Duration: 4 h (walking time 3.30)
Altitude: from 380 m.(Milies square) to 790 m. (max) to 510 m. (Taksiarchon square, Tsagarada)
Total ascent: 529 m. Total descent: 419 m.
Signing: red marks, signs
Drinking water on walk: no
Download GPS track: from Wikiloc from Everytrail
This is a classic, well-worn and beautiful route in Pelion. A large part of it is on kalderimi (stone paved path) through the
forest and at the end we pass over the river bed of Milopotamos on
the wonderful old stone bridge. We can get to Milies and return from
Tsagarada by bus (www.ktelvolou.gr).
The route can also be combined with others (for example Kala
Nera-Milies and Tsagarada-Damouhari-Ai Yiannis) to create a long
trek across Pelion lasting 7-8 hours, starting on the Pagasitic coast
at Kala Nera and ending on the Aegean coast.
The
library building, inscripted with the words ''ΨΥΧΗΣ
ΑΚΟΣ'' (psychis akos, “therapy for the soul”) is
found just above the square in Milies and immediately to its right
begins the kalderimi towards Labinou-Xourihti-Tsagarada. We start up
this and immediately pass a covered spring water drinking fountain on
our left. We continue straight ahead, climbing past the houses of
the village in an easterly direction. The kalderimi zigzags next to a plane tree, diagonally crosses a cement road and
continues uphill in the same direction. We keep following the red
marks and ignore any downhill kalderimis or roads crossing our path.
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| Kalderimi at Milies |
A
little further on, we continue on a cement road as we leave the last
houses of the village behind us and walk between apple orchards.
At the second left hand bend, we leave the road and turn right onto a
kalderimi next to a concrete water channel and water pipe. On our right
is a row of cypress trees.
We pass a stream bed over a small concrete bridge and
continue on a lovely kalderimi/path.
We soon come to a crossing, at
which the signpost indicates that we should turn up to the left onto
a wide path, which becomes a kalderimi a little further up. We come
out at an angle onto a kalderimi/road and continue uphill. In a
short while, we meet and cross a wide earth road and continue in the same
direction between chestnut trees. Where a road comes in from the
right, we continue ahead in a northerly direction and reach a wooden
kiosk at the location called Kefalas. From here, to the right of the
kiosk, a path leads down to Labinou (see the route Milies-Labinou
beach).
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| Chestnut forest above Milies |
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| Getting into the forest near Kefalas |
We walk a bit
further on the road, which eventually ends and continues as a kalderimi
that leads into a beautiful forest with evergreen holm oaks initially, then beech, plane and chestnut trees. Moving in a
generally northerly direction we pass the Kerasorema stream bed and ascend
gently for a bit until we reach the highest point at 790
meters. This part through the forest is beautiful and evocative and
one wishes it could last forever!
The kalderimi begins now to descend (we ignore two paths to our
right) and we reach a wooden bridge over the Varsami river bed.
After the bridge, we leave the forest and walk uphill on an earth
road in which sections of kalderimi are visible from time to time
until it goes off to the right of the road. We are walking now in
maquis vegetation and pass next to a couple of orchards. The kalderimi then opens to a crossroads. We take the middle
road and in a few meters find the humble country chapel of Agios
Dimitrios.
We continue on the road for two hundred meters and, watching out for
a path to our right at a left bend in the road, turn onto it. This
descends slightly and has some sections of kalderimi. Following the
red marks in a generally northerly direction, we again come out onto
the road and walk on this downhill for a short distance before
finding the continuation of the kalderimi diagonally off to our left.
We pass a kiosk and a water tank before the kalderimi eventually brings us down
to the asphalt road. We walk on this for about a hundred meters,
watching out for the paved path on our right that zig-zags down to
the bottom of the Milopotamos gorge, where we find waiting for us,
stable in its position despite the ravages of time, the old stone
bridge with the pointed arch.
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| Τhe bridge of Milopotamos (now ruined) |
Released now from the burden of loaded down mules, which in previous
times continually passed over it, the old bridge rests quietly,
patiently remembering times past in the company of the plane trees
and the water that passes perpetually beneath it. And we, its present
day visitors, always feel welcome as we cross over its grassy ridge.
Let us hope that this creation of human artistry and craftsmanship
will remain intact for many centuries more.
UPDATE 12/2/2021: Unfortunately, the old bridge fell to the ground yesterday, damaged by a plane tree that fell on it. Hoping there will be a plan to rebuild it in near future.
After the bridge we
climb a short way up the kalderimi and come out again onto the
asphalt road, on which we walk for fifteen minutes to reach Taksiarchon
square in Tsagarada with its characteristic drinking water fountain.
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| Taksiarchon square, Tsagarada |