The year turns - All the Best to Everyone

Winter - Kind Of!

Babis Bar, Myrties - there are worse places to spend December

 Almost three weeks back at Babis Bar - winters spent in Greece never pale. The place was still a teeny bit busy when we arrived, but for the past 10 days it has been almost completely deserted - we have had cliffs to ourselves that are normally packed in the high season.
I have continued to work on a Rockfax App for smart-phones to the climbing on Kalymnos - it has been a long running project - several years so far and counting.
We hired a boat and took a ride out to get some photos of the South Face of Telendos - a very pleasant way to spend an early December day.

Fresh fish and Greens/Reds courtesy of Babis

I'll be pleased to get the App finished and get on with a 'proper' book - Lofoten is next in line. I am looking forward to getting stuck into it and there is little doubt where we will have to spend next summer - but that is no real hardship.
A couple more weeks in the Greek sunshine then back to Ariège and the mountains of the Pyrenees - it is  such a great place to work as it is so quiet, and of course the weather and scenery are pretty good too!

Back To Basics

White Cat's rather sad ears after surgery

The week in Ariège was very pleasant, and (as ever) very quiet, we did a bit of climbing a bit of walking and a lot of taking it easy. Our long-term 'pet', White Cat had a nasty growth on her ear which we had noticed last time and assumed it was scab from fighting - but it was actually a tumour due to sun exposure. We showed photos to the vet on Saturday, and she was booked in for 8:30 Monday morning. For a couple of days she was in a sorry state but by the time left - five days later - she was well on the way to recovery. By the time her hair grows back she will be as good as new (-ish). Interestingly the number tattooed into her ear told the vet 'she' was 10 years old and actually a 'he'!

Kalymnos Sunset - same as it ever was

Then is was a quick flight to Stansted, a too short night in the Raddison, then onwards to Athens - for £20 each). We caught the late boat over to Kalymnos, and were in Babis Bar in time for a beer and chill. Unusually the Bar is still pretty full - perhaps we should have kept quiet about how good Kalymnos is in November!!!!!
Day One: four easy routes on Sea Breeze - in the breeze - and a perfect Kalymnos sunset, it is great to be back.

Round the Circle

Festival of Ancient Fruits - Orpierre

We left Orpierre after the camp-site closed for the season - last day of October - and headed to Buis les Barronies, two and a half years since we were last there. Orpierre was an 'interesting' experience, we will probably go there again but only at a quieter time of the year - it was so busy it really detracted from what is a lovely part of the world. One of the highlights was the last weekend when 'The Festival of Ancient Fruits" took place, a celebration of ancient crops and skills - it was nice that the whole thing wasn't filled with people sell tat.  There was barrel-making, knife-sharpening, apple pressing, wine, nuts, lavender, fungi, and a real sense of history - most enjoyable.

Sikarate, Baume Rousse, 5c, 37m, 16 clips 

We only had a short spell at Buis this time around and the weather was a little mixed though I got three days climbing done, including a glorious day on Baume Rousse. Then it was on the road again and back Ariége a couple of months after we last left.
Chez Arran was deserted - well apart form the cats of course. White Cat's ear had deteriorate markedly since we were last here - we took a photo the vets and she confirmed it is a kind of cancer common in white cats and triggered by sunshine so she is booked in first thing Monday morning for a bit of cosmetic surgery!

Orpierre in the Fall

Climbing in the gorge at Sisteron

A rest-day walk - high above Orpierre

After a very pleasant three weeks in Briançon we loaded up the cars and drove a steady two hours to arrive at the fabled Orpiérre - another well known climbing destination that had escaped my attention completely over the years. The reason for its fame, and the associated downsides soon became all to apparent, a) it was busy - really busy, b) the cliffs were packed, c) a lot of the routes were horrible polished. It also turned out we had arrived at the start of the busiest 10 days in the whole year; the place is too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter and ‘just right’ around October half term!
I guess the place is a victim of its own success - the number of 'live-in' wagons in the various car-parks and many really large groups of climbers spoil the place for us a bit - though the answer is to visit at another time, like we have learnt to do with Kalymnos.
Any way, it is a lovely spot and with a bit of dodging around we managed to get plenty of climbing done, around Orpiérre and a little further afield.
Sadly the camp-site shuts for the winter this weekend and we are being ejected from our cosy (and quite posh) caravan - so the question has to be - where next?

New Beginnings - Briançon

Day One, Crag One, Route One

 A steady journey via the Hull to Zeebrugge ferry and a 10 hour drove and we rolled into Briançon - a place I have never visited.
My 65th birthday passed on the way south - must admit that was one milestone I wasn't looking forward to - but onwards and upwards I guess. As the saying goes 'getting old is no fun but it is better than the alternative"!
We have rented a ski apartment for three weeks and first signs are very encouraging, the weather has been good, the place is quiet and I managed 25 routes in the first three days on five separate cliffs - all new to me which was great.

The Col de Galibier - 8200'

The city is said to be the highest in Europe at just over 4000' and it is ringed by some amazing fortifications - we have made a start on exploring this intriguing area.
The weather varies between absolutely glorious and a bit on the cool side - record low so far 0C - not sure if this is the norm for here, time will tell!
One week on and we have had a complete mixed bag of weather from hot to cold, rain to snow, thunderstorms and wind - not much chance of getting bored with it. The route tally is now up to 40 and I have lost track of the number of different rock types I have climbed on - variety is the spice of life.

Getting Over That Hill

Plateau de Beille

The month in Scandinavia was brilliant and the 12 days back Ariège have been very pleasant, it is effortless slotting back into the easy-going groove here. We are still managing to find new areas to explore, and as ever the place is pretty much deserted.
 But time presses on, it is September already and we need to think about plans for the winter.

Climbing near the Spanish border

Initially we are headed back to the UK on Tuesday for just a week - time to visit dentists, opticians, parents and attend the OWPG's  annual bash up in Northumberland. Then we will be loading up the car and heading south for the Briançon/Orpierre area for about six weeks. These are two areas which are well regarded but about which I know very little. I am looking forward to getting a few solid weeks on the rock and getting fit. Beyond that nothing is fixed but we may manage a slider to Kalymnos once all the crowds have gone. By mid-December we should be back in the Ariège so I can start work on the new Lofoten guide which hopefully is due out sometime next year
Two weeks ago was the 50th Anniversary of my first ever climbing trip (Scugdale - North York Moors) and the night we sail from Hull to Zeebrugge is my 65th Birthday - where did all that time all go?
A Quick Update - I assumed we would have Tuesday to sort and pack the car ready for the off on Wednesday - but Sherri informed me that is my Birthday Present Day - Prestwold Hall where I will be driving a Porsche 911, an Aston Martin, a Ferrari and Lamborghini - not sure the Scoobie will ever seem the same again!