Ioulida-Mili-Petrovouni-Sklavonikola-Agia Marina-Plagia-Pisses

Ioulída - Mýli - Petrovoúni - Sklavonikóla - Agia Marína - Plagiá - Písses

Evaluation: There are two ways to walk from Ioulída to Písses, one via Mylopótamos (see the hike Ioulída - Mylopótamos - Fléa - Agia Marína - Písses), the other passing through the mills and Sklavonikóla. This second hike follows first of all a few minutes walk [3] and then walk [9], but then it goes right on the crest of the hill with the windmills. You descend on the crest of the Petrovoúni, but then you have to follow a long time the asphalt road and a gravel road – but finally there is still a splendid trail of 20 minutes to get near the tower of Agia Marína. Further on, there are still some gravel roads, but also a splendid stretch of trail for another 20 minutes.
The strange tower of Agia Marína and the magnificent monopáti between Plagiá and Písses make this trip worthy of ***.
[Update by Raymond on April the 29^th, 2018.]
[The translation of this walk was made with some help of Google translate - so, please, do not mind the mistakes...]

Estimated time: This walk takes about 1h45 (AWT) to the tower of Agia Marína and then another hour to Písses. The actual walking time thus amounts to a total of 2h50. As usual, the total time (TWT) can amount to the double - we have walked some 5 hours for this hike of 9,78 km.

Route description: (0h00) For all hikes departing from Chóra you leave from the upper parking lot (with bus stop). You walk on the left of the small shop of Kianos, through the picturesque arched passage (the stóa). In this way you arrive at a tiny square, the Piátsa, with the outdoor terrace of the café/estiatório I Piátsa.
The small street on the left leads to the Kástro (hiking sign [2]), but you take a right (hiking sign for the hikes [1], [3], [4], [10] and [1]), through a modern vault, to the centre. After some 20 metres you keep to the right: in front of you, you can see the church with the red dome of the Agios Dimítrios. You pass the nice bar + outdoor terrace En Levkoó and via the Odós A. Lazarídi it takes you a few hundred metres to get to the central square, the "platía", with the "dimarchío" or town hall.
You continue while veering to the left in between two tavernas and almost immediately, at the small shop Baxes, you keep to the right; you then go up the staircase street (a small sign points to the "archaíos léoon", the "old lion"). After some 2 minutes you get to the junction of the important hikes [1] (straight ahead to the Lion and Otziás) and [3] (on the right to the Profítis Ilías and Karthéa – hiking sign).

(0h06) You thus take a right into the Odós Ilía Malavózou, which is a nice staircase street. After 14-15 steps you go up straight across and to the right [3] and further on you keep to the left [3]. After 77 steps you pass a chapel [3]; just past the chapel and near two fire hydrants, hike [3] continues straight ahead (hiking sign).

(0h09) You should take a right here and then, you take not the first, but the second staircase on the left side (just before an arched passage); you pass through two other vaults and then take the 1st on the left. You veer to the right and take the 1st staircase on the left again – you thus keep going higher and higher. After 1 minute this staircase gets to a small concrete street – you go left for a short while and then you take the uppermost street going up on the right. About 1 1/2 minute later you get in front of a nice staircase, which brings you to the asphalt road in about 2 minutes, just next to Kea Village. Almost straight across you notice a wooden sign "Thólos 20' / Kalogerádos 50' / Elliniká 1u45" and that is the beginning of hike [9].

(0h20) The staircase goes up beautifully and it then arrives between walls; you thus climb up for a fair amount of time – sometimes the steps are rough-hewn in the rock. After 5 minutes you reach the little asphalt road that runs over the hill crest with the mills, close to a chapel. Over here, there used to be 26 mills, mainly on the right, but also on the left – this is the largest number of mills anywhere on the Cyclades! You follow the road to the right and so you arrive next to some wind mills. Pay attention: after 6 minutes and between 2 + 2 wind mills, you take the little concrete road to the left [9]: it becomes first a neglected path and then a nice cobblestone staircase. You thus arrive next to some houses, where you go RIGHT to follow a little concrete road – hike [9] follows here the gravel road to the left. After for 50 meters you take a LEFT onto a narrow dirt road.

[If you would stay on the paved road on the ridge, you would also arrive here...]

(0h35) You follow this road for a few minutes, and just before the turn to the right to the Kea Sunset homes, a path starts between walls. You have a beautiful view of the many mills on the crest of the hill to the right of you - you count about a dozen of mills... Further, you also discover in front of you the bay of Korissía; the trail now follows exactly the crest of Petrovoúni, and you continue almost flat.

(0h47) After a nice stretch of a few minutes, sometimes between flowering broom, you get to a dirt road which you will follow for 6 more minutes. At the height of a large villa, the road becomes a wide dirt road, you go down faster and you get in this way to the asphalt road, where you take a left.

(0h53) You follow this road for about 800 meters: you thus pass the Aegean gas station and arrive between the houses of the tiny hamlet of Skavonikóla.

(1h04) A concrete road starts here to the right (signpost to Agios Nikólaos and Vróskopos, no other mark). You follow the road for another 950 meters: after 250 meters, the asphalt ends and after in total of 950 meters and in a right turn next to a big stable in dark stone, you see a narrow road that continues straight (orange marks).

(1h25) This little road soon becomes a trail next to a gate [12], and continues horizontally. A little later, you keep of course to the right and the trail continues horizontally. There is an abundant vegetation with many trees, which gives you an almost bucolic feeling. About 5-6 minutes later, you pass the tower of Panachóras.
The trail becomes rocky next to a water well and later on you continue on a grassy path, always in the middle of a beautiful vegetation.

(1h31) You arrive on nice steps and a little further, you keep to the left [12]. You describe a wide turn to the right and you continue your lovely descent. Suddenly, you have a great view of the tower of Agia Marína.

You pass through a gate and after following this beautiful trail for 20 minutes, you get to a concrete road - you are here on the route of the walk Mylopótamos - Agia Marína – Písses and you could indeed continue to the right to reach Fléa and Mylopótamos.
You go left and after 2-3 minutes, you arrive at the right of the tower of Agia Marína. (1h45)

It is a Hellenistic tower dating from the late 4th century B.C. – it had a double wall and five floors. It takes its name from the small church built next to it. The tower was seriously damaged in recent times, and as a result it is now very dangerous to approach the tower too closely.
In April 2018, restoration works were going on…

[You could make a detour of 3 minutes, going first straight to the source of Agia Marína: it is dated 1959 and you see many troughs and a large washing-place - this proves that this place once was very lively, which is not that surprising in this very fertile valley! You then return to the cross-roads.]

(1h45) You thus take the dirt road to the right - a few minutes later, you see on your left another trail that leads to the source of Agia Marína (sign).
You keep to the left near some houses [12] and further you veer twice to the left. This dirt road, with occasionally a concrete section, continues on a gentle slope above a deep and green valley.

(1h58) You arrive between a few houses – this is the hamlet of Plagiá – and with some suspicion you can see the road going up against the following hill. But you should not go that far, because already after 3 minutes you reach a narrow gravel road off the left, which you follow (sign and [12]). You pass a nice threshing floor (alóni) and you arrive after again 3 minutes near some stables, where the road ends - but there is a beautiful trail that continues (sign Písses coast 55’ and 2 X [12]).

(2h04) This is a great, natural trail with a wall on the left-hand side. The trail gradually descends with on your left a truly magnificent valley, the valley of Kremastí. The trail is sometimes beautifully paved, especially the second part. You slowly veer to the right and the broad fertile valley of Pisses appears in front of you. A little later, the descent becomes steeper - there are steps, and the monopáti is sometimes covered with tall grass. You discover rather quickly the gravel road, down in the valley, where you will arrive. But you first turn right again, then left and so you come down in the valley. After a pleasant descent of some 20-21 minutes, you get to a dirt and concrete road, that you follow towards the middle of the valley [12], between high walls, and you finally arrive in the river bed [12].

(2h25) You follow this bed to the right and after 7 minutes you thus arrive in the main river bed, which you follow for another 12 minutes to the right. You pass next to the campsite Kéa and you soon reach the beautiful beach of Písses - next to the nice restaurant Christóforos. (2h49)

The beach is wide and sandy, there are tamarisk that provide shade and there are benches, awnings and umbrellas.
In front you see the coast of Attica, and if you look closely, you even can distinguish the temple of Cape Sounion!