One day trip to Lailias Mountain , the forest lung of Serres and ascent to the “Alibaba” summit. We left from Thessaloniki with cloudy weather and in an hour we arrived in the beautiful city of Serres (82Km). From there, we followed the signs for Lailias ski center
(28, 6 Km). On the 25Km, there is a road sign to our right-hand , leading to the refuge of Serres Mountaineering Club. Outside the refuge, there is a trail that in 1.5h, leads through the forest , to Alibaba summit. But we had choose another starting point, to climb to the peak. Through Lailias ski centre. We continued driving and after 3km, we arrived at the base of the ski track, near the ski lift, which was closed due to lack of snow. Although it was January, snow was melted and there was a little bit only in some corners, that the sun could not reach. A great sunshine was warming up the mountain air and was our companion from the time we entered the region of Serres.
USEFULL INFORMATION
Distance from Thessaloniki: 111 km
European emergency number: 112
Fire brigade: 199
AMBULANCE SERVICE: 166
Forester’s office Serres: 2321046262
Food: “Hayiati” Tavern -7.00 Euro per person www.hayiati.gr .
Accommodation: Serres Mountaineering Club Refuge – 20.00 Euro per person. www.katafigiolailias.gr. Price is negotiable depending on season and availability
Alibaba Summit ,Lailias Mountain
Route informationDescription: Hiking, light ascent that turns out to relatively difficult at the end near the summit. Summit Alibaba (Altitude 1849m) Length: 2 km and 405 meters. Water in route: No Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes. (ascent) 1 hour and 5 minutes. (descent) The route took place in JAN 2014 Team members 4 adults and 3 kids 11 and 7 year |
The route is an easy ascent and does not have any technical difficulty. Our climb to the summit, was started at 10 am and completed easily and enjoyably in one and a half hour (1 hour without stops). The beginning of the ascent, is the ski resort at 1600m altitude. From the parking lot, we continue straight ahead and at 50m, we find the beginning of the ski lift. The route follows the lift. We climbed directly from the ski track (a little more to the right) until the end of the lift. From there, on our left, we see an old military observation post and the summit. We follow the smooth slope up to the observation post. Behind it, a large pile of big rocks, rises in front of us. This is the peak. There is no path, so we climbed freely, with great caution. Because of the low temperature, the morning mist, was transformed into a thin layer of ice , covering the rocks. When we stepped at the summit, we admired the view of the plain of Serres, the mountains Menoikio, Orvillos, Belles and Lake Kerkini. Our return was again by descending through the ski track, hiking parallel to the ski lift.
We got back in our cars , returned to the main road and drove straight ahead , to the center of the beech and mountain pine forest, with unique beauty . The place is called “Lumberjacks Square” and in Greek “Platia Xilokopon”. It is a big forest glade, with gazebos and springs with clean and gurgling water. There we stopped and enjoyed our coffee in nature. After our coffee, we enjoyed walking in the Woods and an unexpected meeting with a deer. It stood still behind the trees, looking at us and afterwards, disappeared inside the leaves. The place is ideal for camping and definitely, we shall plan an overnight staying in the future. However, an aesthetic dissonance to the place is, some arbitrary self-made structures, resembling to cabins and some abandoned trailers used by the locals, for camping during the summer.
Tip: Shortly after “Lumberjacks Square” a stone made small road, leads to the area of Kallithea, “Good view” in English. The place is a plateau like a balcony and the view from here is breathtaking.
After we filled our emotional batteries, it was time to fill our stomach. So we took the road back and a little bit before the junction with “Orini” village, we stopped at “Chagiati”. It is a tavern, at the right side of the road, with a big courtyard for parking. Clean, tide and cozy (the passion of the owners is obvious from the first time), very nice food, fast service and cheap prices. Of course, we start chatting with the two brothers who are the owners of the place (they are climbers) and we learned more secrets about the area. These secrets will become new excursions in the future.
If you need to stay overnight (of course you can always camp at Lumberjacks Square) we suggest Serres Mountaineering Club Refuge. We did not personally stayed, but we did our research and all roads lead there. 10 carefully designed rooms, Central Hall with fireplace, good prices and service that goes beyond a simple mountain refuge. Be careful though, it is for those who seek peace and quiet. Hidden in the woods and 24 km from the city of Serres, it is the best place for relaxation