Evaluation: This is a route describing a possible return path after your visit to Karthéa, which can only be reached on foot. On the way out you have probably followed hike no. [3] - see the hike Ioulída - Messariá - Profítis Ilías - Astrá - Elliniká - Agios Simeoón - Karthéa , or the much shorter route from Chavouná, the road [ 7] - see the walk Chavouná - Karthéa.
For the way back you can choose from the official hikes [5], [6] and [7]. A very obvious and also a very pleasant return route follows hike no. [6] to Stavroudáki.
This walk [5] to the Káto Meriá follows at the beginning the same route as that walk [6], but from the source Vathypótamos it follows another and really beautiful path with stunning views. It leads to a gravel road that you must still follow for half an hour. Another hike that gets an evaluation of ***.

Estimated time: The actual walking (AWT) until the Pigí Vathipotámou is 18 minutes. The magnificent trail that follows lasts a little over 35 minutes. Finally, the walk along the gravel road takes 25-30 minutes. The total AWT thus amounts to just over 1h20 – our walk toke exactly 2h15 (TWT). A nice spot to have a rest is the source of Vathypótamos or that of Kalódouka.

The hiking sign in Karthéa.

At first, the path follows the stony, dry bed of the river, usually overshadowed by oleanders. You should not leave this bed too early!
After 3-4 minutes, just after a large rock, there is a path on your left, half hidden: it is the path to Chavouná - behind the green bush there is an immediate red [7] on a rock.
You thus keep following the black hose in the river bed, sometimes you really are in a tunnel of greenery.

The path of walks [6] and [5] in the river bed.

(0h13) After about 13 minutes, you climb out of the bed, slightly to the right. Immediately thereafter, you cross some water to the left (on the 30th of May 2006 and on the 11the of June 2007) ) and you climb between walls (large red mark). The trail now goes up steeply on the left-hand side of the valley. You can hear the splashing of water and you also notice some vegetable gardens – the donkey dung tells you that this trail is frequented regularly.
About 5 minutes further down you get to a fork (the hiking sign has disappeared): Stavroudáki is straight ahead, the Pigí Vathipotámou and also your walk [5] are to the right. You go down, to the right, for about one minute, and then you arrive at the bottom of the valley and a source with lots of water. Further down, there are even more vegetable gardens, so this source was probably used abundantly in earlier days.



The source of Vathypótamos.

Have a look behind you...

(0h25) You continue "in balcony" and then you are still going up; just before you cross the hill crest, you again can enjoy the wonderful panorama.

View of the valley of Vathypótamos with the trail to Stavroudáki.

You cross the pass and immediately after, the trail branches (there is a sign): to the left and along the wall, your walk continues to the Káto Meriá, while the path straight ahead leads to the source of Kalódouka .

[It only takes 1-2 minutes to see the source of Kalódouka, then you return to the wall.]

The source of Kalódouka.

(0h29) You continue your walk along the wall, on sloping rocks, while having a nice view of some gardens. You climb quickly in another beautiful valley, but after a total of 12 minutes, you arrive nevertheless on the bottom of this valley, because it goes up even faster.

(0h41) You cross the river bed (red arrow, red mark and red and white sign) and you follow about 1-2 minutes the bottom of the little valley – and then you start again a quick climb to the left. Occasionally, you walk on rocks, sometimes on very old steps – was this path not the old link between Karthéa and Písses? After 9 minutes, the trail becomes flatter and wider, between the walls. After a total of 10 minutes, you get to a gravel road that you follow to the right – to the left, this road leads to Agia Varvára.

[If you want to follow this walk starting from the Káto Meriá, you will find the trail without any difficulty, because it has a [5] and a painted red and white sign on the rocks.]

(1h03) After 10 minutes on this gravel road, you go left BEFORE the small concrete bridge, you pass under the bridge (a red [5] and a red and white sign) and you cut in this way a sharp bend of the gravel road, while following a trail that continues into the riverbed and is very well paved.

(1h09) After 6 minutes, you arrive again at the gravel road (sign Karthéa 1h15) and you take of course a right. Approximately 8-9 minutes later, just after a short stretch of concrete, you go to the right and you thus arrive at the hamlet of Káto Meriá. (1h20)

Opposite, there is a pantopolío, where you can buy cold drinks - behind this store, there is the asphalt road. To the right, you see the restaurant Karthéa.

[If you want to follow the walk [5] to Karthéa starting from here - in this case, you probably come from the direction of Ioulída - you will see the pantopolío, just after the sign "Káto Meriá" and the chapel, and just past the restaurant. You go left just before the store and you then will see, in front of you, the hiking sign announcing the walk.]