Peloponnese 2023, part 23 (Diakopto, Kalavryta, Vouraikos Gorge)
When I woke up in the morning, I had no idea what my day would be like or if I would manage to do what I had planned. Specifically, I came to Diakopto on the northern coast of the Peloponnese with just one goal: to go hiking through the Vouraikos Gorge.
The problem arose in the previous days when heavy rains fell in this part of Greece, causing a landslide that disrupted the railway line.
From the coast, specifically from Diakopto, a train travels on a narrow-gauge track to Kalavryta, which is 758 m above sea level, passing through the Vouraikos Gorge for 22 km. The modern road takes a slightly longer route, measuring just over 37 km.
The railway was built by Italian engineers between 1885 and 1895. Although the train still operates on this line (except when there are issues with landslides), it is primarily a tourist attraction today, as the train uses special mechanisms to navigate the steep incline, making it particularly interesting for transportation enthusiasts. Visitors can take the train up (to Kalavryta), in other words to the south, and then return – a couple of times a day, throughout the entire year. But the main thing is to pass this route on foot and for that you need to walk along the railway tracks, which is generally not recommended on train tracks around the world.
On the days when I arrived here, at the end of September 2023, the train was not running because of the heavy rains and landslides, which had caused a disruption in the railway line, but I was told that the route could be covered on foot.
I have already mentioned earlier how, upon my arrival in Diakopto, I met a British couple at the hotel who had purchased tickets for the train to Kalavryta, but realised they would have to return the tickets. The plan was for us to go to the train station that morning to see if there were any other people interested and then we could all take a taxi to Kalavryta together. However, when we met for breakfast, they informed me that they had decided to drive there instead and after visiting the town, they would continue south by car. They offered to take me to Kalavryta.
The way things happened with those British was a stroke of fate and I am absolutely certain that higher powers were on my side this time, because the circumstances and coincidences seemed like they had a probability of one in a million. I am very grateful to both the British couple and to the higher powers.
While I waited for them to finish their breakfast, and they weren’t in a hurry, I took a photo of the sky above the Gulf of Corinth.
For several days now, the forecast had been predicting rain, but this morning it said it would only be cloudy and that there would be no rain. That was ideal and it turned out to be true, with the clouds occasionally clearing completely from the sky.
At some point, we set off and along the way we stopped at a few places because these kind British people, like me, were also amazed by the beauty of the landscape we were passing through. I had already seen it the day before, but I still enjoyed the natural beauty of northern Peloponnese with the same enthusiasm.
When we arrived in Kalavryta, this couple took me to the train station and there we said our warm goodbyes. I was truly deeply grateful to them for their kindness. Even without them, I could have gotten here by taxi, but their kindness saved me a good amount of money.
And so, my new hike began. There are no signs here – you simply start walking along the railway tracks in the opposite direction from the train station in Kalavryta.
Although there are a few stations along the railway, as can be seen on my map below, the station near Zachlorou is usually mentioned as particularly important because it is named after the nearby, famous Mega Spilaio Monastery, as it is easy to transition onto a road that passes nearby. After that, there is practically no road near the railway line, as it continues north through the deep Vouraikos Gorge. Not everyone has the desire or the stamina to hike the entire 22 km distance, so it is often recommended to walk just the section from Kalavryta to the Mega Spilaio station. On the other hand, the landscapes from the Mega Spilaio station to Diakopto are considered the most beautiful.
I decided to walk the entire route and this was especially appealing to me because I was practically descending the whole time – from an altitude of 758 meters all the way down to sea level. On the other hand, those who wish to and are fit enough can certainly start in the opposite direction – from Diakopto, and then climb up to Kalavryta.
At first, the railway runs alongside agricultural estates and relatively tame areas, but as you go further, rocks and cliffs begin to appear in the distance.
Thus, I reached the first station, which is Kerpini. Of course, there was no one there.
Still, soon I came across some "company" – a few local goats that were wandering around and grazing.
I don’t have much to write about here. I simply walked along the railway tracks.
The landscapes gradually changed. There were bare rocks, meadows, some orchards, but also forests.
At one point, I came to the first of a series of bridges along the railway. On all of these bridges, it is extremely important to pay close attention to where you step. There are wide metal plates clearly marking the pedestrian path, but it’s still crucial to cross the bridges carefully. This is especially important when the railway is operational, because sooner or later a train may come. While the trains on this line don't travel fast and the bridges aren’t long, it is still necessary to cross them quickly and carefully.
The Vouraikos River valley is initially sometimes relatively narrow and at other times it widens.
In these wider sections, I tried to walk along the dirt path for a very practical reason – it was the best and most stable surface. I avoided walking on the ballast, the stones that held the railway tracks in place, in order to reduce the risk of straining my ankles and there was always the danger of stepping awkwardly and twisting my leg. So, wherever I could, I avoided walking on the ballast.
When there was no dirt path, I tried to walk on the sleepers, but alas, the sleepers were not placed according to the length of my steps (shame on those Italian engineers who didn’t think of such things), plus I also realised that the spacing between the sleepers wasn’t always the same. In fact, I found a rhythm – it seemed that the 15th, 16th, and 17th sleepers were placed closer together than the others. As I counted the sleepers in my head, I laughed at myself. That was my obsessive nature peeking through, but in truth, the counting helped me, as it allowed me to adjust the length of my steps more easily through the rhythmic counting of the sleepers.
But since I was walking along the dirt path in this part and everything was going smoothly, I remembered a fitting little Serbian children song and so we come to Mlog No. 8:
There it is, that is how I entertained myself, but all the while I kept walking, stopping only occasionally to take photos of some details, like impressive rock formations on the mountain slopes or something resembling an Indian tipi.
From time to time, I would turn around and look back to view some parts I had already passed from a different perspective.
But, above all, I kept going straight ahead because there was still plenty of unknown terrain in front of me.
Occasionally, the dirt path was quite wide, like in the previous picture, but at times, it wasn't there at all. Also, from time to time, you come across small "railroad overpasses" that span channels for seasonal waterways. Here, you simply have to jump over the width of the channel and I was glad I had long legs, which made this operation much easier.
Then the wide path would appear again, only to disappear soon enough once more.
The river flowed in the same direction I was walking or perhaps it’s better to say the opposite. In any case, in one section, it was clearly visible. By its colour, I could tell that there had been quite a bit of rain upstream – the river was quite muddy.
Here, I also came across a few interesting plants. One was probably a type of crocus, while the other was a plant from the Araceae family.
Nearby, there was also an old stone arched bridge, and then the area around the railway expanded briefly and turned into a meadow. I turned around again and looked back. Everything seemed peaceful and tame.
The railway in this section soon passes through a narrow space that it shares with the river.
And then I came across the first signs that parts of the rocks above the railway had collapsed in the previous days.
Soon, I reached the Mega Spilaio station. On the other side of the railway, there is a small settlement and I even hoped I might be able to have a coffee or a juice at a local tavern, but everything was completely deserted.
Without coffee or juice, though with a bottle of water in my backpack, I continued on. The railway first runs straight for a while, then climbs a bit and, after about 1.5 km, it reaches a point where it suddenly descends. Due to this sharp descent, as well as the climb when the train is going in the opposite direction, a special mechanism and a third dented rail are placed in the middle of the railway to help the train pass through this section more easily and safely. This is a mechanism used in the so-called rack railways, applied when the incline exceeds 7%. This is a very important part of the entire railway and its construction, and it also means that the train moves extremely slowly in this section, but safety is the priority.
Moreover, it is considered that the most beautiful part of this train-and-hike route is between the Mega Spilaio station and Diakopto, as this section passes through the Vouraikos Gorge.
As I was descending here along the railway, I came across a young Italian couple who were heading in the opposite direction to mine. They were staying at the same hotel in Diakopto as I was. We recognised and greeted each other, and then they explained what they had actually done. Since the train wasn't running these days, they had driven to the Mega Spilaio station, parked their car there and then walked down a bit into the gorge. Now, they were heading back to their car. We said our goodbyes warmly and went our separate ways.
I was now practically entering the gorge, and soon I came to another bridge. At first, I was confused by a sign that was posted there, saying that pedestrian access was prohibited. I wondered how I was supposed to cross the bridge – should I jump over it?
Of course, it wasn’t really a prohibition, but rather an emphasis on careful crossing and it was probably intended to warn that crossing is not allowed when a train is approaching. On this occasion, there was no such danger, so I could leisurely consider what to do and how to proceed here.
Here, of course, you don’t walk in the middle of the bridge, but across the metal plates visible on the left side in the previous photo. Although there is a railing along the entire length, I walked very carefully and at one point, I decided to take a photo looking down. For this, I used the camera that was safely hanging around my neck, while I had already put my phone back into my waist pouch before crossing the bridge. I certainly didn’t want to tempt fate with my phone and trekking poles in one hand, while holding onto the railing with the other.
As soon as you cross the bridge, you can see how the rack railway mechanism ends (in the direction I was heading).
After just about a hundred metres, I saw my first tunnel on this railway.
As I got closer, I saw that it was quite an interesting spot. I wasn’t worried about the darkness because, after all, I had a flashlight on my phone.
But as I approached the tunnel, I saw that I wouldn’t even need the flashlight.
On the other side, the situation in the tunnel was much more interesting than expected – there were actually two tunnels!
And as it turned out, there were also two bridges – one set of a tunnel and a bridge was for the train, and the other was for pedestrians.
Here, I also looked back – the place was truly impressive, as well as the engineering that had been done at this spot.
In front of me, I could see both bridges, as well as the second tunnel for pedestrians.
I looked back when I exited the tunnel and it was clearly visible how the two routes, one for pedestrians and one for the trains, had merged back into one again.
Very quickly, the terrain within the Vouraikos Gorge began to "drop" again, requiring a third dented rail. Additionally, in the next photo, you can see that the slope on the right-hand side is walled and reinforced in this way, protecting the railway from potential landslides.
I was delighted by everything I saw around me, as well as by the entire experience, so I often turned in every direction, gaining inspiration to take photos of parts I had already passed, especially when I spotted something I hadn’t noticed before, like a bridge.
For the reasons I have mentioned earlier, it was a bit tricky to walk in this section – there was no space to form a dirt path and it was even difficult to walk on the railroad sleepers because of the third dented rail. In such situations, I made sure to rely more on my trekking poles and also paid close attention to where and how I placed my feet, so I wouldn’t trip on any unstable rocks.
Occasionally, the situation regarding the rocks, surrounding slopes, width of the space, proximity to the river, vegetation, etc., would completely change in just a few dozen metres. Soon, I noticed a built "tunnel" that was more of a supporting arch for the side slope.
I didn’t fully realise this until I reached the "tunnel" itself, while behind it, I could see that the retaining walls holding the slope back from collapsing onto the railway weren’t always sufficient.
It became even more apparent when I passed through the tunnel and looked back.
In this area, I also came across a few signs that provided details about the region. Namely, the Vouraikos Gorge is a part of the Chelmos – Vouraikos National Park and the Chelmos – Vouraikos UNESCO Global Geopark.
Here, the Oriental plane tree (Platanus orientalis) also grows.
In many places within the gorge, you can see very interesting rocks, like the following one I photographed. This is travertine, a type of limestone typically formed near thermal and cold springs.
Although I didn’t encounter another human being until Diakopto, the beauty and richness of the details surrounding me were more than enough to keep me elated. In such a mood, I continued my hike along the Vouraikos Gorge.