(4hr 20min from Kápsia)
The E4 route from Kardharás to Trípoli is one of the less interesting stages in the trail: if you’re going to skip one day, skip this – especially since there is a morning bus along the main road 2km below Kardharás (it normally passes the junction between 8.30am and 9am; times vary, so check locally), continuing through Kápsia and into Trípoli. You can stock up in this bustling provincial capital, then take a taxi to Psilí Vrísi and complete the next stage all in one (longish) day.
From Kardharás, rejoin the main road and follow it downhill (ENE). About 1km below the village (or 0.5km below Neféles), turn R (E4) along a small lane passing a couple of blocky houses. Fork R (E) and after 1.5km bear R and then bend L to rejoin the main road. Turn R along the main road. After just over 2km you enter Kápsia (700m; 1hr 10min).
If you have arrived in Kápsia at the end of Stage 6: for the Hotel Kalteziótis, continue into the village and turn left at the big church, crossing its front yard, and bearing left (tel 2710-235822/3, www.kalteziotis.gr).
For Trípoli, as you enter Kápsia, turn R (E4) up a dirt track climbing gently SW. This becomes a goat path, crossing open hillsides to another dirt track which you follow L (S), past a goat stable (1hr 30min or 20min). Beyond Kápsia, walking times show the time from Kardharás first, followed by the time from Kápsia. After about 2km (2hr or 50min), fork L off this track onto goat paths (E4), still heading S across stony, scrubby meadows near the valley floor. You reach the chapel of Áyios Yiórgos (3hr or 1hr 50min) and pick up a track, part concrete part gravel, heading S. After the first side road, the path slips L (E4) and runs parallel with the track before rejoining it and then descending through a valley to the village of Perthóri (4hr or 2hr 50min).
At the entrance to the village, keep L/straight (E4), past the old school, then L and immediately R along a small lane which dwindles to a track, descending ESE. After 2km, near an army shooting range, you pick up an asphalt road (E4) and bear R (SSE) through the ugly periphery of Trípoli (5hr or 3hr 50min). After just over 1km, you join the main road from Kápsia (and Olympía/Pírgos), and follow it R (SSW) into the centre of this bustling provincial capital (5hr 30min or 4hr 20min).
Tortoises can be seen along the Píndos Way
SECTION 2 TRÍPOLI TO PANTAZÍ BEACH
Track from Metamórfosi to Faneroménis monastery (Stage 11)
The second half of the Peloponnese Way crosses the massifs of Párnonas and Taïgetos, the former rounded and forested, the latter jagged and rocky, although firs and venerable black pines do shade your way in parts. In between these is Sparta, a modern town with ancient roots, sitting in the olive- and citrus-cultivated Evrótas valley; here our continuous walking route is interrupted with a taxi or bus ride.
Note that the last part of our route diverges from the E4, which descends the south-eastern flanks of Taïgetos to the harbour town of Yíthio (Gythion) in Lakonía. We, instead, descend the more direct south-western side to reach the Messinian coast near a village called Áyios Nikólaos. Note that there is another village of the same name on the eastern side, which – to add to the confusion – is an overnight stop on the E4.
Location
Trípoli is in the centre of the Peloponnese, capital of the modern administrative region of Arkadhía. It is 160km (1hr 45min by motorway) south-west of Athens, and 85km (1hr by motorway) north-east of the city of Kalamáta.
Maps
Anávasi Topo 50 (1:50,000) 8.7 Mt Parnon
Anávasi Topo 50 (1:50,000) 8.1 North Taygetos
For the last day: Anávasi Topo (1:20,000) 8.10 Exo Mani
Looking north past Kastrí village (Stage 8)
Bases
Mistrás has restaurants, a few shops, hotels and guesthouses, including the Hotel Byzantion (www.byzantionhotel.gr) and the Mystras Inn (www.mystrasinn.gr). Anavrití has one guesthouse, the Arhontikó (tel 27310-82671 or 27310-22938, mob 698-7101555, 698-7128554 or 697-9118855, https://kaneltrekking.gr), run by Yiórgos Kanelópoulos, a trekking aficionado who also maintains the E4 Peloponnese route. Áyios Nikólaos, Stoúpa and Kardhamíli are three lovely villages near the trail’s endpoint, offering hotels, restaurants and further gentle hikes.
Access
Regular daily buses run from Athens (Kifisoú Street terminus) to Trípoli (www.ktelarkadias.gr in Greek only) and from Kalamáta to Athens (Kifisoú Street terminus) (www.ktelmessinias.gr).
There are two or three buses a day between Kalamáta and Áyios Nikólaos, passing Stoúpa and Kardhamíli (www.ktelmessinias.gr see Kalamáta–Ítilo route).
STAGE 8
Psilí Vrísi (720m) to Áyios Pétros (930m)
| Start point | Psilí Vrísi |
| Distance | 20km |
| Difficulty | 2 |
| Walking time | 6hr 15min |
| Height gain | 840m |
| Height loss | 630m |
| Waymarks | E4 all the way |
Today’s scenery is not dramatic, but the afternoon’s long views and easy striding give a great sense of satisfaction. From Trípoli, the 13km road to Psilí Vrísi is flat, hot and dull, so it really is worth taking a taxi, especially since the onward walk is still long (6hr 15min). The first part of the trail follows an undulating farm track over scrublands and fields; then there’s a shady but pathless streambed up to pretty Dholianá, where there are cafés and seasonal hotels (including Erásmion, tel 2710-234072, mob 697-2706580, www.erasmion.gr). A steep ascent brings you to an open watershed with views south over rolling hills as far as distant Mt Taïgetos; undulating farm tracks and a stretch of road complete the journey to the small but lively village of Áyios Pétros at the foot of Mt Párnonas – which is itself tomorrow’s target.
