kirklees climbing

ARGOLIS

The Argolid Peninsula

The Argolid Peninsula can be reached in a few hours by hire car from Athens airport, assuming that Athens can be navigated successfully (i.e no road signs, signs in 'proper' Greek, the second most dangerous country to drive through in Europe). It also helps if you know which airport you've landed at ...the one on SOME maps is NOT the recently-built international airport! Note also, some package holiday flights use Kalamata airport in the south of the Peloponnese.

The map to use is the Road Editions 1:250000 Peloponnese which is widely available in Greece but not so easy to find in Britain. Stanfords will get it for you but delays are possible. The 'yellow' roads on this edition are fairly true to life but, as for the 'white' roads, take a compass, take careful notes so that you can backtrack and don't commit yourself to anything too steep to reverse back up... this isn't somewhere civilised like Spain, you know. Incidentally, the Athens airport on this map is not Athens airport.

Although Suzuki jeeps might be more fun on the back roads, an ordinary hire car will make it to most of the crags. Maybe. So, make it past Athens and head west along the coastal motorway. Just before Corinth, take the main road south onto the Argolis peninsula towards Porto Heli/Portocheli. Alternatively, stick with motorway towards Tripoli until the junction for Nafplio. Some of the motorway toll boths are deserted; you can pass through them at motorway speed if you are accurate and if you've managed to guess which ones are inoperative. Also, a new motorway spur is under construction hereabouts and you can use it as a short cut to the Argolis... if you can find it!). Follow the road down past historic Mycenae towards Napflio and on into the indented peninsula of Argolis.

Didyma

The Argolis is a rugged land, rising to over 1000 metres, bursting with limestone crags and studded with dolines or giant 'sinkholes'. Its coastline is classical Greece with gorgeous bays, secret coves, fishing villages feeding beach restaurants. Although the yachting fraternity and watersports holiday folk head towards the south east tip at Porto Heli, which might become busy in the height of summer, the whole area seems scarcely awake even in early June.

There are rooms to be had and there are several campsites including Camping Costa at Costa, adjacent to Porto Heli (phone 0754 57571) and the fantasy beach site Camping Lefka at Vivari (0752 92335). Some English is spoken here and the people, generally, are exceptionally friendly. Campsites seem to be only open from early May to September; they are quiet in early June but may be frenetic by mid-season. Most of the Argolid crags can be reached within 45 minutes from these campsites.

The best way to find the Argolid crags is to buy Jim's excellent guidebook (which is much more up-to-date than the web-site information). This gives essential information on how to reach the crags and can be obtained from Jim for just 10 euros, profits going to the continual programme of equipping the crags. So far, there are around a dozen crags with bolted routes. Jim has equipped 250 routes so far with stainless steel glue-ins and lower-offs of his own design (see the guidebook for interesting test rig data); a real labour of love.

Argolid bolts, such as these, are universal

As far as they are developed at present, the Argolis crags will best suit the climber who wants to combine a genuine Greek holiday (with perfect seas, ancient ruins, gentle night life) with some climbing. Although there are a few harder routes (currently up to F7c/7c+), the rest of the climbing will suit those who operate in the French Sixes or families who want some less intimidating climbing for the kids (with maybe a babysitter to allow the odd day off to do some new and adventurous trad or bolted multi-pitch). However there are many completely untouched crags which may well see development in the near future and some offer considerable potential for harder climbing. Jim is very keen to see high-standard climbing develop in the area; if you contact him, he will help, advise, assist with bolting etc. And, maybe with a contribution to the local bolt fund, might set up a few new projects for you to try!

Back: Return to general information on the Peloponnese.
Next: Go to the description of the crags at Didyma.

Please add to this site: community-based information relies on its contributors.