Lida Out LEFKADA on Foot 30+1 walks to explore the island Text: Lida Out Photography: Lida Out & friends Cartography: Geomatics s.a. 2nd edition Š 2017, Fagotto Publications First edition 2010 ISBN: 978-960-6685-23-1 Main Office: 15, Valtetsiou Street, 10680 Athens T: +30 210 3645147, F: +30 210 3645149 Branch: 7, Zakynthou Street, 31100 Lefkada T-F: +30 26450 21095 email: info@fagottobooks.gr www.fagottobooks.gr All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher.
contents Introduction
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1
Lefkada Town: Orlof Mill Ag. Ioannis Frini Faneromeni Monastery Ag. Ioannis
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Apolpena Botsares Melissa Gorge Apolpena
Lazarata Kavalos Melissa Gorge Spanochori Lazarata
9 12 16 20 22
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Lazarata Spanochori Episkopi Prophitis Ilias Ag. Stephanos Lazarata
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Lazarata Fryas Kontrata Lazarata
31 34 36 41
3Α 3Β 4
6Α 7 7Β
Tsoukalades Melissa Gorge Kavalos Tsoukalades Tsoukalades Melissa Gorge Tsoukalades
Lazarata Fryas Kambos Karia Kontrata Lazarata Karia Kambos Karia Monastery of Ag. Ioannis Pinakochori Karia Short cut from Monastery of Ag. Ioannis to Karia
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Karia Church of Ag. Konstantinos Abandoned village of Rekatsinata Karia
8Α
Karia Church of Ag. Konstantinos Abandoned village of Rekatsinata Karia
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Englouvi Ag. Donatos Livadi Alevrota Pighadakia Paleokatouna Nydri
10 10Α 11 12
Vafkeri Monastery Asomatou Neochori Vafkeri Englouvi Neochori Nydri Nydri Rachi Waterfall Nydri Nydri Paleokatouna Neochori [Waterfall] Rachi Nydri
42 45 49 54 60 62 64 69
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Kolivata Monastery of Ag. Georgios Skaros Mountain Monastery Kokkini Ekklisia Platistoma Kolivata
13B
Kolivata Monastery of Ag. Georgios Skaros Mountain Monastery Kokkini Ekklisia Kolivata
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Kolivata Monastery of Ag.Georgios Skaros Mountain Kolivata
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Ligia Abandoned village of Old-Kariotes Ligia
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Ligia Katouna Ligia
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Ligia Katouna Waterfall Episkopos Ligia
80 83
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Katouna, circular walk beneath the village
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Vlicho Katochori Fterno Charadiatika Vlicho
91
20
Poros Dessimi Vlicho
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Vasiliki Kondarena Marandochori Evghiros Sivota
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[Vasiliki] Kondarena Ag.Sotiro Kondarena [Vasiliki]
97 101
Start in Vasiliki with connection onto walk no. 22 from Kondarena
106 109
23
Vasiliki Spring Kefalini Mavri Vasiliki
112
24
Vasiliki Spring Ag. Petros Roupakias Vasiliki
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Vasiliki Spring Ag. Petros Vasiliki
22Α
24Α 25
Ag. Nikitas, circular walk above the village
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Ag. Nikitas Drimonas Ag. Nikitas
115 122 124
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Kalamitsi Exantheia [Drimonas] Ag. Nikitas
129
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Kalamitsi Predhi Panaghia stous Kipous Kalamitsi
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Athani Mega Vouno Towards Ag.Petros Athani
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Stavrotas near Englouvi
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Spilia Spartochori Ghrilia Baloma Spartochori Spilia
133 139 143 150
Waypoints
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1 2
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3
13
12
4
5
7 10 8
9
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Introduction There is no better way to explore Lefkada than on foot, enjoying the merciful silence, overwhelming nature and breathtaking views. The urge to keep on discovering new things has brought us to many surprising places, but also to several dead ends. This walking guide brings you, often via old tracks, to the most beautiful spots of the island and introduces you to traditional villages and romantic, dilapidated ruins.
Lefkada A precious green stone in the turquoise blue water of the Ionian Sea, an island of contrasts – rugged mountains and lush green valleys. Centuries-old olive trees, cypresses reaching to the sky and beautiful pine tree woods give rich gradients of green colours. This is a fine contrast with the riot of blue colours of the surrounding sea. The mountainous interior is dotted with picturesque villages with simple churches. The rugged west coast has stunning white beaches with amazing steep cliffs. In the south you will find lovely bays. The east coast is pretty and protected and is the most developed part for tourism. It has a lovely view onto the Prince islands, scattered in the sea in front of Nydri. The main town of Lefkada is in the north of the island. It is a lively place with a maze of little streets, colourful houses and Venetian churches.
Monopatia and kalderimia The infrastructure on Lefkada changes frequently. New roads appear and dirt roads become tarmac. This is to facilitate the farmers to reach their lands. Building of new houses and holiday resorts radically changes the landscape. We try as much as possible to avoid tarmac roads but unfortunately this is not always possible. It is sad to observe that many old tracks disappear. They become overgrown because they are not in use anymore or the bulldozer comes to widen the track. The local authorities do not do very much to avoid this decay. The old network of footpaths (monopatia) and cobblestone donkey tracks (kalderimia) is a part of the cultural heritage of Lefkada and has to be protected and to come into its own again. Fortunately some village asscociations, the running club of Lefkada and the mountaineering asscociatian of Preveza have taken at the moment the initiative to clean some of the monopatia.
Level of the walks The difficulty of the walks is indicated by a foot symbol: 1= easy, 2= moderate, 3= quite heavy, 4= heavy. The level depends on the distance, the differences in height and the clearness of the tracks. We did
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not include any dangerous walks e.g. alongside ravines etc. We recommend you wear good walking shoes and long trousers. In damp weather the tracks can be slippery, especially the cobblestone tracks. Make sure you are well protected against the sun and bring enough water and food. Probably you will not encounter any restaurants or bars on the way. It is recommended to wear a watch because we often use time for the description of the walks.
Route times The duration as indicated in the description of the walks is pure walking time, so it does not include breaks etc. We walk at a steady pace and because we walk in winter, the heat does not slow us down. You can easily add one or two thirds of the indicated time to know the time you will need for your walk. Start early so you have all the day ahead.
The weather Spring and autumn are the best times of year for walking. In the summer from mid June until mid September it can be quite warm.
The nature In spring nature is at its most abundant. The Judas tree and the broom are flowering and the island is covered with a blanket of wild flowers. During the walks you also can discover rare orchids. The colourful butterflies are a feast for the eyes; you smell herbs like thyme, oregano and sage. In summer it is a little drier but in autumn the first rains bring a new shower of flowers and amazing autumn colours.
Dogs When you meet aggressively behaving dogs, the best thing is to shout, to threaten with your walking stick or to pick-up a stone and do the actions of throwing the stone. The shepherd’s dogs are only doing their job of protecting the flocks so they start barking furiously when you come too close.
Snakes There are different kinds of snakes on Lefkada, one of which is dangerous. This is the oxia, a poisonous kind of adder, it can be recognised by the horn on the nose and the zigzag or diamond pattern on its back. In May and June the snakes appear. Take care close to stone walls and springs. Don’t lift stones, also because of possible scorpions hiding there. When you walk through high grass take a stick to move the grass.
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Transport The local bus is a good way of transport but the schedule may cause some problems. The buses to the villages mostly run twice a day, early morning and early afternoon. Larger villages like Nydri, Karia and Vasiliki have a more frequent bus service. It is impossible to insert a reliable time table in this book as during the season the timetable often changes. At the bus station of the Ktel in Lefkada Town details are available (Tel. no. 2645022364]. The taxi is also a good solution. Establish a fare beforehand as the taxis do not use a meter. (Tel.no. cab-stand Lefkada 2645026505, Tel. no. cab-stand Nydri 2645092000)
Description Sometimes difficult points are marked with blue or red dots but essentially the description gives enough information. The photographs may be a point of recognition. During the walks we have made waypoints. You can find them both in the description and on the related maps. At the end of the book the co-ordinates and the heights of the waypoints are inserted. The route descriptions are in the first instance based on how we found them in the winter of 2009/2010. For this new edition in winter 2016/2017 we checked and adjusted the walks as much as possible The walks are constantly subject to changes. If anything changes, we cannot be held responsible. We would appreciate it if you could inform us of any changes or remarks. You can send your remarks to info@fagottobooks.gr and additions you can find on the website www.fagottobooks.gr You walk at your own risk and we are not responsible for damage or any incidents. Α reasonably good map of Lefkada has been published (no genuine walking maps): Lefkada, 1: 40.000, Anavasi, (GPS compatible) With thanks to everybody who have helped in some way and especially to the walking team that helped to check the walks and to Lesley and Tina for their patience in checking the texts. Special thanks to Maria and Manos of Geomatics Company for their attention and patience to make the maps as accurate as possible. Also with thanks to all the shepherds and farmers who pointed us in the right direction. We hope to share with you our love for the island and our enthusiasm for walking. Enjoy exploring Lefkada on foot!
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7 km 1 ž hours
Lefkada Town: Orlof Mill Ag. Ioannis Frini Faneromeni Monastery Ag. Ioannis
An easy walk mostly following small tarmac roads through olive groves west of Lefkada Town. You’ll pass the small white washed church of Ag. Ioannis Antzousis, the oldest church of Lefkada and visit the significant Faneromeni Monastery from where you have a fantastic view over Lefkada Town, the Gira and mainland Greece. To get here you will have to ascend on a track for 15 minutes. The walk starts at the restored Orlof Mill [LE1], nowadays a bar, located on the Ag. Ioannis beach west of Lefkada Town. The Orlof Mill is one of the 12 windmills that once stood along the Milos beach. Until the fifties of the last century they were still grinding wheat. The wheat came mainly from Russia; most of the mills had Russian names. From the mill you follow the tarmac road along the beach to the south, the open sea will be on your right, towards the rock with a house on top. After 15 minutes the tarmac road ends and you continue walking on the sand a little way. Just before the end
House on the rock 9