Out of Season

Roussos (5c)Dolphin Bay, early December

We have been visiting Kalymnos for 11 years now - our very first trip was in October 2008. It was so good that we let our return flight go without us and stayed for six weeks rather than the planned month.
BUT (and it was quite a big but) for most of our visit it was both very hot and very busy. Annoyingly by the time we left at the start of November the temperature was dropping nicely and the number of climbers had thinned out by around 90%.
So a plan was hatched and we have pretty much stuck to it ever since - in the autumn we usually arrive late October, enjoy prime conditions and quiet crags and leave around Christmas time when the weather often turns a bit unsettled. Springtime is another option (early March onwards) with the greenery and the flowers offering an amazing contrast to the scorched desert of the autumn. The weather is usually excellent, with highs up to around 20C and lows of about 10C. A cool northerly often blows creating ideal conditions for visiting all the cliffs around Arginonta which are normally furnaces in the high season.

Springtime in Kalymnos

Just another Kalymnos sunset

So why doesn't everybody do that? Well I guess a lot of people enjoy the melee and hub-bub of Masouri in the high season - and come for a hot-rock climbing holiday. Plus there are complications, most places (accommodation, shops and restaurants) on the western coastal strip are shut. We stop at Babis Bar in Myrties - that bit of the coast gets more winter sun than Masouri plus there is Stalas supermarket just over the road that stays open all winter. For eating out it is only a three minute drive over the hill to Elias square where the trio of restaurants - Kitsos, Il Posto and Merinos, stay open all year, offering a friendly welcome, great Greek food and free wifi.
Getting to Kalymnos out of season is a little trickier once the holiday companies stop flying direct to Kos, but there are two or three flights a day from Athens to Kos (Aegean or Sky Express) so with a little planning you can still get here from the UK in a day. There are also fights straight into Kalymnos from Athens several days a week (Sky Express) which is a great way to arrive. If you do have to spend a night in Athens, Tina's Apartments come recommended,  only 10 minutes from the airport and they offer a free shuttle both ways.
So there it is - if you fancy escaping the crowds and having these magnificent cliffs pretty much to yourself it is easier than you might have imagined - maybe see you there next year.
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