Greece - off the Beaten Track

Varasova - seaside fun

Don't get me wrong, I love Kalymnos, but it does get a bit busy (OK very busy) at times. Last year we decided to escape to Leonidio in the peak late October season - and it turned out that was just as bad with 50 cars parked under Mad Rock some days - bah, humbug!

Fyrgani - Day 1, Crag 1

So this year I thought we could try something a little different, I picked five crags with a selection of easier routes in central and northern Greece, Colin flew into Athens for a fortnight, and off we headed in search of quiet cliffs and new adventures.

Meteora - pebble-tastic

Frygani, Kalogria, Varasova, Mytikas and Meteora? I'm guessing that like me you have never heard of them, well except for the last in the list, which is well known as a UNESCO world heritage site.
12 days and around 50 routes later I can report that there are great cliffs in Greece where you won't see another climber, let alone have to queue to get on your chosen route. Accommodation was sorted through Booking.com and AirBnB and in most cases was inexpensive and close to the climbing.
Frygani is a conglomerate crag 30 miles west of Corinth, east facing with 40 routes and five minutes from the road. It has huge potential for new routes.
Kalogria is a set of cliffs above a big lagoon which is an internationally important bird reserve. 100+ routes across a variety of cliffs. Mozzies can be a problem because of the lagoon but there is some great climbing on offer.

Mytikas - peaceful perfection

Varasova is an old school venue, much used by Athens climbers over the years. Right by the sea, and a selection of restaurants there are 90 routes to go at, from short and sharp right up to 18 pitches.
Mytikas - and idyllic crag with 30 routes, only seconds from the road. It overlooks the bay and town of the same name and gets afternoon shade.
Meteora - a huge and fascinating area with who knows how many routes. There are single and muti-pitch on a host of towers and the bolting can be a little (or very) spaced, especially on the the older routes. The rock is a very solid conglomerate, billions of rounded pebbles from acorn-sized to huge - bring your stiff boots.