Piskopió - Alamaniá and back |
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Evaluation:
This short hike goes up and down between two rather unknown villages,
but is does follow some really beautiful trails. The hike gets an
evaluation of **.
Estimated time:
It will only take you half an hour to walk from one village to the other
and the same span of time for the return route. This brings you to a
total actual walking time of a little over one hour. Route
description:
[When coming from Chóra and Exo Vouní you drive past the turn to
Piskopió (signpost) until you get to a U-turn to the left. Over
there you can park the car.] The well just after leaving Piskopió. Past the well you
go up by following an old staircase and in this way you soon get a nice
view on the bay of Ormos Korthíou; later on you can also admire the
village of Piskopió itself and the height of Paleókastro. You pass a
path off the right but you stay on the main trail, towards the mills and
the chapel. Also after 9 minutes, when you pass another trail off the
left, you keep going straight ahead and towards the right. After some 10
minutes all together you walk on a very windy hill crest; it is thus
quite obvious to see three stumps of wind mills next to the chapel –
on the right you notice a strange building, with the wrenched remains of
the horizontal wings. (0h10) Past
the height the trail splits up and you go left. After another 4 minutes
you keep to the right, in the direction of a small white building
– it is a modest chapel, which you reach a little later on. On the
right you have a grand view on the wide valley with plenty of little
villages – the valley goes up on the right, all the way to Stavrópeda! The monopáti to Alamaniá. (0h26) Two minutes further on you arrive at a stable where you take a right, in the direction of the large and square clock tower of Alamaniá, standing separately from the church. You go down on the right-hand side of the tower, to a concrete slope and then to an asphalt road, which runs to a dead end over here. As is the case with many villages on the island of Andros also the houses of this village lie really scattered. You still have a great view on the wide valley. (0h31) Panoramic view on the wide valley. The church of Alamaniá. |
[You
can also depart from this point and leave your car on the little asphalt
square. You can then either come by foot, along the rather unpleasant
asphalt road, all the way from Ormos Korthíou: 2.2 km along the main
road to Agia Marína and then another 900 metres to the church of
Alamaniá.
(0h31) For the return route you follow exactly the same road: this means that you go up the concrete slope and then the white staircase to the clock tower. You go up on the left of this tower, but halfway the staircase you keep to the right; further on, at the stables, you take a left. In this way you first go up and then you walk almost horizontally, until you reach the junction at the curve of the metal water pipe, where you go right. (0h36) The path now runs somewhat mysteriously between tall walls and after some 6 minutes you reach a T-junction where you take a right. The trail gets opener and wider, but then it continues between the tall walls, on a worn away rocky bottom. After 11 minutes all together you reach the very simple chapel of Agios Dimítris, where the trail turns to the right sharply. (0h47) You go up for two more minutes and at a triangular crossing you take a left. Your way back to Piskopió. Your trail continues for a few more minutes underneath the crown of the hill and then you have to keep somewhat to the right – at the point where the walls diverge. In this way you climb to the crest of the hill. (0h53) Just
before the mills you see a broad trail coming from the left. You go
straight ahead and you cross the hill crest, with on the right the stumps of the three mills and a chapel, and on
the left the ruin of the mill with the horizontal wings. On the other
side of the hill, after some 6 minutes, you keep to the left, in the
direction of Piskopió, and about 2 minutes later you take a right. In
this way you descend until you reach the little bridge with the nice
well on the left. Straight ahead there is the tall building of an old
water mill – this mill would be older than 400 years and there is a
pigeon tower on top of it. (1h03) Past the bridge you can take a right and via a modern staircase you can reach the asphalt road again. [You can also
follow the staircase to the left in order to take some time to explore
the village. After the staircase you get to a beautiful and narrow
concrete lane. You then get to a few steps and when you reach the top
you go right, until you arrive at a beautiful well – a death’s head
warns you of undrinkable water! Shortly thereafter you reach the church
of the Zoödóchos Pigí. (0h05) The street to the church of Piskopió. You return by
following the same route, past the well and then continuing for 20
metres to get to the white staircase off the left. Halfway this
staircase you take the small lane on the right; this lane turns into
paved steps after only one minute and it leaves the village by gradually
descending. Before you arrive underneath the water mill and near the
well you obviously follow the staircase with the blue rail to the left,
to find your parked car. (0h10)]
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