Charadros

Charadros (Χάραδρος)
Origin	Achaia prefecture
Mouth	Gulf of Corinth in Patras 38°17′25″N 21°45′48″E / 38.29028°N 21.76333°E / 38.29028; 21.76333Coordinates: 38°17′25″N 21°45′48″E / 38.29028°N 21.76333°E / 38.29028; 21.76333
Basin countries	Greece
Length	approximately 25 km

The Charadros (Greek: Χάραδρος) is a river in the northwest central part of the Achaea prefecture.

Geography

The Charadros river begins in the Panachaiko mountains, it passes through the municipalities of Rio and Patras. The river flows in a rocky setting, through a valley with mountains and a forest. The river passes along mountain roads and the road linking the old GR-8 (Athens - Corinth - Patras) and the Panachaiko Ski Center as well as another road with Ano and Kato Kastritsi and part of it is the Georgiou Papandreou Avenue. The lower part flows through grasslands and forests. It is crossed by three bridges, the old and the new GR-8/E55 and the GR-5 and the GR-48 and above the Patras Bypass, it enters an urban area mixed with farmlands and passes under the OSE's SPAP line and the road before emptying into the Gulf of Corinth 1 km to the northwest.

From west of the GR-8A to Kato Kastritsi, it is the boundary between Patras and Rio; it also flows through most of Patras' neighbourhood of Proastio.

The stream is dry during the summer months except when it rains in the mountains.

History

During the Ancient times, the shepherds believed that ewes that drank water from the river during the spring bore only male lambs; for this reason, they also watered their cows here. During the Venetian rule, the Venetians named the river Velevitsio (Βελεβίτσιο, Bel vizio) and it gave its name to the village of Velvitsi.

Places

• Kato Kastristi, north
• Ano Kastritsi, north
• Velvitsi, south
• Kastellokampos, a part of Rio, north
• Patras, south
• Proastio, a part of Patras, south

References

• The first version of the article is translated and is based from the article at the Greek Wikipedia (el:Main Page)