old watermill
Visitors say
Amazing place! We visited for breakfast and the day started way better than expected. Imagine eating freshly baked simple and traditional breakfast under the trees shadow with the water running sound... That's possible there. Highly recommend it!
Fully restored working old watermill. Nicely explained how the mill works. Downstairs a shop with local produce, upstairs coffee and cakes, inside or in the lovely garden. We enjoyed the lemon pies. A recommended place to visit!
About
Tucked into the rural landscape near the village of Skoutaros, in the rolling hills of northwestern Lesvos, the ruins of this old watermill stand as a quiet testament to the island's agrarian past. Watermills were once essential infrastructure across Lesvos, harnessing the flow of seasonal streams to grind grain — primarily wheat and barley — that sustained local communities through the centuries. This region, set back from the Aegean coast and surrounded by olive groves and pine-covered hillsides, would have provided both the water source and the agricultural produce that made such a mill economically vital. The Ottoman and post-Byzantine periods saw a flourishing of milling activity across the Greek islands, and structures like this one were often family-operated, serving entire villages for generations.
What remains today is characteristic of the vernacular stone architecture found throughout the Lesvos interior: thick-walled construction using locally quarried volcanic rock, built to withstand both the elements and the constant vibration of working machinery. Visitors can typically make out the millstone housing, the channel or race that once directed water to drive the wheel, and the sturdy outer walls that have weathered decades of disuse. Nature has begun to reclaim much of the structure, with vegetation threading through the stonework, lending the site a melancholy beauty that rewards the curious traveler willing to venture off the main roads.
The mill near Skoutaros is best appreciated as part of a broader exploration of the village and its surrounding countryside. Skoutaros itself is a tranquil, traditional settlement little touched by mass tourism, and the mill complements a visit that might also include walking the old mule paths and taking in the quieter rhythms of Lesbian rural life. For those interested in the island's material culture and pre-industrial heritage, these remnants offer a tangible connection to the generations of ordinary islanders who shaped this landscape long before the age of electricity and mechanized agriculture.
Before you go
What to expect
Standing among the thick volcanic stone walls of this ruined watermill, you get a palpable sense of the agricultural rhythms that once shaped life in the Lesvos interior. The millstone housing and the channel that once directed water to the wheel are still discernible, while vegetation has slowly threaded through the masonry, lending the site a quiet, melancholy beauty. It pairs naturally with a wander through Skoutaros itself — a tranquil village where tourist infrastructure is essentially absent.
Best time to visit
Late spring and early autumn are ideal — the surrounding hills are green or golden, the air is cooler for walking, and the interior roads are unhurried.
How to get there
From Mytilene, the drive northwest toward Skoutaros takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half; the mill sits in the rural countryside just outside the village.
Details
Categories
Visitor Reviews
Ioanna Georgaka
August 2025
Unfortunately one more example of a place that cannot handle high season efficiently. At 18/8 at 12.00 and no pies were left. 30’ after we ordered and we still did not even receive our coffees. We told them that we will leave because of the delay and lack of products and they never apologied. They said “you are coming now that we have a lot of guests - what are you expecting?”. Also they accused me for delaying to order because I was playing with my child. What a shame because the garden and mill are beautiful.
Elina Kikili
March 2025
The beautiful original watermill is amazingly preserved and maintained by its owners. They also have a charming souvenir shop that sells natural olive oil products, soaps, herbs, and many other goodies. However, our pockets were ripped! And the food was from mediocre to bad!! We paid €22.50 for just 2 cappuccinos (€4/each! for single shot) and 2 spinach pies (€6.50!!/each!!!) which were baked for sure the day before and were very badly reheated possibly in a microwave, the pie crust was soggy, and the filling was mushy, semi cold and with a bad quality cheese in it. Plus, I believe it had not reached the appropriate reheating temperature to be safe for consuming ( I am a chef, and I well know the health and safety rules for professional kitchens). And I must mention, the €4.00/cappuccino coffee was so tasteless and cheap that it reminded me of a hospital machine coffee sellers. To be clear: my complaint is NOT about the prices but for the BAD QUALITY! If quality was right and aligned with the price, I would have given 6 out of 5 stars ✨ Utterly disappointing because I loved the space and garden, but I refuse to become so very played!!
Kλάιβερτ Τούσια
August 2024
Everything was fine but tbh the prices should be a bit lower.. Everything was fresh and well made but that does not mean that you can ask whatever you want for them..4 stars just for that.. A must-go place for nearby visitors.
Anna Maria Panteli
August 2024
Amazing place! We visited for breakfast and the day started way better than expected. Imagine eating freshly baked simple and traditional breakfast under the trees shadow with the water running sound... That's possible there. Highly recommend it!
Ludovic Seret
August 2023
Always the same perfect place, wellbeing, nice people, good products.
Chris Pestalozzi
May 2023
Fascinating to see an old watermill still in use. Had a coffee on our way from Pylas to Olympia.
Bill Giannoutsos
June 2022
A place made with the utmost care and love. It is actually a renovated old watermill which is in working condition. The family running this business cooks using the homemade flour which is made in this watermill. Needless to say that the homemade pies offered are the best I have ever tried. Don’t miss the “ladenia” pie and the homemade lemonade if you ever visit this place. The family can also demonstrate to you the process of making flour using the watermill. Highly recommended!
Owner Response
Thank you for your kind words. It gives us strength to continue.
Martin van Vliet
August 2020
Fully restored working old watermill. Nicely explained how the mill works. Downstairs a shop with local produce, upstairs coffee and cakes, inside or in the lovely garden. We enjoyed the lemon pies. A recommended place to visit!
Owner Response
Many thanks Martin van Vliet.
vassilis dakas
September 2019
A very interesting reconstruction and a friendly tour of the old traditional watermill, in a very well taking care garden with trees and local plants and herbs. In addition you find a local produce store, a beautiful and hospitable indoor and outdoor place offering, coffee, home made desserts and local drinks.
Panagiotis Papaioannou
April 2017
A must visit place if you are in the area, 5 min. from the castle of Kyprrissia. Besides the historic interest, it is very picturesque, the service is very friendly, there is a great variety of coffee drinks, fresh orange and lemon juices, sweets etc and there is a small shop with local goodies,
