Piskopió - Alamaniá and back

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.]

(0h00) In the curve you find the beginning of a narrow staircase with a blue rail and very soon this staircase gets to a trail. To the right you could walk to the village of Piskopió – which you can do later today -, but for now you take a left. Almost immediately you pass a beautiful well.

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 trails now runs between tall walls and it descends all the time; after 5 minutes you keep to the left and shortly thereafter you go down even steeper. Another 5 minutes later, at a metal water pipe, the path splits up again and you go left once more.  

(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)

[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.

(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 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)

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)]