Vigles
12km (to both masts and back), 400m ascent and descent. Easy-
steep dirt tracks
Figure 1: Vigles above Paleochora, from the Elafonissi ferry
Vigles is the hill that rises just north of Paleochora, topped
by television masts, and giving the best views of the town.
According to Nicolas Pyrovolakis in “Paleochora (a look into
the past)” this was topped by a German searchlight during the
second world war. Chios is ringed by 50
watchtowers called vigles, dating from 11th to19th
Centuries. These were manned by Viglatores who would look
out for approaching ships and light smoke or fire signals as a
warning. Other hills in Crete have the same or similar names.
Access is from the East-West road that joins the Voutas and
Koundas roads out of Paleochora. From the Voutas road side, head
East past what are currently the last houses. Fork left (N35 14.240
E23 40.755) on a road which immediately turns left straight up
towards the masts. Follow this past a couple more residential
streets on the left, to a gate leading to moorland. The track,
sometimes dirt, sometimes concrete, leads straight up for a while,
accompanied by power lines ascending the same valley, before
turning to switchbacks that come out at a small plateau with a
sparse olive grove where there is T junction. turning right leads
up a rough track to the single, lower mast (N35 14.474 E23 41.049).
Shortly after the junction this track crosses a path, which crosses
the olive grove, possibly descending to the Koundas road?
Alternatively, turn left and follow switchbacks to the higher
pair of television masts around 320m (N35 14.733 E23 40.756). Here
goat tracks, but apparently no real path, lead off along the ridge
to the North.
All pages and photographs copyright © Andrew Senior 2005
Not to be reproduced or published without permission.