My friends have called me a “mountain goat” ever since I was a kid. So when I stumbled across a mountain race called The Methana Goat, my curiosity was instantly piqued. As I browsed photos from the event and read runner Dimitris Troupis’ account on the trail-running website Advendure, I could hardly believe what I was seeing: lush forests, dramatic volcanic landscapes, and striking rock formations unlike anything I’d associated with Methana. Where was the peninsula I’d always imagined – a faded spa town known mainly for its thermal springs and a bygone reputation? When I finally visited, that familiar image disappeared almost immediately.
One of the first things that strikes you about Methana is how little it has changed compared with so many other Greek destinations. It has largely escaped the waves of tourism development that reshaped much of the country during the second half of the twentieth century. Its thermal springs, known since antiquity and mentioned by the ancient traveler Pausanias, began attracting visitors in the late nineteenth century. Their heyday lasted from the interwar years through the 1990s, when Methana ranked among Greece’s leading spa destinations. Politicians, artists and affluent travelers came to experience its hydrotherapy facilities and elegant hotels, while a casino and an open-air movie theater added a touch of cosmopolitan glamour.
