Yialos to Pedi when on a day-trip?
I thought we’d go for another walk today and it’s one that is possible to do if you are only coming for a day trip – through you may have to miss out on lunch. All you have to do is remember to turn left. We’re going from Yialos (where the day-trip boats drop you off after or before your visit to Panormitis) to Pedi.
Start at the clock tower where you get off the day-trip boat and, as soon as you leave it, turn left. You follow the harbour front all the way around, over the bridge, along the ‘flat end’ as I call it, and around to the left to where the other day-trip boats come in. If you’re on one of those that arrive opposite the clock tower (The Sea Dreams, for example), get off it and turn left – see? It’s easy. Follow the main road out of the harbour heading east and up the hill. This is a slow and steady climb, with a pavement. It does a couple of bends, past ‘council corner’ and then up gradually to the windmill hill. The path is on the seaward side of the road, so you have excellent views of Yialos and the village as you make the final push to the windmills.
Here, where the road forks, you can turn right and drop down into the village and come out at the top of the Kali Strata. But we’re into going left today so, bear left and stay on the main road as you crest the hill and it’s downhill from here on. You will zigzag a bit until you come to a T-junction. Again, turn left, and you’re on the way down to Pedi. You will have the valley and hills on your right, and an avenue of trees as you pass the supermarket storerooms, the stone mason’s yard, the power station and water desalination plant, and some small farms and homesteads, plus the sports pitch. (There is an off-piste path behind what used to be Blooms, not far from the T-junction and you can follow that if you want. You will end up at the football pitch where you will need to take a right (right, note) at the new church and follow the unmarked path to Pedi that way. Not advisable if you are limited for time in case you get lost.)
Down the hill towards Pedi and you will come to a fork in the road. It’s probably been dropped there by a caterer on the way home from a taverna party, so leave it for later and, as we are having a left day, take the left fork in the road to reach the north side of Pedi bay. This way you will pass some amazing rock formations on the left and go through the boatyard – still in use – before arriving by the sea at Apastolis Taverna. Here, you can continue left if you want to get to the end of the bay, or walk to the right, through the taverna (it’s quite acceptable to do so) and follow the ‘flat’ end of the bay to the supermarkets and the taverna with the jetty. This one caters to the ‘classy’ yachts that come in, and both tavernas are good places to eat; check menus and prices to suit you.
Now then, I reckon that from Yialos clocktower to Pedi on this route would take me, roughly, 45 minutes to reach the top of the road and the windmills, and another 20 down to Pedi. So if you landed at, say 11.30, you could be there by 12.45 without sweating too much. You can then catch the bus back on the half hour, every hour and that will get you into Yialos (by the Sea Dreams day-boat, south side) at around ten-to the hour; so the 13.30 bus will get you there in plenty of time for a 14.30 departure. You can, of course, catch the bus as soon as you land, on the hour from Yialos (say 12.00), and be in Pedi by 12.30, giving yourself an hour there before you have to catch the 13.30 back to Yialos to leave at 14.30.
It’s just an idea of something else to do with a day on Symi, and if you’re staying here for longer, well, there’s no rush, and you can stop for lunch in Pedi, or the afternoon, or your whole holiday.
