I know. Location was chosen because it was the only patch of clear land that was close enough for the initial set up of vics and tents. I'm not going to change that till Eden releases, because it's a pain.
Also, the location allows you to approach Pyrgos from three routes - the west coast, via the highway or the hills to the SE of Pyrgos.
As for things to do; the aforementioned hills have people, and Chalkeia and the other town (Sofia?) have people and reinforcements that you can clear so that you're not overwhelmed on Pyrgos (this is stated in the briefing).
Finally, from my testing, I reached the border (lines of control marked on the map) in under 5 mins. You have to remember that Netkev Zeused away a lot of things, and if he removed EI till Pyrgos then I suppose that would contribute to the delay that the infantry faced in dismounting. Alternatively, if the IFVs weren't double-timing it till the border region, then that's something that is out of my control - the AO is clearly marked during briefing.
Again, the point of the mission was the convoy and combined arms combat, so I'm unwilling to change things there. Like I said in the opening line, after Eden is out, I'll try moving the start location closer to the border/line of control.
p.s. I hope what I mean by Line of Control is clear, I'm just super used to the phrase because of Kashmir.
EDIT: The reason that enemy Titan AT was kept in was exactly so that infantry had something to do, and clear the path for the vics through the hills.