We continue our walking excursion at Lefkada, with the book “Lefkada on foot” by Lida Out.
Nydri – Paleokatouna – Neochori – (Waterfall) Rachi – Nydri
(over 3½ hrs) 14 km
This walk starts on the road in the centre of Nydri opposite the church (NI7). On one corner is the town hall (ΔHMAPXEIO) and on the opposite corner is the taverna Fantastica and a sign to hotel Lefko. Walk down this road past Hotel Lefko and the municipal parking for 3 minutes and turn left at the T-junction. After 3 minutes you will come to the bypass around Nydri. Turn left and after 2 minutes turn right, signposted Vafkeri and Rachi. After 5 minutes from the bypass you turn left, on the corner there is an electricity pole, on the opposite side a sign with ΠΡΟΣΟΧΗ (NI8).
After 1 minute turn right following the concrete wall of the factory onto a track. After 4 minutes the track meets another track (NI9). Turn left and follow the field track for 5 minutes. At a brown gate you will come to a tarmac road, where you turn right and after another 5 minutes you come to a crossroads (NI10). At the corner there is a sign for the Monastery of Taxiarches. Turn left here onto the tarmac road.
Ten minutes later you come to another tarmac road where you keep straight ahead. (The road to the right leads to a cemetery). A little further down the road, with a house on your right hand side, you cross a wide tarmac road. At the other side of this road, go onto the narrower tarmac road at the vineyard (EG27). After 10 minutes, you reach a T-junction opposite several sheds (EG26). Turn right here. After climbing for about 15 minutes you will come to Dimitri‘s Taverna in Paleokatouna.
Here you follow the tarmac road straight ahead and when the road takes a sharp turn to the left at the church, you follow the track at the pump, ascending straight ahead. This way you return to the tarmac road. You could take a break on the bench here! (EG25). Follow the ascending tarmac road to the right, direction of Neochori, and after 3 minutes after the bend to the left you turn onto the track to the left (EG24).
Later on the track turns left crossing a dry streambed. The track starts climbing and gets narrower. On the left, you have a wonderful view into a gorge and behind you, you can look through to Nydri. Keep following the ascending track and ignore all sidetracks. The old monopati (footpath) is overgrown but parallel to this a new footpath has been made through the olive groves.
(continues in the book)
