Chochlakia Beach

On the south side of Kasos, between Avlaki and Chelatro, a small bay with large, smooth pebbles gives its name to one of the most secluded beaches on the island — a beach whose very name hides a little linguistic history of Kasos.

On the south side of Kasos, between Avlaki and Chelatro, a small bay with large, smooth pebbles gives its name to one of the most secluded beaches on the island — a beach whose very name hides a little linguistic history of Kasos.

Chochlakia (also known as Chochliakia) is located on the south side of Kasos, in a bay between Avlaki and Chelatro. It is one of the most remote beaches on the island, with pebbles instead of sand and no infrastructure — features that keep it in an almost untouched state, away from the hustle and bustle of the more central beaches near Fry.

Its name is not accidental, but comes directly from the local dialect of Kasos: the word «chochlaki» is used on the island to describe the smooth pebbles — the same ones that were traditionally used to pave the yards of Kasos houses — while corresponding place names with the same root («chochlatsera», «chochlakoura», «chochlasies») are found in various parts of the island, where they once collected the gravel they took from the fields. The very name of the beach, in other words, literally describes its terrain: large, rounded pebbles, both outside and in the sea.