Ioulída - Lion - Agii Theódori - Sorós - Kastrianí


Evaluation: This hike first follows the same walking trails as walk [1] to Otziás and as the walk to Spathí: so you follow the same route up to the Lion and the source of Venjamin, then you turn right. Later on, there are still some beautiful trails, but unfortunately there is also quite a long part of the walk that follows the road that was paved in 2009 (about 3 km). Towards the end, there is again a nice trail that leads to the very photogenic place of Kastrianí.
 This hike is well marked at the beginning with wooden signs and trail markers [1] or – until the bifurcation to Spathí – [10] .
 For the way back, you can walk back along the same route, but we took a taxi from Kastrianí to Ioulída (15 €). Deserves **.
 [The translation of this walk was made with some help of Google translate - so, do not mind the mistakes...]

 Estimated time: This walk takes, in actual walking time (AWT), about 1h50: the total time (TWT) however can easily go up to 3h30. If you start at about 10am, you can picnic in the courtyard of the monastery of Kastrianí around 1am.

Route description:  (0h00) For all hikes departing from Chóra you leave from the parking place (with bus stop). You walk through the archway – stóa – with the small shop Kianos on your right. You enter 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, but you take a right, through a modern vault, to the centre. After some 20 metres you keep to the right at a large wooden hiking sign; in front of you, you can see the church with the red dome of the Agios Dimítrios. You pass the nice bar + terrace En Levkoó and via the Odós A. Lazarídi. About 80 metres after the wooden hiking sign you get to the central square, the "platía", with the "dimarchío" or town hall.
You continue and at the small electricity store you branch right; you then go up the staircase street (a small sign points to the "archaíos léoon", the "old lion"). After 2 minutes you get to the crossing of the important hikes [3] (on the right, to Karthéa) and [1].
The hiking sign points straight ahead  and in this way it takes you 1-2 minutes to reach the large church of Agios Spiridónas, with next to it the beautiful terrace of the restaurant To Stéki.
Past the church you keep following the nice and broad main street, which goes up slightly. You leave the houses behind you and you arrive at a marvellously paved trail. On the opposite side of the valley you can already distinguish the continuation of the trail, with underneath the location of the Lion. Your path curves to the left, under the cemetery with beautiful cyprus trees; you thus get a nice view on the town of Chóra behind you. You pass a nice well with the two-headed eagle and you get a nice view on the Lion as well. Further on, the trail curves to the left, near a well and underneath the small chapel of Agios Elefthérios – a great spot to admire the panoramic view on Chóra. The pavement comes to an end and two minutes later you get to the small iron gate that gives entrance to the Lion of Kéa on the left.

This magnificent statue, dating from the years 600 BC is a statue from the archaic era: the slight smile of the animal reminds us of the smile of the koúros-statues, so typical for the archaic era (7th – 6th centuries BC). The lion is probably connected to the legend of the lion that chased the nymphs. According to the myth, the bloom of the island, which was then rich in water (hence the ancient name "Hydroussa", from the ancient Greek "hudoor" = water) and which was the residence of the water nymphs or Naïades, was brutally disturbed by the arrival of a lion. The lion chased away the water nymphs, who fled to the nearby Euboea, which was followed by a long period of drought. This drought came to an end, only because Aristaeus, son of the god Apollo, and known as the inventor of the apiculture, brought into existence the summer wind or meltémi, and this as a result of his sacrifices to the god Zeus. Maybe, the smile we saw on the face of the lion, was rather a grin…?   

(0h18) After this mythological intermezzo you return to the main trail, which you continue to the left; sometimes it is rocky and sometimes it consists of gravel. You have a nice view on the left and behind you and after some 7 minutes you arrive at a large spot around a marvellous plane tree and the beautiful well of Venjamin (Benjamin). The rings in the wall tell you that earlier on, this was a spot often used as watering place and halting place for animals.

(0h25) Straight ahead, your sandy path continues horizontally and some 2 minutes later you arrive at a junction with a nice sign post: going down on the left is trail no. [1], which continues to Otziás (another 1h05), the trail on the right leads to Spathí (another 1h30).

(0h27) This time you have to take a right – from now on, there are markings [10]. The trail that follows is very beautiful and still flat, occasionally in the midst of lush vegetation - a completely different landscape.
Sometimes, you can enjoy to the left a view of the bay of Otziás. After about 10 minutes, you go up on steps and a rocky slope, and you get to a small gravel road, where you go right. But you come almost immediately to the main road, near the small church of Agios Dimitriós - you go left ([10] on a low wall on the left). This road was paved in 2009.

(0h35) On your right you see now a very beautiful valley deep. You pass first a tiny blue and white chapel, and after 4 minutes, you arrive near a second blue chapel, with a sign pointing to the right towards the bay of Spathí.
You continue to follow the asphalt road straight ahead: it describes a left turn, then a slight right turn. About 6 minutes later, you take a clear path to the right, between a pole and a wall crowned by a metal fence.

 (0h45) The path you now follow is again very nice - sometimes this monopáti is somewhat overgrown, but there are also nice paved parts. The view of the deep valley of Spathí is really beautiful - that is especially the case near the viewpoint that you reach after 3 minutes!

 (0h55) After a total of 10 minutes, you get again to the asphalt road, which you follow straight ahead.

 (1h05) Another 10-11 minutes later, just after an old house, you pass a beautiful path that also comes from Spathí. You soon reach a fork: there is a very old and almost illegible road sign, indicating the directions of Chóra and Agii Theódori, and next to it is a very picturesque small chapel, with inside a small bulb, which is on...

 (1h07) Shortly after, you see the charming chapel of Agii Theódori. You continue your walk on the paved road. After a little less than 9 minutes, you continue straight and 2-3 minutes later, you keep to the left - so you follow the road sign to Kastrianí / Otziás.

 (1h26) After another 8 minutes, you arrive at a crossroads, next to a house: on the right there is a gravel road that leads to Spathí, in front of you there is a cemented path which should lead to Kastrianí, but further on it is so obstructed by vegetation that you would have to retrace your steps.
 You thus continue to follow the main road straight ahead: it descends for another 7 minutes, always with a beautiful view over the bay of Otziás and the sea, with the vague silhouettes of Attica, Makrónisos and the islands of Evia and Andros, to the right.

 (1h33) After those 7 minutes, the road describes a left turn: a little gravel road continues uphill, but there is another road to the far right, which runs towards Kastrianí. You take the small road on the right, but a little further you have to keep a good look-out: NOT immediately in the bend, but a little later, near the 3rd electricity pole, there is a nice trail that descends. After a few minutes, it veers to the right and you now have a beautiful view of the hill of Kastrianí and the small beaches.
 The descent that follows is really marvellous: you follow a beautiful and wide staircase that leads after 12 minutes to the asphalt road that you follow up.

 (1h45) After 1 minute you see on your right side a narrow path, which should go down to the beach, but it is too steep and it is better not to follow the trail. You thus continue to follow the climbing road. In the turn, there is still another path that goes straight towards the beach, but it is also impassable. So you follow the bend in the road to the right until you get near the monastery.

 (1h51) You avoid, staying left quite, a few furiously barking dogs and so you arrive in the courtyard, which is very well kept and full of flowers. The church is modern and dates from 1910-1912. The place is cool and nice, you can have a picnic, but there is no much to see. Too bad that the beach is inaccessible ...

 [For the way back, you should follow the same route. If not, you should call a taxi – so do not forget to note a few taxi numbers before you leave!]