EASTERN COPAÏS

Driving along the national highway, the gaze remains fixed straight ahead, while the mind tries to empty itself of the bustling thoughts of daily life, painting images of the destination to come. But what lies hidden around the road that we are so eager to leave behind? Shortly after the turns around Lake Yliki, the long straights of Copaïs begin—one of the dullest parts of the journey. After the exit to Akraifnio, the vast plain and drainage canals spread out to the left, while on the right, sheer rock faces with enormous caves break the monotony.
What is hard to notice from the highway is that these are not natural caves but sinkholes with traces of artificial carving, opened and expanded thousands of years ago by the Minyans—an ancient pre-Hellenic tribe from the region of Pagasae—with the purpose of draining the largest lake of ancient Greece, Copaïs, transforming it into a vast granary. This was the first drainage attempt in 1300 BC. It was successful but did not last. Proof of this temporary yet successful drainage is the Mycenaean acropolis of Glas, a few kilometers further up, at the height of Kastro.
The hill that today rises above the plain was once an island in the lake, called Arne, while at the location of modern Kastro stood the ancient settlement of Kopes, from which the lake took its name—Copaïs. From Kopes, the Minyans would cross to Arne in small boats, and this movement with oars was called “kopilasia” (rowing)!
With the drainage of the lake, road access to the hill of Arne became possible, and construction began on a massive fortress that was later called Glas. The lake was definitively drained only in the early 20th century, both to protect inhabitants from malaria and to increase cultivable land. Today, cereals, cotton, vegetables, and olive trees cover the plain, while a rectangular network of farm roads runs across the entire area. Whichever one you follow eastward, you’ll eventually reach the “scarred” foothills of Mount Ptoon.
The enormous wounds, hundreds of meters deep, became the source of iron ore that supplied the mining company LARCO. The company was founded in 1963 by Prodromos Bodosakis, remembered both for his entrepreneurial acumen—at one point owning 35% of the country’s industrial capacity during the interwar period—and for his philanthropy in health and education. He is credited with the phrase: “If my worker and I vote for the same party, then one of us is an idiot—and I’ve proven it’s not me…”—a revealing statement of class divisions in Greek society and the perennial lack of class consciousness in the lower economic strata.
At the LARCO facilities, nickeliferous limonite extracted from the surrounding mountains was converted into high-purity ferronickel, used exclusively in stainless steel production and shipped worldwide from the port of Larymna. After years of turbulence, liquidation, and changes in ownership in 1989, the company became profitable again, reaching 19,000 tons of sales in 2012, before finally shutting down in the fateful year of 2024.
The two colossal creations of the region—the fortress of Glas and LARCO—though separated by some 3,000 years, shared the same fate: neither endured, like most grand projects in this country, soon consigned to the archives of history.

Starting from Kastro, Boeotia, the proposed route first crosses the eastern part of the Copaïs plain until it reaches the colossal facilities of the mining company LARCO, near the village of Agios Ioannis. It then “borrows” the mine roads, climbing steadily for 9 km on an accessible dirt road up Mount Ptoon. From there, it turns west toward the mountain convent of the 12th century, dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos. A delightful 10 km downhill section follows—first on asphalt to a junction with a breathtaking view over Lake Yliki, and then on dirt road through dense pine forest above the village of Kokkino—before returning again to the level of the plain.
The last 6 km of the route run across the plain, circling the Mycenaean fortress of Glas, and finally return to the starting point.
The route uses only provincial asphalt roads and accessible dirt roads, making it ideal even for gravel bikes. Visitors should plan for water and food, as there are no supply points along the way (alternatively, one can make short detours to the villages of Agios Ioannis and Kokkino). The best seasons to visit the area are winter (though some muddy spots may appear) and early spring.