Platýs Gialós - Profítis Ilias - Fikiáda - Platýs Gialós

Evaluation: This hike describes an almost circular tour through the green and deserted southern corner of Sífnos. It brings you amongst others to the very idyllic beach of Fikiáda, a spot you cannot reach in any other way. This hike therefore deserves an evaluation of ***.

Estimated time: To hike from Platýs Gialós to the church of the Profítis Ilías takes about 40 minutes; the following stretch to the beach of Fikiáda takes another 70 minutes (actual walking time). Once you have reached Fikiáda, though, you have to take a couple of hours to swim in the marvellous water. The final part to Platýs Gialós then lasts for another 70-75 minutes (AWT).
All together this makes for three hours of hiking, but you have to take into account that also the bus trip to and from Platýs Gialós takes some time – do not forget to write down the bus schedule before departing.

Route description: The bus trip from Kamáres to Platýs Gialós, with a transfer in Apollonía or Artemónas takes a little under one hour.

From the bus square (which is the last stop) you have to walk inland on a little concrete road, by following the signpost to the camping. After 5 minutes you curve to the left (again there is a sign pointing to the camping) and immediately thereafter you pass a small road off the left: on the corner you can see a circle painted in green – this is the road to Fikiáda and the road that will bring you back to Platýs Gialos later on the day. You have to go straight on a broad concrete road. Another 2 minutes later you get to a bend to the left and in front you can see the camping. You have to continue on the left of the camping – and not on the little gravel road straight ahead, which goes inland in western direction.

After 3 minutes the road splits up in three-four directions: on the right there is a drive way to a blue gate, on the left the road goes down to the apartments Studio. You have to take the concrete road in the middle, on the right of a large electricity pole - there is a small sign to Vathý. Some 5 minutes later this road turns into a narrow path and a little further down you walk close to a little gorge and on the left hand side of some ruins. At this point you have to watch out, because you have to go to the right and upwards (next to a little stone figure). For the next 23 minutes you walk on a nice rock trail which climbs up against the slope. Ten minutes later you can get a glimpse of the building of the Profítis Ilías, but most of the time it remains hidden in between the big juniperus bushes. You have to follow the red-brown dots and stripes, and once in a while there is a stone figure – if you lose track of these trail markers you have to return and try to find the right path.

After about 40 minutes you thus easily get to the little church of the Profítis Ilías, located in between two hilltops. This church is not visited very often: on the 14^th of May 2003 we were only the 18^th visitor since January 1^st!
The panoramic view is extraordinary here, not only on the bay of Platýs Gialós and the islands of Síkinos and Santoríni, but also on the complete mountain ridge further to the north. From left to right you can distinguish Agios Nikólaos t' Aeriná, Panagía tou Kariávli (above the antennae), Taxiárchis Merisínis (near the main road) and Panagía tou Vounoú (above Platýs Gialós).

From the church there is a clear trail which goes further to the northwest; it is almost horizontally and it leads in between trees in the direction of the antennae. After some ten minutes you get to a junction: the path on the right goes to the main road from Vathý to Apollonía (by the way, on this main road there is a sign pointing to this trail to the Profítis Ilías – by taking this route you could make the hike a lot shorter). You have to take a left here, on a narrow and rocky path, which moves away from the main road. It is not always easy to follow this path in between the high bushes, but the signs AD or the red-brown dots can help you. After 20 minutes going up you curve around a rocky hill and 5 minutes later you get a great view on the bay of Vathý – this used to be a very isolated spot, and nowadays it is still an ideal and very protected port. The rocky, but very clear trail curves to the left and descends; now it runs above a gravel road. This gravel road goes from the main road to Vathý and you have followed this road on the hike Vathý-Fikiáda-Platýs Gialós. Some 13 minutes after your view over the bay you finally get to the gravel road.

[If you want to go to Vathý, you have to follow the gravel road to the left for a short while; after about 10 metres, on the highest point of the road, you will find a monopáti off the right, which descends to Vathý. Later on, though, you will still have to walk for quite some time on the unpleasant gravel road in order to reach Vathý].

To continue to Fikiáda, you have to follow the gravel road for about 7 minutes – keeping to the right all the time. You thus get to a gate, on the right hand side of a dump where trucks are dumping debris. On the left of the gate you can see the remnants of a trail – there is also a little cairn and a blue dot.

After about 100 metres you pass a wooden gate - underneath this gate there is a stone with a green circle. You then follow a beautiful and clear gravel path in between a lot of green bushes; on the left you have a nice view on the island of Kitriani – which looks like a peninsula at first. The trail goes up only slightly and you can easily follow it by means of the blue dots, the green circles and the almost disappeared red arrows.

About 10 minutes later you get to a rocky stretch, where it can be more difficult to find the trail – all the way, though, there are plenty of trail markers and stone figures. After 15 minutes you can see the sea appearing in front of you: from right to left you can also distinguish the islands of Mílos, Kímolos, Folégandros, Síkinos and Páros all the way to the left. You now descend zigzaging (especially the 2^nd part is very steep) to the deep bay of Fikiáda - only the marvellous view you now have makes this hike worthwhile. After another 10 minutes you see the little church of Agios Geórgios, to the right and below the path. The trail then splits up and you take a left – you are still guided by a lot of trail markers (green circles, yellow arrows and blue dots).

You climb down over the rocks until you get to a first deserted beach – where you do not stay. You continue on the right of a fenced enclosure, you then take a left towards a rocky staircase, and you go up again over the next little cape. Again, you notice a lot of - especially yellow - trail markers. At a certain point, both the path and the markers will move away from the coast line too much: this is the beginning of the path to Platýs Gialós. You have to go down to the right here and through a hole in the wall you reach the beach of Fikiáda. Usually, the bay is deserted and the water is wonderful; it is really a pity, though, that there is so much rubbish on the beach. Nevertheless, this is still a beautiful spot to have a picnic and to go for a swim.
[In September 2008, Jo De Schrijver wrote that the rubbish had disappeared...]

From the beach there are two possibilities to continue. 
(1)You can go back through the hole in the wall; then you go up and straight ahead on a rocky cape with lots of shrubs until you come again to the trail with all the markers, some twenty metres away from the water side. The trail is obvious again and it goes in the direction of a white house in the distance. After about 5 minutes the trail gets a little less clear and you have to keep to the left and a little upwards until you see the yellow dots again. Ten minutes after your departure you follow the trail going down and to the right into a small valley. You cross this valley, on the left hand side of a wall. You then go up, a little to the left and you go through a rusty gate with yellow dots. At this point it is more difficult again to find the trail on the rocky ground. Once you get to the white house – the name of this place is Mousía – you cannot find any trail markers anymore.
(2) The second possibility has been recently marked with blue dots. Leaving from the beach you do not go through the hole in the wall, but you follow a trail to the right. This trail traverses many terraces - one terrace a little higher than the other -, and you follow the blue dots. After some 10 minutes you will thus also reach the farm Mousía; over there though, you have to follow the green circles, you go through two breaches and you cross the large yard in northern direction towards a hole in the front wall. Outside of the outer wall you take a right and you stay close to the wall.

You then have to follow the outer wall around the white house, without really finding a path. Do not give up, because all of a sudden you will again see a lot of trail markers: yellow, red and blue dots, green circles and red arrows. The path gets clearer as well; it descends into a small valley and then you have to watch out again in order to stay on track. You now walk in the direction of the sea and the little chapel, which you can distinguish all the way on the other side on the island of Kitrianí.
Some 10 minutes after your search near the house Mousía you walk immediately above and alongside the sea – another marvellous spot. Over here you also have to go through an iron gate, surrounded by many, reassuring, trail markers.

For the next 5-6 minutes, your route - which is not really a path - runs next to some bushes and some ten metres above the water. It then turns into a clearer trail and you have to walk a little higher up, by following the little stone figures and some painted trail markers.
About 15 minutes after you have passed the gate you move away from the coast even further, you descend into a small valley and you go up again and to the right. For a short while you keep on walking parallel to the sea, with a great view on the island, but then you go up resolutely over some rocky terrain. In this way you climb up the final hill before Platýs Gialós by going slightly to the left.

The trail is now very clear again and it goes in between a lot of green bushes. In this way, you go up gradually for about 15 minutes, until you reach a stony platform. From this final hill onwards you can then finally distinguish the beautiful and large bay of Platýs Gialós. Above the bay you can also easily see the monastery of the Panagía tou Vounoú.

You now descend gradually for about ten minutes. Then you have to watch out: quite recently some one has painted an abundance of blue arrows, which point to the right, in the direction of a small road. You can see this road down under to the right and it looks fairly nearby. It is better not to follow these blue markers, because you will then have to climb down steeply and clamber over a terrain where constructions are going on.