One of the most beautiful routes that one can walk in Arcadia, is the Valtesiniko – Lagadia route of the Menalon Trail, the first European certified path, which stretches for 75 kilometers and “takes” you for a walk in places that a few years ago were impassable.
The Valtesiniko – Lagadia route is of moderate difficulty (2/5), and is not suitable for families with babies. The ideal time to walk the trail is from May to September. The distance you will cover is 13.9 km, the estimated duration of the course is 5 hours and at the beginning of the course there is a lot of uphill.
We walked this unique route in April this year and enjoyed the blossoming Arcadian nature and wild flowers that marked the end of winter.
We started from the square in Valtesinikos, and passed the impressive stone-built school to get out on the upper ring road of the village, from where the view is open and from where all the northern basins can be seen.
Then we gained height by path and concrete road up to 1,250 m, where we took a good path that runs through the top where Valtesinikou Castle is located.
It is worth noting that the first 2 km or so are uphill and the last 2 km of the trail are downhill.
Then we crossed the great fir forest.
Then, in the open landscapes, we went down to the church of Agia Triada.
We made a short detour to the spring at Grias to Lithari, where there is a stone that gives out water.
To the right is the detour for Grias to Lithari and to the left the path continues to Lagadia.
We continue our journey through the forest.
Then, we went down to Cold Spring, a big spring.
From here the uphill will be soft until the saddle where we encountered asphalt.
We crossed the road that goes to Mygdalia. From Valtesinikos to this point, we encountered streams with.. lots of life, like frogs and lizards. At this time the waters have not yet dried up.
We crossed a wooded ridge via a small forest road and arrived at the location “Elatakos”.
We entered the “Grilas” meadow, where there are fields with walnut trees, threshing floors and huts, since the paths of the Arcadian shepherds passed through there.
This last part of the route, lasting 1-1.5 hours, that is, there is a lot of stone on the path and thus the speed of the hike is reduced.
So the place is full of stones, which the craftsmen from Lagada took to chip them and build houses, these traditional stone-built houses that cause admiration for the visitors because of their architecture.
To the west we saw Lagadia and descended.
From the bench overlooking Lagadia, if the weather is clear, you can see the sea, even the southern part of Zakynthos.
After a circular route behind the hill, we approach Lagadia. We came across a small spring and passed under the Rapi watermill complex.
We entered Lagadia and ended up in Heroon, through wonderful cobblestones.
The entire route is systematically marked, and there are also several orientation signs.
){kind=link}