D11: VELANIDIA – AGHIA MARINA & D11Α: GERMAN WATCHTOWER
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This route connects the two coastlines of Cape Maleas, east and west, crossing the region of Vardia (the Greek word for guard duty, perhaps because long ago, lookouts used to be posted along this route to light warning fires in the event of approaching hostile ships. The path begins in Velanidia,branching off from the D10 at a crossroads south of the village, above the water reservoir. From there it branches to the right, alongside a fence leading in to the southeast, then southwest up a gorge.
After 910m the path reaches a ridge (altitude 410 m) where it meets an unsurfaced road. From there the path turns east for about 850 m, up to to the clifftop above Aghios Myron on the coast, and the remains of buildings that served as a lookout post for the Germans, Germans during World War II, built by forced labour by the locals. All that remain are the walls and gun emplacements, but there are superb views over the Aegean Sea.
Back at the ridge, the path to Aghia Marina continues to the southeast, climbing a little at first, passing a large terraced meadow until reaching another ridge 970 m later (at an altitude of 550 m). This ridge forms the watershed; from here the western coast of the peninsula is visible below. The path descends in a southerly direction, soon reaching a stream bed.
After 2,050 m it intersets with a narrow unsurfaced road, which in turn crosses a wider road after 1,530 m, leading eventually to the coastal church of Aghia Marina. Nearby is a petrified forest an monument of nature displaying the fossilised remains of tree trunks that are millions of years old, and fossilised sea shells.
Category | Mountain trek | |
Route | Trek | |
Length (m) | 5,595 | |
Terrain (m) | Path | 3,938 |
Unsurfaced road | 2,528 | |
Surfaced road | – | |
Altitude (m) | start | 160 |
finish | 15 | |
Altitude (m) | lowest | 15 |
highest | 505 | |
Slope (average %) | ||
Overall direction | S | |
Difficulty | 3 (1-5) ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Signposts | FEW | |
Beauty | 3 (1-5) ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Drinking water | NO | |
Vegatation | 2 (1-5) ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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