Lemonodasos, the lemon forest

Technically the Lemonodasos is not in Poros. It is opposite, in the Peloponnese, up the hillside behind the village of Galatas. But getting there takes five minutes by shuttle and a little over a euro, and it is the loveliest walk you can do from the island. So yes, it counts.

Lemonodasos literally means “lemon forest”, and what is there is exactly that: some thirty thousand lemon trees planted on stepped terraces up the hillside, criss-crossed by stone paths, irrigation channels and the remains of several nineteenth-century watermills.

Why it smells the way it does

In spring, when they blossom, the smell of orange blossom crosses the channel on its own and reaches the town of Poros. That is not brochure exaggeration, it is a plain fact: on days with a southerly wind, in April and May, the whole island smells of lemon trees.

The rest of the year the smell is more discreet, but once you get into the forest it is still there, mixed with the smell of damp earth around the channels. The lemon trees of Galatas have been cultivated since Venetian times and even today they are a real farming activity, not a tourist attraction set up for the purpose. There are people working among the trees.

The walk, step by step

You cross on the shuttle from the port of Poros to Galatas, five minutes. From the jetty, most people take a taxi or the local bus to the foot of the forest, about three kilometres to the east, towards Aliki. You can also walk along the coast road in about forty minutes, though that is not the pretty part of the route.

The main path climbs between the terraces following the course of a stream. It is an uneven stone track with irregular steps, shaded almost the whole way. It takes between twenty and thirty minutes to reach the top at an easy pace.

At the end of the route there is a small waterfall and a taverna with a terrace under the trees, Cardassi, which has been there for decades and serves homemade lemonade made with the fruit from around it. It is the logical end point of the walk and the reason many people climb up.

Pain points: what you should know beforehand

The path has damp steps and polished stone. Flip-flops really do slip. Wear closed trainers or sandals with a good sole.

It is not wheelchair accessible and it is not comfortable with a pushchair. With children who already walk well there is no problem, but you have to keep an eye on them.

The mills are in ruins and you cannot go inside them. They are part of the landscape, not a monument you can visit.

In August at midday it is hot even in the shade, and the climb is steady. Better in the morning or after six in the evening.

And watch out for the taverna’s opening times: outside high season it can be closed midweek. If you go in April or October, bring your own water.

One last serious warning: irrigation water runs through the channels, and although it looks crystal clear it is not drinkable. Do not drink it or fill bottles there.

When to go

April and May are the orange blossom months and by far the best. September and October are good too, with pleasant temperatures and the lemons already formed on the trees.

In the middle of August the walk is still worth it because it is one of the few places in the area with continuous shade, but the olfactory magic of spring is not there.

Combining it with the rest of the day

The natural plan is to cross early in the morning, do the forest, eat in Galatas (where, incidentally, you eat more cheaply than in the port of Poros) and go back to the island in the middle of the afternoon for a swim at Askeli or a climb up to the clock tower in town at sunset.

And if you are going to hire a car in Galatas, this is the moment to make the most of it: from there, Epidaurus is an hour away and Nafplio an hour and a quarter. That ability to hop across to the mainland is what sets Poros apart from any other Saronic island.