Happy New Year? Let's Hope So!

It has been a varied and interesting year, with extended periods in Kalymnos (about 3 months) and Ariège (about 4.5 months) plus quite a bit of time in the UK plus visits to Spain and even Turkey. With two books published (Peak Limestone and Ariège) and another just round the corner (the new Costa Blanca guide) it has may well have been my most productive year ever. I think a bit more 'me time' (as in more climbing!) might be on the horizon.


Left: me and White Cat

We didn't get to Norway this year which was a pity as it always a place we love to spend time, maybe next year we will get back to the superb mountains and fjords, the friendly locals (and not forgetting the lack of tourists).
Other possible places pencilled included Corsica and Sicily - a couple of spots that keep cropping up - and then back to the Alps - but not in July/August when it is hot, sweaty and crowded!

Right: Sherri and a black cat - Squeek!
 
We have missed Colins company over the past few months, he hasn't recovered too well from his bypass operation in the summer - here's hoping for a better 2013 for him, and peaceful one for the rest of us.

****   Happy New Year to all my readers - of both this Blog and the Guidebooks  ****

Mountain High

A week back in the UK was busy, especially with the need to sort out after Kalymnos and pack the car, plus fitting a couple of days on the Grit with the usual suspects.
The Portsmouth to St Malo crossing was just a bit choppy, we disembarked at dawn and by dusk were settled at Chez Arran - 540 miles away.

Above: Barry d'en Bas and the surrounding mountains 

White Cat was pleased to see us back, nearly as pleased as we were to be here.

Over the 1st few days the weather has been fine, quite warm (up to 15C) and a bit showery. As well as winding down we have done a bit of local rambling, a few routes on the granite at Auzat (test driving the new guidebook) and a had a visit to Andorra to stock up on 'essentials' and hike up a little hill - 8500'.

Right: Sherri above the snowline

Christmas is two days away; it is 26 years since Sherri suggested we escape the UK winter for a bit of Spanish sunshine - just look what she started!

Onwards and Upwards

Ten and half weeks gone by, we arrived in the heat of September and slipped away on cool December afternoon. How cool was revealed by the snow-capped peak of Mount Tmolus, 7800' high and 120 miles away in Turkey glittering in the wintery sunshine.
Leaving great places and good friends is always a strain, but I guess if you never left anywhere you would never arrive anywhere either. We said bye-bye to the cats at the bar and the team at the harbour but we won't be away for too long.
Home in the UK for a week, just time to say hello do a heap of jobs, pack the car then push off to the Ariège again. We may sail to Bilbao but will be watching the forecast carefully and not booking it until the very last minute - the Bay of Biscay in December isn't to be undertaken lightly.

Plans afoot

November in Kalymnos continues the same as each year, cool and quiet - just perfect. Babis Bar is almost empty, and the main man has provided freshly caught and cooked fish on a regular basis - one of the highlights of the winter! Only two weeks left is the sad news, but there a places to go and travelling anywhere after mid-December is very expensive so we have decided to bail out a bit earlier than we would prefer.

Left: late November on Dolphin Bay - sweet

No rest though, we reckon 10 days in the UK to visit, launder and pack the car (the one I bought 2 months ago, drove two miles and stuck straight in the garage) then hopefully it is away to Ariège for a few months in the mountains. We were sad to leave the place back in July, and we will be sad to leave Kalymnos too - the fate of the nomad I guess! We aim to pop back to Kaly in March to sample the Spring here, which isn't too far away - so no sad faces allowed.

The Ariège guide should be out in a week, plenty of folks are looking forward to that judging by the pre-orders. At the moment there is just about a month's work left on the Blanca guide - but then what?

Greek Style

Coming up to seven weeks away, the season has turned and the tourists have all gone home. A brisk northerly wind blew for a couple of days and all the summer heat and humidity were whisked away - a breath of fresh air for real. November and eating on the terrace morning and night - a novelty that never wears off!
It has been a bit of an odd season climbing wise, with no visitors to get fit for (or to drag me up routes) and already having completed over 500 different climbs here, there hasn't been heaps of motivation so we have taken to exploring some out of the way places. Found a few more Crag X cliffs to add to "The List".

Photo: Exploring the Sea Breeze Canyon

I have been submitting to Alamy photo-library, an interesting experience. If any single shot in a submission isn't up to scratch, they reject the whole lot AND ban you for 28 days - kinda focusses your mind on the job in hand! 

Just One More.....

That's the Ariège guide put to bed - or near as damn; it goes to the printers tomorrow. It has been a real pleasure to work on the guide and a great part of the world to live in. So nice in fact that we are booked in to Chez Arran from mid-December - which should be a stark contrast to Kalymnos.
Of course the tail end of the book was the usual haul, checking and rechecking, then checking once more time. After looking at the same pages for a year it gets tiresome - but it is done now.
Time for a rest and a bit of climbing and to think about the Costa Blanca book, which sold out at the start of the year and is in real demand at the moment with the winter season right around the corner.
Maybe the rest will have to wait!

Island Hopping Mad

 We left Kalymnos for a look at a few other islands and with the idea of popping over to Turkey to visit Sherri's mum who spends a lot of time in Marmaris. We caught the fast ferry to Nisyros and spent a couple of great days exploring this volcanic island. The place was really quiet which suites us - a right pair of 'Shirley Valentines'.
Then it was on to Rhodes by way of a couple of other interesting islands -which looked great from the ferry - maybe next time round! At Rhodes we breifly ended up in the Old Town, it felt like a cross between a Bank Holiday in York and Disneyland - not pleasant.
In summary, Rhodes is busy (and hot) - lets see what tomorrow and Turkey bring.

Update: Turkey was interesting, much hotter than Greece (which is odd, as that area only about 50 miles apart) and very cheap. Their propensity for queues and rubber stamps felt like another era - thank goodness for the EU! Finally I don't think we saw a woman working anywhere - in the shops, driving vehicles, in the restaurants or on the boat - a bit 19th Century.

On returning to Rhodes we decided to leave the travelling for a couple of days as it was so windy - got to like the place, especially the old town - as you avoid the tourist traps.