Drystone repairs and terrain improvement on a section of route 6 Vourkoti-Monastery of Agios Nikolaos!

With great pleasure, we announce the drystone repairs and the improvement of the walking surface (terrain) along the hiking route No. 6 from Vourkoti to the Achla bridge – which were in very poor condition. This action became possible, following the approval of a relevant proposal that we submitted to the “Giving Back to Nature” initiative, of the SNP travel organization, our close partner and supporter for the last 10 years. This development literally “gave” a second chance to a unique route of Andros that admittedly surprises and fascinates the walker.

According to the methods of the traditional art of dry stone masonry, fallen stones were replaced in the dry stone walls, and the piers and columns were reconstructed. In addition, the walking surface (terrain) was significantly improved, as was the rainwater runoff in order to address and avoid further erosion.

The dry stone structures are striking in their simplicity. They are a trace of the centuries-old agricultural culture, of the timeless landscape of the Aegean islands, built in a way that constitutes architectural masterpieces.

It is important to note that the art of dry stone masonry, that is, the knowledge of constructing buildings with stones without the use of mortar or other binding material, was inscribed in 2018 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

We are therefore called to preserve this precious heritage that previous generations have bequeathed to us by using the hiking routes with respect.

We warmly thank the non-profit organization “Giving back to nature” for its support and trust!

The impressive beauty of route 6 has been revealed and is waiting for you to discover it! See a small excerpt from the work in the video below, while there will soon be a new, more extensive video with the restoration of the route.

The action “Biodiversity hubs: Restoring severe dry stone wall damages in a Natura area on the Greek Cycladic island of Andros” was supported by the non-profit organization Giving back to nature of the Dutch touroperator SNP Natuurreizen. The objective of the Foundation is to manage the funds collected by travellers and touroperators in a transparent manner, to select the local projects through a careful process that have the conservation and management of biodiversity as their (co-)goal and to ensure that the financial support ends up in the right place with accountability for the spending of the funds.