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Leonidio and vanlife

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 robbiebrookie 07 Jan 2018
Hi all

We are long term travelling and living in our van round Europe, two years to date in our VW in France/Italy/Switz/Spain.

Next winter we are considering venturing down to Leonidio perhaps for Dec and Jan.

1. Anyone been in their van, is vanlife ok there, any practical considerations you'd highlight?

2. Did you drive to Greece or ferry via Italy?

3. Any suggestions for good venues on the way/return?

Thanks!!
 remus Global Crag Moderator 07 Jan 2018
In reply to robbiebrookie:

Wasnt in a van myself but friends were. Lots of good park up spots dotted around, though not necessarily close to the climbing. Here looked like a good spot https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Limenarchio+Leonidiou/@37.1498541,22.89...

Friends got the ferry from Italy (venice I think) and highly recommended it! 36 hours on the boat but saves a shit load of driving.

There's loads of climbing around Greece. Our friends had a greece select guide and were spending most of their trip checking out lots of crags around Greece. They said it was all pretty amazing, and very quiet for the most part.

OP robbiebrookie 09 Jan 2018
In reply to remus:

Thanks remus good beta!!
 dominic o 10 Jan 2018
In reply to robbiebrookie:
We just completed an extended van trip to the Greek mainland, including a few weeks in Leonidio and Kyparissi, travelling overland through Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria each way (early Sept to mid Nov). There's a "highlights" summary on our blog http://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2017/11/11/highlights-from-a-balkan-odyssey... Here are some thoughts on your questions:
- it's a fabulous trip, and we're already planning for a future re-run. I'd definitely take the opportunity to explore the rest of what Greece has to offer (Aris' excellent select guide is a real inspiration) as you'll find many outstanding crags (eg around Athens, at Meteora and elsewhere in the Peloponnese) which you'll likely have to yourselves.
- Whilst I understand that van camping is strictly illegal in Greece, it is widely tolerated and we found some absolutely gorgeous beach parking spots. Check out Vlychada https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2017/10/23/vlychada/ and Kondyli https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2017/10/09/nafplio-kondyli/ for example) - having said that, in Leonidio we stayed at Camping Semeli which is a tremendously friendly spot in a perfect location and is really good value, so I'd recommend some time there.
- We travelled overland in both directions, and really enjoyed the adventure of exploring new cultures and crags in Romania and Bulgaria. There is some excellent climbing (Karlukovo Cave has to be seen to be believed https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2017/09/22/karlukovo-cave-wow/) but the real treat is the journey itself - get there now whilst it's still "off the beaten track", it won't be for long. Having said that, I'd get the Ancona - Patras ferry for one of the legs as some of the roads make for tiresome driving.
Plenty more inspiration for your trip on our blog at https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/category/greece/ and feel free to PM me for any specific beta if you plan on a Balkan Odyssey to get there.
Post edited at 09:10
OP robbiebrookie 11 Jan 2018
In reply to dominic o:

Wow thanks for taking the time to share Dominic - can feel the psyche!! Will head off to have a good read of your blog.

 

 


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