with underneath the location of the Lion. View on the location of the Lion of Kéa. Your path curves to the left, under the cemetery with beautiful cyprus trees; you thus get a nice view on the town of Chóra behind you. You pass a nice well with the two-headed eagle and you get a nice view on the Lion as well. Further on, the trail curves to the left, near a well and underneath the small chapel of Agios Elefthérios – a great spot to admire the panoramic view on Chóra. The pavement comes to an end and two minutes later you get to the small iron gate that gives entrance to the Lion of Kéa on the left. The Lion of Kéa. This magnificent statue, dating from the years 600 BC is a statue from the archaic era: the slight smile of the animal reminds us of the smile of the koúros-statues, so typical for the archaic era (7^th – 6^th centuries BC). The lion is probably connected to the legend of the lion that chased the nymphs. According to the myth, the bloom of the island, which was then rich in water (hence the ancient name "Hydroussa", from the ancient Greek "hudoor" = water) and which was the residence of the water nymphs or Naïades, was brutally disturbed by the arrival of a lion. The lion chased away the water nymphs, who fled to the nearby Euboea, which was followed by a long period of drought. This drought came to an end, only because Aristaeus, son of the god Apollo, and known as the inventor of the apiculture, brought into existence the summer wind or meltémi, and this as a result of his sacrifices to the god Zeus. Maybe, the smile we saw on the face of the lion, was rather a grin…? The "smile" of the Lion. (0h18) After this mythological intermezzo you return to the main trail, which you continue to the left; sometimes it is rocky and sometimes it consists of gravel. You have a nice view on the left and behind you and after some 7 minutes you arrive at a large spot around a marvellous plane tree and the beautiful well of Venjamin (Benjamin). The rings in the wall tell you that earlier on, this was a spot often used as watering place and halting place for animals. The well of Venjamin. Writing down some notes next to the well of Venjamin. Straight ahead, your sandy path continues horizontally and some 2 minutes later you arrive at a junction with a nice sign post: going down on the left is trail no. [1], which continues to Otziás (another 1h05), the trail on the right leads to Spathí (another 1h30). The hiking sign to Otziás and Spathí. (0h27) This time you have to take a right – from now on, there are markings [10]. The trail that follows is very beautiful and still flat, occasionally in the midst of lush vegetation - a completely different landscape. Between the well of Venjamin and Agios Dimítrios. Sometimes, you can enjoy to the left a view of the bay of Otziás. After about 10 minutes, you go up on steps and a rocky slope, and you get to a small gravel road, where you go right. But you come almost immediately to the main road, near the small church of Agios Dimitriós - you go left ([10] on a low wall on the left). This road was paved in 2009.		(0h35) On your right you see now a very beautiful valley deep. You pass first a tiny blue and white chapel, and after 4 minutes, you arrive near a second blue chapel, with a sign pointing to the right towards the bay of Spathí. Here, the path to Spathí goes down to the right... (0h41) You thus go right and the steep path winds down [10]. Further, you follow for many minutes a magnificent monopáti that is quite narrow and continues on a gentle slope or nearly flat. On your right there is still the deep valley, with the distant summit of Profítis Ilías, crowned with its antennae. Some trees are very photogenic ... Very photogenic trees... (0h55) After 14 minutes - very easy because of the red marks or [10] -, there is a stretch with a splendid wall on the left. You see the path that continues far ahead of you, always with big border stones on the right and typical walls on the left. A splendid path, with beautiful walls... You continue on for many minutes - in a turn, you can rest a little or have a pick-nick, sitting on the curb in the shade of an oak ... Occasionally, the trail becomes rocky and very uneven, but it keeps going down slowly and you continue without great difficulty. (1h11) Finally, you arrive at a side-path where you go sharply right (2 X [10], and red arrow). The descent that follows is one of the most beautiful of the Cyclades - a splendid staircase that descends with wide paved steps for 6-7 minutes, while describing 14 beautiful turns. Beautiful turns, built with an exceptional art. During this descent, which gives you a unique pleasure, you wonder of course who built this unique work of art in this valley which is now abandoned and alone! You descend quickly, but it is not over yet: the descent continues for 3 minutes, less steep, but always on steps or on a nice pavement. (1h21) After 10 minutes, you reach the bottom of the valley: you go to the right [10] on a trail, then left, and now you follow the gravel bed. As usual, you need to follow the rather monotonous bed for quite a time: sometimes you have to search a little easier passage - after 3 minutes, for example, you must continue on the right of the bed (red mark), but you go back a little further [10]. After another 5 minutes, there is a difficult passage because of a recent landslide of the left side of the valley. But in general you are doing well, and after a total of 17 minutes, you come under a power line and next to a chapel, where you leave the bed to the left. You then follow a gravel road that continues in the same bed. (1h26) This road winds from left to right and becomes quite large. The valley also becomes large and you advance rather quickly. After 34 minutes, you go left of course and after another 5 minutes, you reach the wide sandy beach. (2h05) The beautiful bay of Spathí is very protected and oriented southeast - the sea here is very calm. The sand is fine, there are umbrellas and awnings and 3 little trees to the left ... The nice and quiet beach of Spathí. [The first time we visited this beach, some friends came by car to take us back to the Ioulída - the gravel road is very rocky and difficult, so we had to drive slowly until we reached the asphalt road near Kastrianí, after a ride of 30 minutes.] But of course it is possible to return on foot - the trail is very easy to find and we give you here only the most important information to return to Ioulída. (2h05) You follow the gravel road, taking right after 4 minutes ([10] on a pole). The valley becomes narrower very slowly. Pay attention: after 28-29 minutes, do not be swayed by a path that goes out of the bed to the left, in order to cross a wide barrier, with a [10] on the pilaster on the left! Instead, you must continue to follow the gravel road IN the bed, until it comes to a dead end after another 5 minutes. (2h39) You continue in the stony bed: after 9 minutes, there is the difficult passage, because of the collapse of the brownish wall. After another 4 minutes, you leave the bed to the LEFT [10] to avoid another difficult passage and you do the same about 2 minutes later [10]. (2h57) You cannot miss the splendid staircase that leaves the riverbed to the right [10]: it rises with more than 300 heavy steps, describing 2 + 12 turns. Further, there is the section with heavy curbs, then the path is bordered by a low wall on the left and later by a splendid wall on the right, and this for many minutes. Finally, there is still a stretch that continues horizontally or that goes up slightly, on a narrow path between abundant vegetation. (3h43) After a final climb, you get to the asphalt road, where you take of course a left. After 5 minutes, you arrive at the chapel of Agios Dimítrios, where you take the small gravel road on the right (sign Fotimári / Korissía), but you go immediately LEFT onto the narrow dirt path (sign Ioulída 35' and [10] on a tree). The 10 minutes until the junction with the trail to Otziás are very beautiful. (3h58) You take a left and after a little over one minute you reach the Venjamin source. Here the trail is wide and it continues horizontally: it bends to the left and you get a nice view of Ioulída. Shortly after the well of Venjamin, you get a nice view of Ioulída. Your path now runs next to the site of the Lion and then it bends to the right – in this way you walk around the entire valley. The path stays obvious, also in Ioulída: you always go straight and in this way you arrive at your point of departure without any problem. (4h24) To get the printer friendly version with only the text in one column, click here.