Menalon Trail
Peloponnese, Greece
Menalon Trail
Peloponnese, Greece
75 km, 5 days
The Menalon Trail is located in the mountainous and sparsely populated province of Arkadia, right in the centre of the Peloponnese (the bit that resembles the shape of a hand with outstretched fingers). It links a total of 8 remote villages which are all suffering from rural flight, in particular from younger generations who are leaving for the bigger cities in search of work. Once more, I was able to count on my trusted travel companion Carlos. Hiking through an economically deprived area at the tail end of winter with the prospect of snowstorms and potentially freezing temperatures. What’s not to like?
Lousios River
The trail is a community-led initiative with the intention of injecting much-needed cash into the local economy. It is maintained by volunteers who have put up abundant signs and excellent information boards, whilst also clearing paths and repairing bridges. Their efforts were rewarded by the European Ramblers’ Association who categorised the Menalon as one of the ‘Leading Quality Trails’.
Yet, this accolade so far has not resulted in large visitor numbers. Admittedly, we hit the trail early in the season at the beginning of March yet during our five-day ramble we encountered only three more fellow hiking parties intend on doing the Menalon in its entirety. On day 1, we bumped into a young couple from the Netherlands (with him seemingly carrying all the luggage), as well as an experienced father and son outfit from Germany. Yet for most of the time, we walked for hours without hearing any human-made sounds. Only on the final day did we encounter some more people: a group of highly impressive trail runners who were in the process of successfully completing their two-day attempt. It is safe to say that the Menalon has yet to feature prominently on the radar of tour operators and travel publications. The Camino del Rey it certainly isn’t yet, and very likely never will be.
Valtesiniko
Visitors cannot fail but notice a great sense of local pride. On many occasions, people inquired whether we were enjoying the trail and nodded in approval (or amusement) at our old-fashioned hiking sticks, which our Air BnB host kindly provided us with. A priest invited us for water and coffee. A restaurant owner checked whether we would do section 4 and 5 in one go. A taxi driver took a detour (at no extra charge) for us to enjoy several scenic viewpoints. I got the strong impression that the Menalon represents an illustration of the positive potential of tourism: add a new revenue stream, create jobs and connect people. We very impressed and felt very welcomed.
​
​Since 1453 and until the fall of Constantinople in 1821, the province of Arkadia was part of the Ottoman Empire, with the exception of a brief 30-year Venetian interlude in the 17th century. The Greek War of Independence (1821 – 29) was particularly pronounced in these parts with belligerent locals fighting their foreign oppressors. But you have to look very hard in order to find traces of these cultural influences. This can partially be explained by the massive earthquake of 1965 which made large sections of the housing stock uninhabitable. Thus, if you encounter an old-looking dwelling, chances are that it is a new-built made from cement blocks with stone cladding on the outside. But the earthquake also resulted in a bizarre economic boost, since it unearthed deposits of lignite, which still today are mined by a plant in Megalopolis, and whose emissions are clearly visible in the more southern section of the trail on stages 1 and 2. So, don’t expect many architectural gems. The charm of the Menalon lies in its rugged, pristine and isolated landscape, the beautiful setting of its villages and the outstanding hospitality of its locals. All these factors combined turn the trail - at least in my book – into a fabulous destination.
Lousios River Gorge
​​​How to get there and around.
At Athens airport, we rented a car and drove the 250 km (2 ½ hours) on the country’s excellent motorway system (though we had to pay rather steep tolls to enjoy the privilege). Alternatively, you could also get there by public transport. From Athens airport, a bus operated by KTel Arkadia makes the 2 hour journey to the regional centre of Tripoli. You then have to catch another bus (but only on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays) which leaves at 12.45 and gets into Stemnitsa, the starting point of the trail, at 14.00. Lagkadia, the final stop on the trail has a daily connection back to Tripoli. So, if the Menalon by itself is not enough of an adventure for you, I suggest you try and navigate the formidable challenge that is the Greek bus system: 62 separate companies, with separate schedules that are not always synchronised. For more information, check out the Arkadia bus company’s website. Go on. Knock yourself out.
Once on location, we drove to the starting point of every stage, and at the end of the day took a taxi back to where we had left the car. Very handily, at the start and end of every section of the trail hikers will come across a large board that not only provides information on the stage’s highlights but also lists the telephone numbers of several taxi operators. If this all sounds too much of an organisational hassle, you could also book a tour with a growing number of operators (for instance Natural Adventure), who might meet you at Athens airport, and put you up in small hotels located at the end of every stage. The convenience, however, will set you back an additional 500 Euros or so. Being the penny pinchers that we are, we organised everything ourselves.
​​
​Where to stay (and eat):
Instead of staying in several accommodations along the trail, we opted for a charming holiday let in Vytina (imaginatively called Vytina House) with the town being roughly located in the middle of the trail. Vytina is arguably the liveliest of all the places that you will encounter, with a decent range of shops, supermarkets and restaurants. All the other villages, with the notable exception of Dimitsana, are of the sleepy variety, and stocking up on food (or indeed finding a restaurant that is open in the evening) could easily become a fruitless exercise. During our off-season stay in Vytina, there were really only two eateries to which customers flocked to. Taverna Klimataria located near the town square offers staple Greek mountain food in a cozy atmosphere. Taverna Pantelis is just around the corner and was frequented by locals who on occasion appreciated big screen football broadcasts. The food is wholesome and of equal quality to that provided by Klimataria.
​​
​When to go:
The trail’s website suggests that the Menalon can be tackled throughout the year. But you must be aware that this is a mountainous region. There is even a ski resort close to Vytina, and during our visit in early spring we encountered frosty nights (but also photogenic snow-capped mountains). Given its southern location, the mid-summer months can get brutally hot. Thus, March to June, and September to November seem to be the most appropriate time frames.
The stages of the Menalon Trail​
1. Stemnitsa – Dimitsana. 12.5 km. 5 hours
2. Dimitsana – Zygovisti. 4.2 km. 2 hours
3. Zygovisti – Elati. 14.9 km. 5 hours
4. Elati – Vytina. 8.5 km. 2 ½ hours
5. Vytina – Nymphasia. 5.6 km. 2 hours
6. Nymphasia – Magoulina. 8.9 km. 3 ½ hours
7. Magouina – Valtesiniko. 6.6 km. 2 ½ hours
8. Valtesiniko – Lagkadia. 13.9 km. 5 hours
Stemnitsa
Day 1: Stemnitsa – Dimitsana – Zygovisti
Trail stages 1 and 2
17 km, 6 hours
Total ascent: 1,100 m
Total descent: 730 m
Highest elevation: 1,130 m
Prodomos Monastery
The trail commences in the charming, yet slightly run-down village of Stemnitsa, perched high on a mountain ridge with far-reaching views across the southern Peloponnese. The place felt sleepy with just a few locals going about their daily business. We first descended down the valley and past the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ which overlooked the steep gorge of the Lousios River, our noisy companion on a steady, and surprisingly steep climb that pretty much lasted all morning. Some rather eclectic houses built into the rock broke up the journey until we reached the charming Prodomos Monastery halfway up the hill, with a fabulously gaudy interior of religious artefacts. But visitors must get there before 12.30, when the caretaker closes the complex for the day.
Dimitsana
By lunchtime, we approached Dimitsana; a town whose layout resembles a saddle being placed on the back of a horse on either side of steep ridges. Plenty of shops that catered for the emerging tourist trade, selling local-made pasta, honey or olive oil. The centre of town is occupied by a massive restaurant and during our brief visit, a great many day trippers and locals seemed to congregate to take in the fabulous views. We marched on for another 90 minutes by scaling the hill behind the town before descending onto a high plateau of isolated shrubland and towards the remote, idyllic, and eerily quiet village of Zygovisti. Not a single soul around during our 15 minute wait for Pagiotos and his taxi, whose number we had picked up from the prominently placed board at the end of this stage. He made the drive back down the mountain to Stemnitsa in no time, expertly circumnavigating the debris of several landslides that had ended up on the tarmac.
Zygovisti
Day 2: Zygovisti to Pliovonni summit & back
Trail stage 3
14.5 km, 4 ½ hours
Total ascent/descent: 762 m
Highest elevation: 1,643 m
Today we cheated. Trail stage 3 should have taken us to the mountain village of Elati, but to get a taxi from there and back to Zygovisti would have been complicated by the fact that it involves a semi-circular drive around an entire mountain side. So we opted for an out-and-back approach with the trail’s highest elevation, Mount Pliovonni, at its destination. Good call. This section straddles the Western Menalon massif and winds its way through dense pine forests and the odd meadow across the Koskitsa plateau and up towards the summit. The sun was out, the views towards snow-covered peaks were gorgeous.
at the top of Pliovonni
Back at the plateau, we came across an abandoned camp with wooden structures barely holding on to wind-ripped plastic sheets, a couple of clapped-out cars and even a big coach bus which presumably at one stage had been converted into a space just about fit for human habitation. Was this Arkadia’s most notorious hippie commune?
In Zygovisity, the only café cum pension did a roaring trade. In the morning, the friendly matron had served the Dutch couple a scrumptious looking breakfast. Now it was a pair from Athens who feasted on some meat dish. We also bumped into the German couple, bringing our daily social interactions with humans to a barely tolerable seven.
Zoodochos Chapel
Day 3: Elati – Vytina – Tzavarenas Bridge
Trail stages 4 and 5
17 km, 5 hours
Total ascent: 700 m
Total descent: 850 m
Highest elevation: 1160 m
Once more, we cheated the system. Very early in the morning, we took a taxi from the market square of our base in Vytina (the waitress in the café had Dimitrios on speed dial) to the mountain village of Elati. No one around but a hard working farmer, and a sweet looking stray dog who accompanied us all morning until we were back in Vytina where he picked up a better scent than that emanating from of our soggy sandwiches. We walked for 2 km back along the final tracks of stage 3 until we reached the beautiful Zoodochos Chapel, located in a sunny meadow surrounded by dark, northern European fir trees. For the remainder of the morning we followed a steady downhill path along the gushing Milaon River, before crossing underneath Route A-74 and into a dramatic canyon that led us all the way to Vytina; without a doubt the commercial hub of the region. It was Saturday lunchtime, and the place was heaving. The organic food shops were open to the weekend trade of visitors from the nearby cities of Olympia, Tripoli Megapolis, Patras and even Athens. The cafes were packed, and the restaurants – some of them being open for the first and only time that week – were for once serving a worthwhile number of diners.
Milaon River
After having lunch on the terrace of our rental we ventured onto Stage 5, past the church of Old Vytina and back down into the canyon where we once more rejoined the Milaon River at the striking Tzavanenas Bridge. Having come down from high up in the mountains, the vegetation was much more arid here and fitting for a Mediterranean setting. In the distance, we could just about make out the endpoint of Stage 5, the tiny hamlet of Nymphasia, nicely framed by snow-covered peaks in the distance. We decided to cheat once more (it was the final time; I promise) and climbed the 500 m altitude for one hour and back to Vytina, thereby avoiding yet another taxi ride. Another spectacular day in the bag. The scenery kept on coming: dramatic, varied, photogenic and very enjoyable. But where were our Dutch and German competitors? No signs of any hikers today, apart from a friendly local who was using the trail as a short cut between the supermarket and his house.
Vytina
Day 4: Nymphasia – Magouliana - Valtesiniko
Trail stages 6 and 7
17.6 km, 5 hours
Total ascent: 900 m
Total descent: 750 m
Highest elevation: 1,300 m
Once more, another sunny, cloudless, crisp and beautiful morning. We parked the rental car in the one-horse village of Nymphasia and took a steep descent towards the Kermitsas Monastery, whose Sunday service was being broadcast live at high volume on an ancient looking tannoy system. It provided for an atrocious background noise that stayed with us for 30 minutes. For the remainder of the morning we hiked uphill for 9 km, passing the quirky Sfyrida Hermitage, built into a cliff face and right next to a gushing spring. After 3 hours we reached Magouliana, a sprawling collection of houses spread over a south-facing hill side. But what is that in the distant, shimmering sun light? A group of 20 ramblers out for a Saturday stroll. Time to pause, wave, and stock up on social interaction.
Tzavaneas Bridge
Another stray dog joined us for trail section 7; once more rather well behaved and making sure that we did not career off the path. And a further encounter with humans when a Lycra-clad middle aged couple greeted us warmly on their way of hiking today’s stage in reverse. The brief conversation prepared us what was to come: the passing of an uber-fit quartet of trail runners who caught their breaths briefly to inform us about their 2-day race along the entirety of the Menalon. Even the dog was impressed, as it un-nostalgically left us behind in order to keep up with the other party.
Kernitsas Monastery
Today’s destination was Valtesiniko, a positively buzzing place chiefly down to a big tour bus that was parked in the centre of the village and whose driver was in the process of picking up his charges of day trippers at a local taverna. We bought a caffeine-boost at a sells-it-all shop. The wife (I presume) emerged from behind the souvenir counter, and when we inquired about a taxi to take us back to Nymphasia, she shouted at her husband (I presume once more) who was manning the cash register, which he promptly shut and locked, before grabbing a set of key and accompanying us to his sparkling clean Mercedes taxi. Fine with us.
Sfyrida Hermitage
Day 5: Valtesiniko - Lakgadia
Trail stage 8
15.3 km, 4 ½ hours
Total ascent: 550 m
Total descent: 750 m
Highest elevation: 1,350 m
Disaster struck first thing in the morning. The car battery of our rental was completely flat. Even rolling it down a steep hill in order to jump-start the engine proved to be futile. I must have experienced a senior moment, as I most likely had left some little light on. But help was at hand with Hertz maintaining a rather impressive fleet of service vehicles with one of them reaching even this remote part of the country within one hour. And yes, I felt stupid all day.
Valtesiniko
In case you are pressed on time and need to shorten your trip, of all the Menalon sections, this stage is probably the one that does not add too much to the overall narrative. Not that it wasn’t pleasant: deep and lush forests, splashing creeks, as well as glorious views towards snow-covered Mount Kyllinin; at 2.376 m the tallest mountain in the area and birthplace of Greek God Hermes. But the scenery is also quite similar to that encountered on the previous stage and the final destination of the Menalon, the town of Lagkadia is arguably one of the lesser attractive of the 8 villages: a jumble of run down buildings and ruins interspersed with newly built houses and the odd villa, tumbling down the hillside. We had ticked the final box. Hooray.
Lagkadia
Today’s highlight most certainly was our final taxi journey from Lagkadia back to Valtesiniko. After phoning the contact listed on the trail board, a local chap appeared within 10 minutes. He had decided to bring along his wife for a leisurely outing. He took the long and winding scenic route, frequently stopping at several viewpoints. His wife only augmented proceedings. She was very apt at using google translate and at one stage ‘The path is good?’ popped up on the screen of her smart phone. We couldn’t agree more and nodded in passionate approval. Maybe this stage was unmissable after all?