Mikri Spanoura (1,871m) [P-5]

Overview

Mikri Spanoura (1,871m) [P-5] is a subsidiary summit of the Megali Spanoura (1,890m) [P-104] ridge located on the West side of Skafida Pass between Chaliki (Thessaly) and Metsovo (Epirus) on the Lakmos (2,276m) [P-376] massif of Tzoumerka. The ridge is an imposing 2km long structure that simply seems to jut into the sky, fully disconnected from the peaks around it, and offering exposures between 100m to 500m on either side.

Megali Spanoura (1,890m) [P-104] on the left.

Mikri Spanoura (1,871m) [P-5] as seen from the ridge.

I was very curious to attempt an ascent to Megali Spanoura (1,890m) [P-104] if I were to pass through the area since difficult access prohibits quick peakbagging of other objectives. In contrast, this ridge seemed fun enough and was accessible from a main road. I began my ascent right after a big lunch with plenty of Tsipouro at La Verliga in Chaliki village. Everyone but Terry felt rather sleepy so I had to make sure not to take too long.

Route

Unable to get to my hiking poles which were behind our suitcases in the cars trunk, I left with little more than my pack, some water, some snacks, and a fleece, and begun the off-trail ascent of the ridge. My main concern being to cover as much distance as possible, while keeping a 30 minute cut-off point. I should probably need less than the ascent time to descend. Or so I thought.

The route makes its way onto a shoulder where a lonely chestnut tree stands, and then begins a curving ascent of the slope of the Spanoura ridge in a WSW direction. This first section is pleasant enough with a somewhat visible trail. In fact Terry was hiking a few minutes behind me and ascended to a large boulder by the end of this easy section to wait out my attempt.

Lonely chestnut on the shoulder.

Skafida and the shoulder as seen from the slope.

At some point the steepness increases and trail disappears requiring an open-country semi-scramble on vegetation and loose limestone slabs. The route makes its way to the hikers left (SSW) as it ascends in a traversing manner towards the Southern end of the ridge. The exposure at this section is a bit more significant and the poor terrain quality requires focus and navigation. From this point, a ridge walk begins on the rather airy back of Spanoura.

Looking South from Mikri Spanoura (1,871m) [P-5] onto the ridge.

The ridge itself is quite fun without being all too dangerous. It requires careful navigation between the E & W sides of the crest, but has certain wide walkways. The exposure towards the East is not especially frightening although the West side is another discussion. The general grip and quality of the rock is mediocre and the ascent requires some caution especially when cresting. It took me 11 mins from topping on the ridge to traverse the 600m to Mikri Spanoura (1,871m) [P-5].

Deep valley to the West of Spanoura.

Megali Spanoura (1,890m) [P-104] as seen from Mikri.

At that point I realized I had been hiking for about 30 minutes and decided to rest and consider my options. Looking at the summit block of Megali Spanoura (1,890m) [P-104] it was clear that at least another 30 minutes were required to the summit as the route seemed technical and a notch had to be surmounted. As such I decided to turn back, having immensely enjoyed this ridge jaunt. Retracing the ridge was fine but descending the steep scree slope, covered in vegetation was a real tiring affair. It took me 21 mins to descend back to the car.

Interactive Map

Logistics

This was the first summit of our 2025 Prespes - Triethnes+ Trip in which we travelled across most of Central Greece. To find out more about our logistical planning for this ascent read the following Trip Report.

📰 Trip Report: Prespes 2025 - Triethnes+