The island of Milos is oft mentioned as being of a highly volcanic nature with many a hot spring. Witness the official website:
'Milos thanks to the volcanic activity and the meta-volcanic hydrothermal
action has a lot of hot springs, well-known in antiquity for their
therapeutic powers. Characteristically, Hippocrates in his book E’ “On
epidemics” refers to the therapy of an eminent Athenian who suffered
from a skin disease and who was cured at the Hot Springs of Lakkos in
Milos. Furthermore, the French professor of Botanic Pitton de
Tournefort refers to the island’s hot springs in his “tour” texts in
1771'.
On the ground things are telling a different story.
I'll get to this in a later posting, there are mainly two failings:
1. there's precious little info to go by,
2. other than the statement above there's little or no interest in soaking at all!
Wiggle
At least one of these statements does not apply for the
hot springs of Aliki (or Alikes, Alykes, but sometimes referred to as Kanava): not only are they the most often cited, there's
even a roadside signboard to indicate their existence.
But that's about all there
is to these hot springs, a signboard. No telling exactly where they are.
Were it not for other additional
info one would never have known where to search and / or what to expect.
Let's start with the most informative, Tripadvisor (forum):
'It is much easier to find the ones in Kanava. They are right opposite
the power plant in the bay of Adamas. Driving from Adamas towards the
airport, at the end of the of the power plant (right after the junction
to Palaiochori, Agia Kyriaki) opposite there is small sign "Hot
Springs".
There is a big flat rock on the beach at this point. The majority of
the springs extend at the right of the rock as you face the sea. On a
calm day you will see the pubbles on the surface of the sea and the
sand.
Also the grandmothers and grandfathers swimming there will give you a good indication :'
Or this:
'More like a spa experience than a beach, this is one of the places on Milos where hot minerals springs gush out of the sea around the shore. In Greek Loutra Alikis means "baths of Aliki", as Aliki
is the name of the area around the airport. The sign for the springs is
hidden between the trees but you can easily find the beach which is
right in front of the island`s electric power plant, near the crossroad
for Zephyria. The beach and the plant are separated by the main road going to Achivadolimni and Empourio.
There is no parking lot and you have to park along the road. The springs
cannot be seen from the road but when you get closer you can see the
water "boiling" at some spots. The water gushing out from the springs is
hot on these spots but the coming cold waves mix with it, reaching a
very pleasant temperature and allowing you to soak in the sea for a long
period. It is considered that these springs cure skin and gynecological
diseases'.
Equipped with this info,
we drive over to the site mentioned and park the car. Beyond the sign is
a shrub or two and then the coastline. An opening between the shrubs gives access to the
beach, though it's a larger rock onto which it opens up to.
Anyway to the right are two what I believe English dames who might have experienced the soak. Oddly enough they point to a place just before the tide line where (that days prevailing) winds have stacked up as of yet uncertain sea vegetation.
"You have to wiggle a bit".
Wiggle we do and a foot bath is to be had. But that's about that. No grandparents around who might elude. Was this it?
This is it: a nice mess!
Best
Though it's easy enough to stumble onto these hot springs, what better way than to get (more) info than from the Adamas located Milos Mining Museum: a legacy to the geological origins of Milos island and ways to exploit it.
In itself it's quite
interesting, especially if into geology: there's a floor with all kinds
of stones all originating from the island. And there's some original
mining equipment.
It would also be a handy as a source of information
especially as the visitors information office (of the island) is not functioning (at all or just seasonally?).
The
lady behind the desk at the museum however has little knowledge on the subject (of soaking) and
straightaway starts to frantically dial a number on her mobile phone. Oddly
enough, just three seconds later the man she was calling steps into the
office, not having answered his phone.
After being explained what the
question is, he responds and explains the best place to see hot springs on
the island is at Alikes.
"You will see the signboard opposite the power plant".
Ok, passed that part. He then expands that the soaking source is
actually 10m off the tide line. Hmmmm, that's more info.
However, average seawater temp at the time
of my visit to Milos is 16 /17 °C, if being optimistic. Neither a temperature to swim
for a longer time in.
Fast forward a few days, air temperatures have risen and I am still curious. The day is fantastic: warm with little wind.
We park once more, this time round there's no other visitors (in the course of a week, we have passed this place maybe 10 times; other than on the occasion above the place has been deserted, no grandpa's nor grandma's!).
Winds and tides have pushed the vegetation above the tide line (or maybe it's low tide) and just beyond one can see bubbles.
Quite hot standing there.
Looking more intently I see more bubbles a meter or so away and wade that way. Ahh, that's nice and hot.
The sea is very flat and I am contemplating swimming out the ten meters mentioned just to confirm the non-existence.
It's then that I notice a part of the bay with movement on it, contrasting to the flat waters around.
That's not even 10m, so I dive in.
Roughly 5m or so (see lead photo), with a depth of a meter, there are huge amounts of hot water flowing into the sea from the sea bottom, thus giving the sea surface a little ripple. It's nice and warm, hot flashes intermittent with the much colder sea.
The waters are also a lot more saline here. Temperatures are supposed to be 50°C (source).
Well, that was a great discovery. And it leaves me wondering why nothing has been done to say make a sea pool, hem in the hot water, get guests in for the winter, so much to do.
Fallen
Closeby are other springs with the same name (Alikes / Alykes; but not Kanava) but they seem to be in need of a spring cleaning. Miloterreanean:
'Cave with thermal mineral water with a temperature of 29ºC and a
chlorine content that indicates a mix of fresh to sea water in a ratio
of 2 to 1 [measurements of 1985 - M. Stamatakis]. In a text from 1835
(Xavier Landerer, “On the Hot Springs of Milos”, 1835) it is stated that
the spring is "at the foot of the small hill coming from the old city
(Zephyria) at the port where the salt marsh is today…”. The same source
states that the entrance was low, so someone needed to crouch down to
get into the cave, one that could accommodate 60 to 70 people and where
the water temperature reached 25°C. Today the cave cannot be visited,
because the roof has fallen in near the entrance'.
Another source:
'Another source, known as "Loutra Alikìs", was recommended for
women's diseases and infertility. Today the cave is walled and does not
work. (Baths of Aliki, opposite to Milos power plant, near the sea,
seems to generate the same water type)'.
