UKC

Hi all,

Before committing hours to Google I wondered if anyone would be kind enough to give a few recommendations for areas to look at.

The wife and I typically ditch the sprog with the grandparents for a few days each year and buggar off somewhere nice by ourselves. Later this year (COVID-allowing) we thought we would incorporate some climbing.

Wish list:

• Crags with plenty of single pitch sport routes at the easier end of the spectrum (between us a range of 4a - 6b would suit). Longer the better (within the realms of a single pitch), keen to get bit higher than the typical 15-20m Swanage / Portland sport routes. Happy to take as much rope / many draws as needed.
• Preferably without queues for routes and a decent guidebook available - we're not bothered about big-name / honeypot locations.
• Not-too-complex directions - we'll be self-guiding with no local knowledge!
• Cheap flights from London airports (bonus points if you can get there from Bourrnemouth) OR Chunnel access, either with say 2-3hrs drive at the other end.
• Within easy reach (say an hour) of somewhere we can get a half-decent hotel, either coastal or 'city-break' type location. 
• Temperatures cool enough to climb in the morning, warm enough to lie on a beach / by a pool after lunch.

Only time we've climbed abroad was Paklenica (Croatia), which was a great set up (just did a couple of mornings on a family hol, going back there is definitely an option as it was a great set-up but we try to avoid going to the same place more than once, life's too short etc.

Thanks for any pointers...

Wye Valley/Bristol Area. Good guidebooks. Bristol Airport. Low carbon footprint.

Thanks Mark...airport less important if only heading a couple of hours up the road  

UK trips definitely on the agenda but looking to get away away for this one.

Don't know about cheap, but Eurostar to Orange then car hire to Buis les Baronnies.

Second half of September should be nice. We've only camped but there must be hotels. 

Could be a nice relaxing, warm, fun trip.

Covid permitting, what about Ticino?

Stay at Ascona on Lago Maggiore at the desired levl of luxury, climb at the crags to the North, e.g. Ponte Brolla, back for diner on the lake front in the evening.... Easy access via both Milan airports.

The only caveat is that I do not know too much about single pitch routes (except that there are lots...), but the easy, bolted multi pitch stuff I came for was perfect!

Similarly, Finale Ligure? Mediterranean climate and food, plus excellent limestone sport!

CB

edit: By train, the Ardeche gorge could offer more of the same!

Buis came to my mind. Probably cheaper to fly though and quicker. There are sometimes flights to Lyon, Marseille, Grenoble. Another possibility is fly to Nice and climb around Toulon. This is one of the very best easy sport crags I’ve ever climbed on  Mount Coudon. Many more crags in the area with some adventurous multi pitch here  Baou de Quatre Ouro and loads of single pitch at easy grades on a variety of crags. Rockfax Cote d’Azurguidebook. There’s even a granite crag on the coast with lovely swimming at  Cap Dramont a bit further east.

edit the brilliant bit of Mt Coudon is sector Baudouvin

Cheap flight to Glasgow, bus to Dumbarton.

... We once stayed here for a brilliant time similar to your specifications: https://www.alamaison13.fr/bed-and-breakfast-aix-en-provence, and the place definitely had luxury. Crags: the local crag is Montagne St. Victoire, major other locations within an hour and with lots to do include Calanques / les Goudes and Orgon. The area is best from say early October, and even better if you are happy to do short multipitches (mainly 2-3 pitches).

A short (half an hour) drive from Marseille airport. Picasso liked it a few miles down the road, so you might as well. 

Montserrat? I'm sure you could find somewhere nice in the Barcelona area to stay

https://climb-europe.com/rockclimbingshop/rock-climbing-spain-montserrat

The colbato crag offers lots of single pitch stuff at your grade.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/collbato-20785

Kalymnos ticks the boxes (subject to Greece‘s covid status obviously). I think. I‘ve only ever rented basic climber‘s apartments, but there are some posher looking hotels

I would second Buis, very nice area and ticks all your boxes. Buoux is also amazing has had enough low grade climbing to keep you going for a few days.

Finale is great. The grades are super sandbagged so watch out. Great food as it’s Italy. I haven’t climbed much in Italy but there are clearly tons of decent crags and it’s a lovely country. 

Calanques - very beautiful but I didn’t think the climbing was up to much. 

Toulon - amazing weather (in some kind of rain shadow) but some of the crags essentially rise out of the city suburbs.

Font fits all your requirements apart from the first. I often go on family holidays there in the summer, visit Paris as well, and there are a lot of plush gites to stay in. Places like Siurana offer enough climbing at the 6a kind of level to keep you going for a week, but you do have to search them out a little.

Good post!

I'd recommend the Ecrins, base yourself in Ailefroide for a few days then pop round to La Berarde.

Great climbing, great valleys, good sources of coffee and pastries!

You might feel like a trip up the Dibona, Voie du Nans is a very easy route and the hut and setting are amazing.

Hardly exotic. I've heard Glenmarksie is rapidly becoming the premier Scottish sport venue ....

Seriously though, Mallorca would be definitely worth thinking about. Masses of crags all over the place and lots of accommodation of all kinds.

Kalymnos is great but not really suitable for a short break, the travel times are too long. Typical 12 to 16hrs door to door for me from Cumbria. Need to be going for at least a full week to justify that, likewise Leonidio. 

Anywhere with climbing close to an airport would be better. Costa blanca, El chorro, Mallorca, sardinia, sicily. 

The Burgundy region of France might suit? I imagine you could get to Dijon via rail fairly readily on the TGV. Here is a beautiful place to climb:  Vieux-Chateau

Mallorca

Costa Blanca is a great option too, plenty of crags with climbs at all grades. Will be loads of flights to Alicante and weather is great. Just not suitable for our summer months as it would be too hot. 

I haven't climbed there but I've heard good reports of Sicily and... there's a new guide just out I think. History, sights, volcanoes, food, weather....

Corsica is outstanding.

The beaches have bolted routes.

Any respectable looking roadside crag is bolted.

There are bigger crags too, and a mountain feel up by the scramble at the ski resort.

Nice beaches, great seafood, a good temperature differential in the day.

Thanks all - a damn sight easier than starting from scratch on Google. Will look at most of the above (certain suggestions, particularly north of the border, are an insta-fail on the wife's 'holiday' criteria - weather and midge potential rather than people  ) over the next few weeks. Multi-pitching is definitely attractive - whilst neither of us are good climbers in terms of grades (I like to optimistically add 'yet' to the end of that) we both seem to like exposure to the limited extent we've had it - and it's my next thing to get comfortable with, but may be a year too soon to be doing it without our more experienced climbing partners on hand.

When you do want easy multipitch, the Montserrat/Barcelona combo works well - I've done that twice now.

And you certainly could fly to Girona from Bournemouth, which is then fairly convenient to drive to Montserrat.

Good point, I didn’t really notice the „few days“ part

Just to let you know that this sector is subject to a ban at the moment ... due to a herd of wild goats that have taken up residency at the top of the crag and have been responsible for rockfall. Having climbed on a secteur further up rightwards last week and noticed large amounts of goat shit everywhere, I think it would be silly to assume that they've restricted their trundling activities just to the banned secteur. Not sure how the Maire has decided to resolve the problem, but I can guess...!

That’s a real shame. It’s a fantastic punters’ crag.

I think once the maire declares open season on the goats it'll get sorted pretty quick!

Another vote for Finale.

I'd advise you stay in Finalborgo, which is a beautiful medieval walled town, tonnes of climbing and outdoors shops, loads of great crags no more than 15 minutes drive away, (there's long routes, multi pitch etc), great restaurants and cafes and bars to while away the afternoon surrounded by forested hills. 

There's a great big guidebook with everything in it.  Lots of newly developed and rebolted crags so don't believe it when people tell you it's over polished or badly bolted!

Walk 15 minutes down to Finale Ligure -it's an Italian Riviera resort with a palm lined esplanade above a sandy beach. 

For days out away from there you've got Genoa about an hour away, that's a bit of a sh!thole but ok for a look round, or alternatively you've got Turin which is beautiful and just over 2 hours away. Both have decent sized airports with car hire facilities.

I got recommended it by asking on here and it's one of the best trips I've ever had!

Word of warning if you do go, the grades are stiff as hell.  Well some people will tell you that they're right and that all other places are soft, but that's a whole other thread!

We honeymooned in Sardinia, that would probably fit the bill. Sea was just about warm enough for a daily dip at the end of May.

Thanks again all, time to do some homework and find somewhere among that list that the wife will class as a holiday and I can class as a climbing trip