Lake Doxa

Lake Doxa was created in the 1990s by damming the Doxa stream in the high valley of Feneos, at about 900 metres among fir-covered mountains, and it looks nothing like a reservoir: the water is a deep green, the shore is wooded, and a stone causeway leads out to the small chapel of Agios Fanourios on a wooded promontory, which has become the emblem of the whole region. A gravel track circles the lake in about four kilometres, walkable in an hour, with picnic tables and horses grazing at the eastern end. Above the valley stands the monastery of Agios Georgios, and the ancient site of Feneos with its museum lies nearby. In autumn the firs and the beech-lined slopes turn, and in winter the lake occasionally freezes at the edges under snow.

What you actually see

• The causeway chapel - Agios Fanourios reached by a stone path over the water.
• The lake circuit - a four-kilometre gravel track through fir woods.
• The Feneos valley - a high plain ringed by mountains above the lake.
• The monastery - Agios Georgios on the slope above the valley.

When to go

Late spring for green water and wildflowers, October and November for autumn colour, which is the best-known season here. Summer is pleasantly cool at this altitude; winter brings snow and the roads need care.

Honest expectations

Water levels drop noticeably by late summer, exposing muddy margins. The lake is a weekend destination for Athenians and the causeway can be busy with photographers. Facilities are limited to a couple of tavernas in the villages.

Nearby

Lake Stymphalia lies over the ridge; Kalavryta and its mountain railway are north.