Lake Doxa, an artificial lake 167km (100mi) west of Athens, was dammed in the late 1990s and has been gaining in popularity with visitors over the past 10 to 15 years. Besides becoming an attraction, luring travellers in sizeable numbers all year round, Lake Doxa (its name means glory) has also been declared a Natura reserve (protected eco-zone), a testament to it having become a pristine habitat to regional flora and fauna and an area of great natural beauty.

The lake is wedged between the foothills of Mount Aroania, more widely known as Helmos, and Mount Dourdouvana, officially named Penteleia, in the mountainous municipality of Corinthia. This region is called Feneos, after the last village on the mountain and closest to the lake, a walkable 1.5km (1mi)

Goura, a neighbouring village (!0km, 6mi), at an altitude of 956m (3136ft), with, at last count, 231 residents making it the most populous village of the area, is the favoured stop-over for coffee or food following excursions to the lake.

The lake was named Doxa ‘glory’, after the name locals used to call the area and its main river., and according to local tradition, there were two hamlets here with similar names in the 17th century. They are believed to have been called Doxa and Doxia, or Apanou (Upper) Doxa and Kato (Lower) Doxa.

source travel.gr

photo credit Periklis Merakos