Kalamos-Paou monastery-Argalasti

Paou monastery

Distance: 6,7 km
Duration: 2 hours (walking time)
Altitude: from sea level (Kalamos) to 255 m. (Argalasti square)
Total ascent: 151 m. Total descent: 404 m.
Signing: red marks, round yellow signs
Drinking water on walk: yes (Paou mon.)

 Download GPS track:   from Everytrail   from Wikiloc

     We walk southwards along the beach road at Kalamos, and at the end of the beach the road begins to ascend towards Argalasti. After a short time, a narrower concrete road branches off on the right and we follow this, going gently downhill. In a little while, we see a small beach on our right but we do not go down to this. Continuing down the road a bit further, we reach a concrete post with electricity metres. On the left of this post a footpath leads us towards a second beach (Belian) and we walk along the length of this.

Walking between Belian and Paou

     At the end of the beach we find some concrete steps which we go up. On our left is the fence of a cottage and a concrete path ascends next to the fence away from the sea. We turn right, however, and walk along the footpath parallel to the shoreline. Further on, the footpath widens and becomes a rough, narrow earth road under which water pipes have been laid. We ignore the earth road that branches up to the left and continue walking parallel to the shoreline, eventually reaching Mikri Paou beach.

Mikri Paou beach

    We continue half way along the beach until we reach a small stream bed and walk up the footpath on the right hand side of this between orange trees. Further up we enter an olive grove and continue up the path, which alternates with sections of kalderimi.

The olive grove at spring

 
      We pass a couple of houses and eventually come out onto the asphalt road next to a garden wall, at the point where there is a mirror. We walk up the road and, where it takes a left turn, we leave it to the right and follow the path signed with red marks and small yellow signs (as in the whole route), that takes us up to Paou monastery. Built in 1778 and dedicated to St. Nicholas, it currently functions as congress and exhibition center of the University of Thessaly.

Paou monastery

      After exploring the monastery, which is in excellent condition after renovation, we walk along the path between the cypress trees, which leads us to a spring water drinking fountain. This is a good place for a picnic. We continue walking uphill parallel and a little to the right of the asphalt road, and after 30 meters we find the kalderimi that was cleared in January 2011 by the Friends of the Kalderimi of South Pelion. Further on, this becomes an ill-defined (but marked) path that continues upwards through an olive grove in a north-easterly direction. 

Springtime at the field above Paou

                                                                                                                                                           It comes out onto an earth road at a left hand bend. Following this, we reach a field and continue left in a north-easterly direction along an earth road. Passing a football pitch on our left, we come out onto an asphalt road and turn right.

Αrgalasti square

      We walk along the road for 200 meters, after which we see to our left the kalderimi, that leads to Agia Paraskevi church and then continues as paved road to Argalasti square. From there we can return to Kalamos if we wish, following the route Argalasti – Kalamos (1 hour) or Argalasti-Lefokastro-Kalamos (2,5 hours),  to complete a circular walk.

Argalasti-Lefokastro-Kalamos

On the way to Lefokastro

 Distance: 8,6 km

Duration: 2.45' with stops

Altitude: from 255 m. (Argalasti) to sea level

Marked with: red marks and round signs

Drinking water on walk: yes (Lefokastro)

Download GPS track:   from Wikiloc   from Everytrail

     
     This is one of the best walks in South Pilion, descending from Argalasti to the coastal settlement of Lefokastro and from there along the coast to the settlement of Kalamos. From Kalamos we can return to Argalasti (see the route Argalasti-Kalamos), completing the circular walk within a total time of around 4 hours, or if we wish and have the reserves we can continue further along the coast towards Paou and from there return to Argalasti, which will take around 5 hours including stops (see the route Kalamos-Paou monastery-Argalasti).  

      Starting from the square in Argalasti, from the corner where there is a pharmacy, we follow the narrow concrete road in a westerly direction, go past the post office and reach a junction with the restored stone building of the old girl’s school on our left (attention). Straight ahead is the kalderimi (cobbled stone path) leading to Kalamos. We turn right and follow another kalderimi that descends in a northerly direction. After a short distance, we reach a section of about thirty metres where this has been destroyed and we descend through a gully-like path to the left over stony ground.

Looking back to Argalasti

       Reaching the kalderimi again, we continue down and cross the small stream of Pnevmatikos over a bridge and then cross an earth road. After a short distance, we reach a second earth road where we turn down to the left. The kalderimi is visible in the road and after fifty metres we follow this off to the right of the road. We pass an electricity pylon and soon reach the beautiful stone arched bridge of Rodia.

Rodia stone bridge

      After crossing Rodia stream, the kalderimi ascends and finally emerges onto the asphalt road to Lefokastro at the point where an earth road forks left towards Kalamos. At the junction there is a sign and a shrine. Since the continuation of the kalderimi has been covered over at this point, we follow the asphalt road for a kilometre. However, watching out for it on our left, we again find the kalderimi, which descends between low dry stone walls. Further down we cross the asphalt road and then meet it again after a short distance. It takes about one and a half hours (with stops) to reach this point, having covered a distance of 4,8 km. If we follow the asphalt downhill for 300 metres, we will reach the seaside front at Lefokastro, where we can find food and drink at the taverna.

Beach at Lefokastro

     To continue to Kalamos, we keep walking on the kalderimi that descends past an old spring water drinking fountain, built in 1777 according to the inscription. After a few minutes we reach an excellent sandy beach. At the other end of the beach we walk up a path for a few metres and come out onto a narrow earth road. Below us passes the underground pipe bringing fresh water from the Panagiotiko dam. Unfortunately, laying of the pipe has destroyed the nice path with small sections of kalderimi that existed here previously.

    We walk along the road to the south and soon reach a junction with a road going up to the left. We continue straight ahead parallel to the sea on our right. The road eventually ends at a T junction and we turn upwards to the left for ten metres and then turn right into a grove, climbing over a low fence at the entrance. The path, which like all the route is marked by red dots, continues for a short distance in the grove, after which we pass next to a fence on our right. We continue downhill towards the sea and soon reach the small beach of Agios Sostis. 

Agios Sostis beach (picture taken late February)

    At the other end of the beach we meet an earth road and follow it in a southerly direction (to the right). After ten minutes, where the main road curves to the left, we leave it to the right on a narrow road that descends slightly and later becomes a path. This leads us to the northern end of the beach at Kalamos.

    We walk along the beach for a short distance and, where it seems to end, we turn to the left for a few metres and then right on a narrow concrete road parallel to the sea. We cross over the Rodia stream on a pedestrian bridge and after a short distance come out at the beach again. About half way along the beach we find the kalderimi that goes up to the left to Argalasti, marked by walker signs on the electricity pole.

Horto-Lefokastro

Distance: 10 km
Duration: 3,5 hours (incl. stops)
Altitude: 64 m. (maximum)
Marking: small round signs, red spots
Drinking water on walk: no

       Download GPS track:  from Wikiloc    from Everytrail 
       
      A tour on the idyllic beaches of South Pelion from Horto up to Lefokastro. Someone called it "the ring of Heaven"! The best time to walk it is in the winter or early spring (the photographs were taken in February), perhaps because it is easier then to resist the temptation of removing our clothes and jumping into the sea of ​​Pagasitikos, which calls us like a siren in her arms. If we have enough strength, we can ascend from Lefokastro to Argalasti and then descend back to Horto, thus completing the circle with another 3 hours of walking (about 6,5 hours total). We can still go to Argalasti earlier, from Kalamos or Paou, saving 1 or 2 hours respectively (see the respective routes). There are places to eat and drink at Lefokastro, Argalasti and Horto.

      Starting from the west entrance of Horto, we walk for two hundred meters on the uphill asphalt road that leads to Argalasti and then, observing the round yellow signs of the Friends of the Kalderimi, we go left to a concrete road that descends between cottages and tourist accommodation. The road becomes a paved footpath that runs close to the beach Pagania. After the paved section, we walk on earth path through low bushes and olive trees.
      After a while we descend to Megali Paou beach and walk along the seaside. At the other end, at the back of the last house,  there is a path that climbs on the slope next to a fence and opens to a concrete road ending at the entrance of private property. Originally, the path would continue through the property towards Mikri Paou, but at present time it is lost, blocked by fences, so we continue uphill on the concrete road that opens to the narrow asphalt road coming from Paou monastery. Walking on the asphalt downhill, we reach Mikri Paou beach. 

Megali Paou beach

     Halfway through the beach, on the right side of a small stream, we notice the path climbing to Paou monastery and Argalasti. At the end of the beach a narrow earth road continues parallel to the coastline. There is a water pipe underground, bringing water from Panagiotiko dam as far as Trikeri. Unfortunately, digging the earth for the pipe with heavy tools led to the obliteration of the existing path. One wonders, wasn`t it possible to preserve the path by choosing another course for the pipe? Why the authorities did not consider any alternatives?

Mikri Paou beach

        Walking along the coastline, a few meters above the sea, we reach an olive grove and cross it to find  the wide path again and then, walking aside to a property boundary, we arrive at the concrete path that leads left to the beach of Belian, a few meters below. On the right there is a cottage. We walk to the beach and on the other side we climb a trail that leads us on a rural road next to a newly built cottage. We follow the road  and come on the asphalt which goes downhill and leads us to the seaside settlement of Kalamos.

Kalamos

       Following the beach, we leave the junction with the kalderimi to Argalasti on the right, and then walk on the road that runs between the houses. We cross the stream of Rodia over a pedestrian bridge and  reach the beach north of the stream. At the other end of the beach a path continues and soon becomes earth road heading to the north among olive groves in the area called Kalogria. Another road joins at an angle from the right and after a while we approach the sea again and come to the beautiful small beach of Agios Sostis, next to the bulletin board of the local club.

Agios Sostis

      At the other end of the beach, we find the path with the red signs that goes uphill and follow it. The trail brings us to a bar that blocks the entrance to a property. We walk for a few meters down on a narrow rural road and turn right. Here we meet again the water pipe running underground over the course of the trail, having altered it permanently. We pass next to a newly built villa and soon arrive at another beach which is just south of Lefokastro. 

Βeach at Lefokastro

       We descend to the beach on a path and at the other end find a kalderimi that goes uphill, passing by an old fountain dating from 1777 and reach the asphalt. On the other side  a kalderimi continues uphill to Argalasti (one hour and half to go). If we walk on the asphalt downhill, after three hundred meters we will find ourselves at the seaside settlement of Lefokastro.

On the way to Lefokastro

 

Argalasti-Kalamos

Distance: 3.7 km
Duration: 1.15΄
Signing: red marks, round yellow signs
Maximum altitude: 255 m (Argalasti square)
Drinking water on walk: yes (Agia Triada church)
Download GPS track:   from Wikiloc    from Everytrail

      This route goes downhill from Argalasti towards Kalamos beach and for most of its length we walk along a beautiful cobbled path (kalderimi). It is an easy walk, ideal for the winter and early spring months. From Kalamos we can continue along the coast if we wish, either to our right (north) towards Lefokastro or left (south) towards the beach and monastery of Paou, and from there return to Argalasti (see the appropriate walk descriptions).

        Beginning at the square in Argalasti, from the corner with the pharmacy, we follow the narrow concrete road that goes west, passing in front of the post office. At the end of this road we reach the restored stone building of the former girl’s school on the left hand corner. To the right is the kalderimi that leads to Lefokastro. We continue straight ahead in a westerly direction on a short downhill section of cobbled path that then alternates with sections of earth road.

Amoursas stone bridge, now destroyed

      After a short distance walking downhill, a path joins at an angle from the left. This comes from the church of Agia Paraskevi. The kalderimi continues to descend and a left turn takes us down to a small stream. Lower down we cross a second stream over a small stone bridge, named Amoursas (update 11/2015: the bridge was sadly destroyed by careless human action) and further down still, the path comes out at an angle into an earth road. We cross the road, and continue on the kalderimi.

View to the sea by Agia Triada church

       At the end of this stretch of kalderimi we reach a second earth road. If we turn left, after 100 m. we will reach the picturesque small church of Aghia Triada next to a fountain with refreshing water. But to go to Kalamos we turn right here, continuing downhill until we reach the asphalt road just above a left bend. We don’t need to walk on the road but continue on a path on the outside of the bend and turn immediately left. In a few metres we meet a house in front of which the path becomes a kalderimi. However, this immediately comes out onto the asphalt road, which we follow for two hundred metres.

      Watching out for it on the left hand side, we find the kalderimi again and continue to descend. Further down, the kalderimi crosses the asphalt road, continuing for a few metres as a concrete road towards a house on our right. As we continue on down, the kalderimi becomes a path then a kalderimi again, finally emerging at Kalamos beach, at a point marked with a walker sign on an electricity pole.

Kalamos