Alonnisos / To the coast

Gerakas-Tourkou Mnima

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Alonnisos
High on the slopes of Vigla peak, reconsider Gerakas bay

Among the innumerable splinted paths that the goats have opened around Gerakas, the most well-trodden, somewhat cleaned and well-marked is the old path to a felled cape on the entrance of Gerakas bay. The cape is a branch of Vigla peak (317 m) and has the macabre name Tourkou Mnima ("the tomb of the Turk").

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Alonnisos
At the end of the trail, facing the open Tourkou Mnima bay

The hike starts from the end of the asphalt that serves Gerakas, essentially opposite the old Center of the Marine Park.

Fairly uphill at first and splitting into smaller paths afterwards, the trail is trodden by animals and hopefully well marked. The trail meanders through dense scrub - fortunately with few passability issues - and eventually climbs up towards the small meadow at Tourkou Mnima, passing by the open circular cistern.

From the meadow, the red signs mark the way to the southern shore, which is however extremely rocky and inhospitable.

Text and photos by T. Adamakopoulos

Signage

Marking and signposting

The route is marked with red signs. At the start of the hike, from the asphalt, there is a big red arrow indicating the entry point to the path.

There are no direction signposts, however.

Nature

The vegetation of the coast

On the south-facing coast, the vegetation has been distorted by the constant pressure exerted by the southerly winds. The lentisks and Kermes oaks form solid groups bound to the north, while the scanty olives are strongly inclined in the same direction.

Culture

Rain water collection in the pasturelands

Although there are several springs in Alonissos, they are all located in the west, around the Vouno area. In the east, an area used exclusively for livestock rearing, the watering of animals was and is still done through the collection of rain water in open ponds or cisterns.

In the pasture in Tourkou Mnima, an open rain water tank collects the surface runoff of a small basin. The cistern is constructed relatively recently. The sides of the cistern are supported by stonework and inside it has been meticulously plastered with cement mortar. The cistern is quite efficient and retains water even in the summer. However, no facility for water pumping has been installed.

topoguide Greece

ALONNISOS TOPOGUIDE

A detailed description of the Gerakas-Tourkou Mnima trail, along with interactive maps, photos and POIs, is included in the digital field guide Alonnisos topoguide.

The digital field guide Alonnisos topoguide is available for Android devices as an in-app purchase within the application topoguide Greece. Alonnisos topoguide is a member of the Greek Islands group.

The digital field guide Alonnisos topoguide is also available for iOS (iPhone and iPad) devices as an in-app purchase within the application Topoguide Greece. There also, Alonnisos topoguide is a member of the Greek Islands group.