Walking in Lesvos
£10.00
Landscapes of LESVOS: 5 car tours, 65 long and short walks
by Brian and Eileen Anderson
This new 4th edition was checked on the ground by the authors a few months prior to publication. They have added quite a few new walks – generally circular and fairly easy, to cater for people who want to birdwatch or search out orchids. The maps have mostly been redrawn, with waypoints which correspond to coloured waypoints in the text, and free downloadable GPS tracks are now available for all the walks.
Click below to read walker’s reviews and use the ‘Look Inside’ feature on Amazon.co.uk (RRP £12.99)
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A wonderful walking and bird-watching destination in the Mediterranean, Lesvos offers a stunning combination of natural and man-made landscapes to enjoy on foot or by car. It is a treasure house of very early ancient remains dating from the 7th century BC and boasts one of the finest natural monuments in Europe, the Petrified Forest, created 20 million years ago.
Cloaked with forests of chestnut and oak, the island becomes a riot of flowers in the spring and is renowned for its wild orchids (as many as 65 species) and with its own special endemic, Ophrys lesbis.
The island’s hills and mountains are riddled with little known ancient trails and cobbled donkey paths, many of which form the walks featured in this new guidebook. Refreshingly free of high-rise hotels and beach-orientated tourism, Lesvos is seizing an opportunity to rediscover itself through ecotourism in its totally unspoilt countryside. Fascinating sites, often unprotected, allow you to do your own interpretation. Follow the authors’ footsteps into villages still steeped in an old way of life and into a countryside as beautiful as any in the Mediterranean. The car tours, too, show off the very best the island has to offer and will take you to some secret places they have discovered.
An excellent guide – Walking in Lesvos was the first of the Sunflower guides I bought (I have since bought several more) and it really made a difference to my holiday in Lesvos. My husband and I did not hire a car on this trip, so we only used the walks but they were fabulous walks, taking in the whole variety of Lesvos scenery, off the beaten track but not difficult to get to, very well described in terms of geographical features along the way (so you don’t get lost), fitness level required and duration of walk. I now buy Sunflower guides for every holiday. (M.Kendrick, Amazon)
The drives and walks in the guide are very detailed and full of interesting and useful information regarding the landscape, buildings, where to stop for picnics and good swimming spots. Even without a car you will be able to get to Mytilene, the capital, by bus and do the Mytilene town walk and some of the museums. We did car tours 2 and 4 and enjoyed them both immensely. Skala Simanimias was particularly charming. The walks using ‘kalderimi’ (old donkey paths) are especially atmospheric. As usual the guide is very reliable. (H.Hogg, Amazon)
The best months for walking in Lesvos are April, May, June, September and October.
For an extremely useful source of information about the island, go to http://www.greekisland.co.uk and click on Lesvos or to browse through an interesting selection of photographs and walking notes, visit http://www.foxysislandwalks.com/Lesvos.htm
East coast
Mytilene – a busy town with plenty of hotels, but not really a resort, and not where holidaymakers choose to stay. It is handy for people arriving and leaving by ferry or just in transit. There are three walks which can be reached using the local bus service, and there is not too much travelling to join walks in the Agiassos area.
Thermi – a small but pleasant resort just north of Mytilene town. There is one walk on the doorstep and, again, the walks around Agiassos are not so far away.
Central area
Molyvos, Petra, Anaxos – these three resorts lie close together on the north coast. Molyvos is full of character and the island’s top resort, but the other two are actually better beach resorts. There are four walks immediately to hand with minimal transport requirements. Another four are spread around the Kalloni area and are fairly handy, as are most of the other walks if you’re prepared to do a little more travelling.
Skala Kallonis – located at the head of the Gulf of Kalloni, this is just about the most centrally placed resort on the island. There are four walks available within a reasonably short distance and good access to most of the other walks.
Vatera – this south coast resort lies close to the mouth of the Gulf of Kalloni. It is best-known for its miles of beach and has two walks actually starting out from the beach. There is another walk close by and it has good access to the Agiassos walks, those from Melinda and those around Kalloni. Other walks are a little further afield, but still easily managed.
Ag Isidoros – another south coast resort, but lying east of Vatera. The Melinda walks are not too far away, and the Agiassos walks are reasonably available. Otherwise there is a fair bit of travelling from this resort.
West
Sigri and Skala Eressou – these two resorts are tucked away in the far west of the island. But this side of the island is fairly remote from the bulk of the walks and the least convenient place to stay. There is just one walk which is close by and after that there is over an hour’s driving to get to next nearest group of walks, so we recommend staying on the east coast or in the central area.
5 car tours, 65 long and short walks, many picnic suggestions
144 pages; 2 touring maps; plan of Mytilini; large-scale (1:50,000 topo maps); free GPS tracks for all the walks
4th edition 2019; ISBN 978-1-85691-522-9; UK retail price £12.99 / USA retail price $18.00
Table of contents
Preface 5
Acknowledgements 8
Getting about 9
Further reading 9
A country code for walkers and motorists 10
TOURING AND PICNICKING
Car tour 1: WAY OUT WEST AND PETRIFIED 14
Figures from history 15
Car tour 2: THE NORTHERN SCENE – MONASTERIES, MONOLITHS AND MARAUDERS 19
Short walks for motorists (Skala Sikaminias) 22
Pentapolis 24
Car tour 3: AGIASSOS AND THE TWO GULFS 25
Cheeses 26
Short walk for motorists: the Kasteli from Agiassos 27
Short walk for motorists: the Pesas Waterfalls 28
Car tour 4: MYTILENE – EASTERN PROMISE 32
Plan of Mytilene 36
Walking tour around Mytilene 37
Car tour 5: A WETLANDS WANDERING 38
Hot springs 39
WALKING
The walks 43
Grading, waymarking, maps, GPS 43
Weather 44
Walk wisely 44
Photography 45
Things that bite or sting 45
Where to stay 46
Greek for walkers 47
Organisation of the walks 48
THE WALKS
1 Karini circuit 50
2 Loutra • Koundouroudia • Skala Loutron circuit 53
3 Thermi circuit via Panagia 55
Tower houses 57
4 Lambou Mili • Roman aqueduct • Karini • Lambou Mili 58
5 Circuit from Ag Dimitrios via Agiassos and Karini 61
6 Two circuits from Ag Anargyri 64
7 Circuit from Agiassos via the Sanatorio 67
8 Ascent of Mount Olympos 71
Agiassos • Asomatos • Agiassos — eastern circuit 74
10 Southern ridge circuit from the Sanatorio 76
11 Asomatos mountain circuit 78
12 Ag Anargyri • Asomatos • Ag Anargyri 80
13 Ag Anargyri • saddle above Mixou • Ag Anargyri 83
14 Mixou — Ag Theologos circuit 85
15 Paleohori circuit 87
16 Circuit from Skamnioudi via Lisvori 89
17 Circuit from Vatera via Paleopyrgos and Vrissa 93
Some reptiles and mammals on Lesvos 94
18 Circuit from Vatera via Profitis Ilias and Cape Fokas 97
19 Exploring Molyvos 100
20 Petra • Petri • Molyvos • Petra 103
21 Skala Sikaminias from Eftalou 107
22 Alexander’s circuit 110
23 Circuit from Petra via Lafionas 112
24 Ag Paraskevi • Klopedi Temple • Moni Taxiarchis • Ag Paraskevi 115
25 Moni Mirsiniotis • Moni Limonas • Metochi • Kalloni 118
26 Moni Limonas circuit 121
27 From Anemotia to Skala Kallonis 124
28 Anemotia circuit 127
29 Anaxos to Ambelia Beach 130
30 Skala Eresou (Eressos) circuit 132
Index 135
Bus information 136
Fold-out island map inside back cover
Achladerí 25, 26, 30-1, 39
Ag Alexándros 110, 111, 112
Ag Anárgyri 75, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84
Ag Dimítrios 60, 61, 63
Ag Ermogénis 32, 33
Ag Fanoúrios
(near Melínda) 87, 89, 92
(near Eressós) 129, 130-1
Ag Ioánnis Theológos 84, 85, 86
Ag Isídoros 25, 30, 31
Ag Katerína 60, 65
Ag Panagía 56, 56
Ag Paraskeví 26, 115, 116, 117
Agiássos 4-5, 25, 26, 27, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 132
Ágra 14, 15
Alikoudi (lake) 38, 39, 100, 101
Almiropótamos (river) 38, 41, 93, 96-7, 99
Ánaxos 19, 20
Ándissa 14, 17
Anemótia 18, 122, 123, 123, 125, 126, 127
Arísvi 38
Asómatos 4-5, 27, 60, 62, 64, 65, 66, 67, 74, 75, 78, 79, 80, 81, 84
Eftaloú 21, 107, 108-9, 112
Eressós 14, 16, 128, 129, 130-1
Fília 14, 18, 19, 20
Fokás (cape) 96-7, 98, 99
Géra, Gulf of 31, 32, 35
Íppio 78, 79
Kagiá 19, 23, 24, 108-9
Kálloni 14, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 31, 32, 35, 38, 118, 121, 122, 125, 132
Gulf of 15, 26, 30-1, 32, 38, 39
Salt Pans 38
Kápi 19, 24
Karíni 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 65
Kastéli (Agiássos) 25, 27, 60, 70, 75
Káto Trítos 84
Klió 24
Klopedí (temple) 115, 116, 117
Koundouroudiá 31, 32, 33, 52, 53, 54
Kournéla 87, 89, 92, 92
Kremastí (bridge) 115, 116, 117
Lafiónas 110, 111, 112, 113, 114
Lámbou Míli 25, 31, 32, 35, 58, 59, 60
Lepétimnos (mountain range) 23, 108-9
Lisvóri 100, 101, 102
Spa 100, 101
Loutrá 32, 33, 50, 52, 53, 54, 132
Loutrópoli Thermís 56
Megáli Límni 27
Megalohóri 30
Melínda 87, 88, 89, 90, 92
Mesa (sanctuary) 26
Mesótopos 15, 18
Mikró Límni 38, 39, 41
Mixoú 31, 79, 84, 85, 86
Mólyvos 1, 19, 20-1, 47, 103, 105, 106, 107, 112, 132
Moní
Ipsiloú 16
Limónas 18, 19, 21, 118, 119, 121
Metóchi 118, 120, 121
Mirsiníotis 118, 120, 121
Taxiárchis 115, 116, 117
Moría 32, 35, cover
Mytiléne 15, 19, 24, 32, 34-5, 36, 37, 132
Nifída 38, 41
Ólympos (mountain range) 70, 71, 72, 77
Paleohóri 87, 89, 92
Paleopyrgos 93, 95, 96, 96-7
Panagía 55, 56
Parákila 14, 15, 17
Pelópi 19, 24
Pérama 25, 31
Pétra 19, 20, 103, 104, 105, 105, 106, 112, 113, 114, 132
Petrí 103, 104, 105, 105, 112
Petrified Forest Park 14, 16, 17, 128, 129, 130-1
Pláti 75, 83, 85, 86
Plomári 25, 28
Polichnítos 41
Salt Pans 38, 39
Profítis Ilías (chapels)
(near Agiássos) 70
(near Loutrá) 50, 51, 52
(near Vaterá) 96-7, 99
Pyrgi Pésas (waterfalls) 27, 28
Pyrrha 26
Raxídi 87, 89, 92
Sanatório (near Agiássos) 28, 68, 70, 76, 77, 84
Sígri 14, 16, 130-1
Sikaminiá 22, 23, 108-109
Sikoúnda 78, 79
Skála Eressoú 14, 15, 17
Skála Kallonís 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 41, 118, 122, 124-5, 126
Skála Loutrón 52, 53, 54
Skála Polichnítou 38, 40
Skála Sikaminiás 6-7, 19, 22-3, 23, 107, 108-9
Skalohóri 14, 18
Skamnioúdi 38, 39, 100, 101, 101, 102
Skópelos 31
Skoutáros 19, 20
Stípsi 19, 24
Taxiárchis
(chapel near Agiássos) 27, 68, 70
Moní 115, 116, 117
(basilica near Thermí) 55, 56, 57
Thermí 32, 35, 55, 56, 57, 132
Tisianás River 38
Variá 34
Vasiliká 39, 41
Vaterá 38, 40, 41, 93, 96-7, 99
Vatoúsa 18
Vríssa 93, 95, 96-7
Wildlife Recuperation Centre (near Ag Paraskeví) 117
Zoodochou Pigis (church in Agiássos) 62, 68
Lesvos, 3rd ed (2014); updated 10/5/18
Updates for walks and car tours (drives) on Lesvos given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book you can “upgrade” to the latest edition at half price.)
Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably by e-mail, to info@sunflowerbooks.co.uk.
General: TAXIS
The fact that there are no trams, trains or metro on Lesvos, make taxis convenient for people/tourists to use. Many people want to use taxis on Lesvos but unfortunately there is insufficient information about taxi fare prices, airport/port transfers, excursions, payments and emergency service on the internet, that’s why they hesitate to use them. Therefore we kindly ask you to place our taxi website somewhere where it can be easily seen and found on your Lesvos page. We have been in business since 1997. Please visit our website at www.lesvostaxiservice.webs.com so you can see what we mean, we provide all the information needed for taxi services on Lesvos.
LESVOS TAXISERVICE
Theo: (+30) – 697 220 3663 (English/Greek)
Astrid: (+30) – 693 489 5338 (Dutch/English/German)
Walk 7: On page 69, “Where the track dips closer to the stream, fork left downhill (34 min). Cross the steam bed and continue uphill on a path, curling round to the left in a U.” The fork to the left is now quite indistinct: if you come to a fallen tree that appears to be blocking the path you have gone too far, so re-trace your steps and look for a rather indistinct ramp sloping down to the stream. When you cross the steam bed it’s important to realise that the path to follow runs downstream, and parallel with it at first. Previous walkers have attempted to scramble straight up the stream bank, giving the false impression that the path ahead lies this way. It doesn’t. The section of path that follows, and which ultimately becomes the cobbled trail, mentioned later, is now just passable but is becoming overgrown. If it isn’t walked regularly (preferably by someone with secateurs) it’s likely to be lost, which would be a real pity. (User, 4/18) + Nothing has changed; it is just how the User interpretated our instructions. The path down to the river is indistinct but there is no onward route, so you have to go that way. We will try and add a few words of clarity for the new edition. It is a popular walk and groups often do it and usually help to keep the path clear. The problem is a patch of brambles and they need cutting back each year. We did it last year but not this. (Authors, 5/18)
GPS files for use with the Landscapes of Lesvos guidebook:
Download GPS files for Landscapes of Lesvos
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