A walk from Anemotia on Lesbos out in the Island's hills and valleys.

This pleasant circular walk out of Anemotia goes on tracks and paths and through pine woods and olive groves.

The following 13 km circular walk could be rated as fairly strenuous particularly in hotter weather since it involves a long climb to start with and then an equally tiring very steep descent plus another sharp although not too long steep ascent at the end just for luck. Also note there are no tavernas or cafes available on this walk so you will need to be self-sufficient in drink and snacks i.e. take plenty of water with you.

Parking is possible on the track which goes to Skala Kallonis by the olive oil factory just on the outskirts of Anemotia - there is a parking area but it can sometimes get rather filled up by pick-up trucks. In this case simply continue on just through the factory area and there is usually plenty of room under some trees for parking on the other side. Walk back through the factory towards the town and turn left by the church and bell tower, continue up the initially cobbled street which soon bears sharply right then left as it heads towards the cemetery which is hidden in trees. Continue past the cemetery (on your left) and stay on the track - ignore a track on the right but just keep going ever upwards into the hills - with really good views of the valley below.

 

Eventually the track levels out and then drops slightly through pine trees to a more open area with a farm on the right and a track going off to the right. (You can go up to the church of Ag. Kosmas from here on a path which "apparently" leaves from behind the farm though we did not spot it). Continue on the main track as it descends through the pines to reach a very major track junction after about half a kilometre. Turn left for just a few metres and then left again - this track now starts to descend - going through really great foliage, trees etc. and if walking in early May you can see something really unusual and rare in the wild - yellow rhododendrons (luteum).

 

The track goes down quite easily to start with - still through pine and other trees and with the deep valley on the left - after about 2 KMs keep left at a junction and then from here the track is very steep as it zig zags down towards the bottom of the valley to reach another track junction after about 800m. Stay left and continue still down passing through chestnut and olive trees - ignore a small track coming in from the left - to reach a track junction with a stream below on the left. Turn left here to cross the stream and then right to go steeply up hill with the stream now on your right.

 

The track bends around a bit on it's way up and finally reaches a t-junction about 1.5kms from crossing the stream. Go left at the t-junction and continue up to reach the crest of the hill from where you can now see the old monastery (name unknown) half left and below, continue ahead to walk down to it. 

From the monastery go back up to the crest of the hill and now turn left on a grassy track - this appears to end by a wooden gate (in fact a wood pallet which makes a change from an old bedstead..). Go through the gate and continue on a rocky path. This path goes through olive groves - go right to cross a stream and then continue on a sometimes walled and often very rocky underfoot path. This pleasant path climbs and winds it's way up and out of the valley to eventually reach a track. Turn left and follow this track to where it reaches another main track (which is the Skala Kallonis road), go left and follow this back to the olive oil factory in Anemotia.

 

 

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