Day 17: Southern Andros Hiking

Friday 18th September 2020

Decisions on the Day Ahead

Given the unpredictable weather forecast, we weren’t sure what today’s plans would end up like until we set off after breakfast. Ed had a small selection of cereal, juice, coffee and water in his room so after fuelling up, we checked out of the hotel and began heading south in the car.

The weather seemed to be holding up, though it was a little cloudy, so we kept to our preferred itinerary which involved driving all the way down to a village in the south east called Ormos Korthiou. From there, we would park the car and follow one of the many marked walking trails on the island, heading north to Kochilos, then to the ruins of a castle called Faneromeni. Then we would continue north, crossing several valleys, before finally arriving in Andros Town. Total distance should be around 12 kilometres.

Glad it wasn’t too Sunny

The hike went pretty well, though a reasonable amount of wind added to the challenge despite the clouds protecting us from too much sun exposure. The initial stage from Ormos Korthiou to Kochilos was comfortable along a well-marked trail.

Getting to Faneromeni was a bit more tricky. Although there is a road that leads up to the ruins, it’s not a very direct route, so we cut across the open terrain and up to the castle from the south. There are some worn-in paths here but it becomes steeper the closer you get.

The views from the castle were well worth the effort though:

The remaining section between Faneromeni and Andros Town was fairly easy, again on a marked trail, although it took a while zig-zagging up and down the hillsides:

As we crested the final hill, Andros Town came into view and was definitely a welcome sight!

Despite being able to see our destination, the last few kilometres seemed to take forever and by this time my legs were beginning to ache so it took a bit of grit and determination to grind out the last part of the walk. Eventually though, we arrived in Andros Town and fell into some chairs at a taverna called The Squad. A well-deserved beer later (and some water for hydration), we decided not to eat here but moved on and found a gyros snack bar along the main road.

Having reclaimed some calories, it was a short walk to the taxi station where we got a lift back to Ed’s car in Ormos Korthiou. Ed then drove us to Batsi and the Mare Vista Hotel, our accommodation for the last three nights of the trip.

Shady Pool

With a couple of hours to spare before heading out to dinner, we decided to hit the hotel pool. Unfortunately, due to the position of the pool relative to the hotel buildings, it’s mostly shaded by the late afternoon so it wasn’t as warm laying out as we’d hoped and the pool itself was FREEZING, but we both managed a quick dip to freshen up after the long walk.

The walk down into Batsi from the hotel isn’t far, though it does involve a steep descent. There were a few people around, but not as many as usual due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

We decided to have a drink before dinner at a cocktail bar called Capriccio, then onto an Italian restaurant called Podia. Having both had pizza the night before, we opted for pasta instead and it was great.

After chatting for a while, we left the restaurant and made for the hotel and a much-needed sleep after a pretty active day.