The Friends of the Kalderimi of South Pelion
Οι Φίλοι των Καλντεριμιών του Νοτίου Πηλίου
Who We Are
In the South Pelion area there is a wonderful
network of stone paths dating back a few hundred
years, known as kalderimia. They are easily seen
within the villages of Pelion. They also link villages
and settlements throughout the area and are rights
of way. Many of the old paths, both kalderimia and
other footpaths, have disappeared under pressure
from increased building and the extension of asphalt
roads, and some have been converted into agricultural earth roads to allow access to fields and olive groves.
Many, however, still exist, blocked by vegetation
or abandoned through disrepair, and since 2008 our
society has been locating, opening up and maintaining these paths as far as possible.
The Friends of the Kalderimi of South Pelion is a
nature loving, conservation, cultural and walking
society and a non-profit organisation. We aim to
promote, enhance and preserve the natural beauty
of South Pelion and make it accessible for both
residents and visitors through the following activities:
The association’s activities are supported by
volunteer members of the club and members of local communities. They are financed by the subscriptions
of its members and donations.
Opening and maintaining paths
Since 2008 members have discovered and re-opened over 150 km of kalderimia throughout the Pelion area. We try to document all routes
in the area of South Pelion using Wikiloc and, so far, more than 70 of our signed routes have been recorded.
We try to gather information about the condition of the paths and our aim is to have a maintenance schedule for these trails, to keep them open and safe for tourists and other visitors and regular walkers, in cooperation with the Municipality and local communities.
When a path needs clearing and maintenance, either local workmen are hired or volunteers organise a work party to do the work.
Please also go to our Path Care and Maintenance page for more information.
Membership
If you would like to become a member please go to our Information page for details.
New members and friends are always welcome so please do join us - as a member, a walker, on a
work party or at a social event.
Our society relies exclusively on the income from annual subscriptions, donations and fund-raising
activities plus the volunteer effort of our members and other supporters to keep the paths open.
Signing and mapping
The paths identified by the Friends of the Kalderimi of South Pelion are marked by
yellow waymarker signs and red paint
marks to help you find your way.
We produce a sponsored leaflet with a map showing these walking routes.
In addition, one of our members has signed
some local walks around Neohori and has
produced a leaflet with a map showing these.
Organised walks
We organise walks, usually every week on a
Sunday morning, and an email is sent out to
all members to invite them to join us.
We encourage members of local communities
to join the walks, to become members and
help to maintain the trails in their area – the
paths belong to the communities and need
the participation of local people to stay open.
Details of the next planned walk can be found
here and on our Facebook page.
Fund-raising and social events and activities
Social and fund-raising events and activities that we organise or are involved in include:
- A Friends of the Kalderimi stall at the Lafkos
Spring Plant Fair, held in April. This event has developed over the past few years to include
stalls selling locally produced goods and
artwork as well as seeds, seedlings and more established plants for your garden. The Friends
of the Kalderimi stall sells home-made snacks
and the fair is the perfect opportunity to pay
your annual subscription or join the society. - The Friends of the Kalderimi Annual General Assembly is held in October. Members are
always encouraged to attend and vote at this meeting. It is also a good opportunity to
socialise with other members! - Presentations of the society’s work to visiting
groups of walkers. - Involvement with community initiatives,
e.g walks with schools
Information about all our events is sent by email to members, posted here or on our Facebook page.
Telephone : 6907196052
This mobile telephone is now switched on and available every day if you need any information about walks, events, subscriptions, etc.
If you need to make contact with any member of the committee at any other time, please email them direct (email addresses here)
or email info@friendsofthekalderimi.org and we will get back to you as soon as practicable.
If you take part in a Friends of the Kalderimi walk or event you do so entirely at your own risk and neither the Friends of the Kalderimi
nor the organisers or leaders of the walk or event are in any way responsible for the safety of those taking part.