UKC

Each year I try and get in an exotic rock climbing trip for 10 days or so. So far this has included, Tonsai (Thailand), Ha long Bay (Laos), Todra and the Anti Atlas (Morocco), quite a bit of France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Albania, Croatia and Turkey. 

I'm looking for suggestions for this October. Needs to be max 4h flight really. Preferably single pitch sport as we have a baby, not too hot or cold, and not Foreign Office blacklisted (i.e. safe-ish).

Current front runner is Lebanon. Does anyone have good suggestions for other locations? Or info on climbing in Lebanon?

Thanks

S

Bulgaria? We went to Vratsa last October and the weather/temps were excellent. Vratsa itself a really nice, friendly town and only five minutes drive from the crags. It's also very cheap. From memory, our 2-star hotel, which included breakfast, worked out at about £10 each per night. 

Thanks. Great suggestion. That has been on my bucket list for a little while.

S

Oman if you split air travel... Some single pitch sport, incredible landscape, and friendly people... And good snorkelling. 

Auchinstarry Quarry

Adventurous sport climbing within a 4-hour flight is a pretty tall order. Have you considered Macedonia? https://www.campingmacedonia.com/biografy

Climbing is good. Situation, just north of the Greece border, is suitably unusual and adventurous. And the chap who runs it - a Russian I've climbed with several times - is sound.

Is it safe to travel there these days? Kids used to trundle boulders into the car park.

Last time I looked it was Home Office blacklisted. Better off cragging in Syria or Yemen whatever the Foreign Office say.

I think it would still be terrribly hot in October. Fantastic country and climbing though.

I've had many an interesting experience there, adventurous indeed.

Maybe it's a language barrier thing. Yemen etc, only time I've been shot at was Cambusbarron rather than Auchinstarry. 

Brilliant! Best I've had was overhead warning shots from a Russian boarder guard in the Caucasus........ but he did share his vodka with us afterwards. Don't suppose you were offered any Buckie at Cambusbarron?

No Buckie. But I had to gird my loins to tell them, halfway up a new route I was struggling on! that if they fired their gun anywhere in my direction again I'd shove it etc. I was terrified but brassed it, it worked thankfully. 

Well the locals nearly killed me at Auchinstarry a couple of years ago, chucking a massive tree trunk over the edge as I was gearing up below.

Agree its probably safer in some places on the foreign office blacklist... 

Bosnia? Lovely rock in beautiful locations and relatively off the beaten track...