There are so many lovely walks in the Apokoronas, in the foothills of the White Mountains in western Crete. They follow dry stream beds winding thru gorges, or amongst the orange groves. Everywhere in Crete is dotted with a white chapel, sometimes on the most inaccessible locations, so they can form an interesting end point to a walk. Here is one which you can walk from the village of Chiliomoudou.
What its like
Its a 2 hour walk down from the village on the road. Then on a mixture of good dirt tracks, concrete and tarmac lanes, so its an easy walk. After climbing thru shady vegetation eventually it reaches a pretty little white chapel in a beautiful setting with great views over the hills to the sea. It returns thru a mountain village along a sleepy back road.
After following a dirt track which winds up the foothills thru shady undergrowth, you pass a long disused football pitch – or was it a running track?
Then up towards the little white chapel which you can see.
Its worth the climb because the views from the chapel grounds are panoramic and spectacular, as far as the sea.
Above all you can see Panokosmos, our first house, perched on the top of the Chiliomoudou village hill!
Where to Start
It takes thirty minutes or so to walk down from Chiliomoudou village, or 5 minutes in the car, you can park on the junction where the dirt track leaves the road.
The walk itself can take around one hour walking at a leisurely pace, but its worth spending some time up at the chapel. Its good to make up a packed lunch which you can eat while you rest and enjoy in the shade of the plane trees in the grounds whilst taking in the views.
The White Chapel at the end of the Walk
The chapel is in a beautiful setting. It was dedicated to Giorgos Matsamakis in 1909, whose family are a central part of Ramni, the nearest village. The family also own the dairy which makes delightful sheepsmilk yoghurt and fine Graviera.
The inscription reads “Diligence”. Inside the fittings are simple but moving, with incense burner, candles and pictures of Mary and saints. The screen is a gift of Michalis Gelasakis of Tsakistra, the village on the next hill.
Getting back again
In order to get back, we turn towards “Upper Ramni” and come out onto the road back into the village, which slopes back down to the starting point of the walk.
Then, if you’re walking, it’s a bit of a slog back up to the village, but there?s the consolation of two other churches to visit’
If you’d like to take it here is the route in pictures:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dCJVwHsrSThZ3Awj9
In addition a walking route on Google maps if you have a smartphone:
https://goo.gl/maps/yr5Vxfyw8G3SU6HB8
More about living in Crete
There is much more in our blogs. These show things to do in Crete, whether it be walking a gorge, hiking in the foothills of the White Mountains, or taking a drive to see the sites. Chania is a great town to visit, particularly to go to the street markets, and of course you’ll want to get the benefits of the Cretan diet – be it the yoghurt and cheese, or the olive oil.
