Penteliko Mountain
1,109 m
Greece
Also known as Пентели, Pendeli, +8Also known as
Пентели · Pendeli · Πεντελικό όρος · Pentélico · Pentélique · Monte Pentelico · Πυργάρι · Pentelikon · Пенделикон · Pentelik
- Elevation
- 1,109 m
- Prominence
- 749 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Mar–May
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1From the north-western edge of Nea Penteli, dirt roads lead past the ancient marble quarries to Davelis Cave (about 700 m) and the chapel of Agios Ioannis Latomos, then quarry roads to their end and a short, pathless scramble through prickly scrub up the steep pyramid of Pyrgari (1,109 m), crowned by a military installation. About 650 m of ascent and 2 hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 5.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +655 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,109 m
- Time Up
- 2h 59m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 11m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start beyond the last houses at the north-western edge of Nea Penteli (about 480 m, 38.0631, 23.8646). Follow the dirt road north for about 400 m to a T-junction and go left, then right after 200 m, and stay on the dirt road for about 1 km to Davelis Cave (Penteli Cave, about 700 m): a huge quarry-mouth cavern with the small chapels of Agios Spyridon (cut into the rock) and Agios Nikolaos at its entrance, once a sanctuary of Pan and the Nymphs and later the hideout of the 19th-century brigand Davelis. An alternative approach from Palaia Penteli climbs the steep, zigzagging ancient marble road (Lithagogia) to the cave. From the cave head west on the dirt road for about 500 m, cut up the slope on the right to another road and take a small path for about 200 m to the chapel of Agios Ioannis Latomos (St John of the Quarrymen). Continue on the dirt road past the chapel to a sharp bend on the main road, take the dirt road branching off there and keep left at both forks; it ends after about 1 km. There is no path from the road end: find your own way up the steep, pyramid-shaped summit through prickly scrub, with some scrambling and a little easy climbing. The top is occupied by a military and telecommunications installation; keep your distance from it and do not photograph it. One hiker took about 2 hours from Nea Penteli to the top. The asphalt road from Nea Penteli, past the Agios Panteleimon area, also reaches the summit area and is the only marked way up. Descend the same way or by the road.
Start
Nea Penteli486 m
- Athens suburban buses (OASA) serve Nea Penteli and Palaia Penteli; check current lines.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nea Penteli → Pyrgari | 5.9 | 655 | 32 | 2h 59m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Nea Penteli486 m
- Feature: Davelis Cave720 m
- Feature: Agios Ioannis Latomos750 m
- Summit: Pyrgari1,109 m
Military installation on the top; keep your distance
Key Passages
- Davelis Cave
- Quarry roads above Agios Ioannis Latomos
- Pathless scramble through scrub on the summit pyramid
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 55%Overview
The marble mountain of Athens: Penteli (Pentelikon) rises to 1,109 m at Pyrgari, north-east of the city, its slopes scarred by the quarries that supplied the Parthenon. Walks lead to the vast Davelis Cave; the military-capped summit needs a short pathless scramble or the road.
Penteli, ancient Pentelikon or Brilessos, is the mountain on the north-eastern edge of the Athens basin, between the suburbs of Penteli, Nea Penteli, Dionysos and Rapentosa. Its fine white marble was quarried from antiquity onwards and used for the Acropolis; an ancient stone-paved haul road, the Lithagogia, still zigzags down from the quarries, and an open-air Museum of Quarrying stands on the northern slopes. Pausanias records a statue of Athena on the summit.
The highest point, Pyrgari (1,109 m), is a steep pyramid carrying a military and telecommunications installation; a paved road from Nea Penteli reaches it, but there is no marked footpath to the top. Most walkers aim for Davelis Cave (about 700 m), a huge cavern with two small chapels at its mouth, once a sanctuary of Pan and the Nymphs and later the lair of the brigand Davelis, and then scramble up through scrub to the summit if they wish.
Repeated fires have burnt much of the mountain, leaving open, shadeless slopes, and its trails were never systematically waymarked. In return you get wide views over Athens to Piraeus and the Saronic Gulf, Hymettus and Parnitha, and north to Marathon Lake.
Climbing Notes
From Nea Penteli the walk to Davelis Cave is easy on dirt roads; continuing to the summit adds quarry roads and a short, steep, pathless scramble through prickly scrub (about 2 hours in all). Wear boots and long trousers, carry water and sun protection, and avoid hot summer days: the burnt slopes have no shade. Keep well away from the summit installation and do not photograph it. Anavasi publishes a 1:16,000 Mount Penteli map; a GPS track helps, since paths are largely unmarked.
History
Pentelic marble has been quarried since antiquity and was used for the buildings of the Acropolis. Davelis Cave was explored by the speleologist couple Petrochilos in 1936; from the late 1970s the army carried out secret works there and the area was declared military for several years.
Season
Best Mar–May- January: Good
- February: Good
- March: Best (best window)
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Good
- July: Possible
- August: Possible
- September: Good
- October: Best
- November: Best
- December: Good
- Jan
- Cool; occasional snow on the summit
- Jun
- Hot; walk early
- Jul
- Very hot and shadeless; high fire danger
- Aug
- Very hot and shadeless; high fire danger
Access & Permits
- Rules
- The summit is occupied by a military/telecommunications installation: keep your distance and do not photograph it
- Parts of the mountain may be closed on days of very high fire danger
- Getting There
Nea Penteli (Athens)
Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH)
- OASA suburban buses to Nea Penteli or Palaia Penteli
- Car: to the north-western edge of Nea Penteli; a paved road from Nea Penteli climbs to the summit area
Hazards
- Weather
- Rockfall