ROUTE St. Vissarion – Mpei’s Cave

Distance 7.370,00 m | Technical Difficulty Moderate | Max Altitude 1200 m. | Duration 4 hours and 20 minutes

The village of Agios Vissarion, also known as Dousiko, is located just 1 km north of Pyli and is known for the large monastery of the same name above the village. The route begins from the square, turning left upon entering the village from Pyli. We follow the road for 120 meters and then leave it, walking to the right through small meadows at the foothills of Koziakas, heading northwest. Soon, the trail above the last houses of the village, in the location Keramidi, meets a small stream that passes over an old arched bridge. Crossing the bridge, we turn left onto the trail (an old irrigation canal). The path continues parallel to the stream and passes near Geroukos Rock, where there is a climbing field with four routes.
After nearly 1 km of walking along the stream through a dense forest of low trees, the trail reaches the forest road at the location Gavriil Fountain, which we follow to the right. Caution: The last 200 meters before reaching the forest road are not clearly visible and have been overgrown by dense vegetation. After walking 100 meters along the forest road, we turn left (upwards) onto a visible path that soon follows a gentle ridge for 700 meters, leading to the location Koukorelos, where it meets the fenced-off controlled area of the forestry service. Here, the trail intersects with another one coming from the Agios Vissarion reservoir and another one coming from the entrance of the village of Filyra.
After another 700 meters of walking at an altitude of 766 meters, we reach the location Skorda, next to the fence, where the path meets a well-maintained forest road that comes from Filyra. The route then follows this forest road for approximately 2,700 meters until its end. Along this stretch, we encounter about ten cabins built by locals, mainly used for summer retreats, offering spectacular views of the entire Thessalian plain. At the end of the forest road, at an altitude of 1,080 meters, is the last cabin, in the location Megali Kastania. Leaving it on our right, we continue along the trail, which passes through low vegetation of ferns and brambles that, in spring and summer, make passage difficult and obscure the path.
Crossing the field of low vegetation, the trail heads toward the saddle at an altitude of 1,207 meters, below the steep rock at the location Palouki, moving northwest toward Pertousa. After the saddle, we descend through the canal toward Pertousa, passing through a sparse forest of tall fir trees and encountering small waterfalls formed at the outlet of the stream that flows past the Mpei’s Cave. A few meters further down in Pertousa, our trail meets the path from Pialeia to Mpei (marked with red square signs), which we follow to the left. Climbing the stone steps, we reach the location Mpei (1,180 meters), where there is a kiosk and the namesake through-cave.
This route can be combined with the one coming from Elati, the one ascending from Pialeia, as well as the one continuing toward the Krania plateau and descending to the village of Kotroni, or returning via the steep steps back to the cabins (1,080 meters), reconnecting with the ascent path.