Kato Kerasia – Makrinitsa

We start from the center of Kato Kerasia and by following the trails and alleys we soon meet the asphalt road. The dirt road leads us to a road junction where we see a new hut. We’ll follow the right road until we find the start of the trail.

In the beginning we walk on a rather faint trail but very soon we find ourselves in a rocky terrain where we can clearly define our route along the slope. The path is not in use anymore by local people: therefore, our course in this section may be partially blocked by the dense vegetation.

We come to a small stream and cross it. After we walk through a meadow we find the dirt road and can see the not so well-defined trail on its opposite side. This path takes us to a wider dirt track which we’ll now follow.

We will let this road when we arrive at the first plateau where we can see a large livestock facility: just before the plateau, we go downhill to the right direction, following an old dirt road towards a ravine, which is usually dry. Cross it and after a while walk again on the trail. The same dirt road, which we find again very soon, will take us to the village of Leschiani. There we can see the church of Panagia Leschiani, an old fountain (usually dry) and some farms.

From Leschiani, we continue walking on a well-preserved trail which reaches the large stone bridge of Leschiani. We cross the stream one more time and go uphill following the trail on the rocky slope. When we reach the plateau of Loutsa, we see a large pond, usually dry by the end of the summer, and the remains of livestock facilities. From this point, we head higher using a less clear path which goes along the rocky slope. Our next mark is the location Nyfis Mnima, where we will find another trough, with potable water, and another shepherds installation.

From this point, we go along the axis of aqueduct which supplies the trough and it is almost as broad as the road. This corridor follows the shortest route possible, while there are also many parallel dirt roads. After we reach a large road junction, we find the last section of our hike. The trail is clearly defined on the rocky and steep slope, but it might be covered partially with dense bushes. After weaving from side to side we cross the next stream and meet the dirt road.

This road heads towards Stavros, above Makrinitsa (spot the large shrine). We follow a narrow path, in order to avoid walking on the road, and very soon we find ourselves hiking on the old cobbled paths of Makrinitsa. The widest alley will take us to the town square.

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