UKC

Hi Everyone,

Planning to head off in our van for 6 months from this August on a climbing trip through Europe and hoping for some suggestions on areas to visit.

We've pretty much decided against Lofoten due to time and cost of heading all the way up there, instead thinking of higher altitude areas (Alps/Dolomites etc.) through August and into September while it's hot, maybe Slovenia at some point, then back through Southern France, heading South through Spain as it gets colder then into Morocco by December before heading back up by the end of Jan.

We'll only be rock climbing (no ice/mixed climbing), but keen for both sport and trad, and particularly keen for some multi-pitch routes- Vallorcine (never been), Verdon, Riglos (more suggestions please!), as well as all the classic single-pitch sport areas along the way.

Any suggestions on must visit areas would be great!

Thanks in advance,
Rick

In reply to RickGrundy:

If you still like the idea of Lofoten, consider Nissedal - Rockfax do a mini-guide which is pretty good, but essentially it's around 100km SW of Oslo and has 3-400m granite routes, almost always on natural gear. I should come clean and say that I haven't actually been, but will be heading up there in June, having planned a trip myself to Lofoten which fell through due to the difficulty of logistics, and I've only heard good things about the climbing.
Hægefjell is probably the most popular, largest, and best crag in the area (http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=2592), but there seems to be a lot of scope for exploring some of the lesser known crags too.
Depending on where you're coming from, you could hit up Bohuslän (just north of Gothenburg) for good quality single-pitch granite trad too!

In reply to RickGrundy:

Sell the van and buy a plane ticket. Everywhere in Europe can be enjoyed in one or two week trips from home. That's not quite the case with Yosemite, Arrapiles, the Bugaboos, etc. You don't get many cracks at a six month trip in a lifetime, so might as well spend it doing something you can't do the rest of the time. A big walk in the Himalayas is also a lot of fun.

Probably not a useful answer!

In reply to RickGrundy:
Definitely go to the Dolomites. You can park overnight for free in many carparks & laybys (often by the skilifts); scenery stunning, temps good (often leading to spectacular thunderstorms pm); excellent climbing or via ferrata, with beers/hot chocolate & chips/bratwurst at the Rifugio (mountain huts) before walking down/catching cable car.
The Tatras from either Poland (more English speakers these days) or Czech Republic/Slovakia
Elbesandstein in Eastern Germany/Czech Republic if you are bold/good enough!! No metal gear allowed (only knots on loops of accessory cord- spooky, but it works!) & long way to first bolt/sporting gaps between fixed gear.
Transylvania looks interesting tho have yet to go.
Slovenia has interesting Julian Alps; via ferrata was more 'adventurous' than Dolly's, & climbing is said to be good (still on my list of 'to do's').
Great fun clipping bolts on weird towers of Montserrat (sacred mountain for Catalans) outside Barcelona.
Tons more, but these are a few where living can be fairly cheap ( compared to Germany, Switzerland etc).
When last driving thru Europe fuel was cheapest in Luxembourg (don't leave without full tank) & Austria was cheaper than Italy/Germany.
Have a great time. Nik

In reply to RickGrundy:

Rick

Just done it. Wish I was doing it again. I think the loop through south-west France, northern Spain, Portugal, southern Spain, Morocco and then eastern Spain is the best section to do in a van. Don't skimp on the Moroccan section though - there are wonderful (non-climbing) things to see there, which are only really accessible with a motorhome. Just stock up on booze before you go (!)

Happy to chat further if you want the odd pointer.

Martin

In reply to RickGrundy:

Italy - Arco

In reply to edinburgh_man:
Move down the croatian coast - lots of single and multiptch options good with a van: strogir, dabarski kukovi, paklenica, makarska, omis to keep you happy for months.

In reply to RickGrundy:

For multipitch, I'm impressed you give Vallorcine the same billing as Verdon and Riglos!

I found the Extrem guides to Switzerland an inspiration in terms of multipitch things to try and do, and I'm sure plenty of those will still be in condition through September and later if you pick the right ones.

Since you'll no doubt be stopping in the Tarn when passing through SW France, the Jonte would be well worth a visit for variety.

I'm sure you already have most of the "must do" single pitch destinations marked down already, but from someone currently on the northbound leg of a trip that started in Jan I'd just say Catalunya, Chulilla, Riglos, Rodellar, Tarn. Chuck in Buoux and St Leger and maybe Ceuse if you get there in time. I was never that psyched by the Costa Blanca, although I did have a good day at Gandia, and if I planned the trip again I probably wouldn't have spend as much time in Chorro as I did. The few days we spent in the Ariege didn't really inspire me to stick around longer.

In reply to RickGrundy:

I might consider being a little more radical. Head down through Germany and then to areas like the Salbitschen and the Bregaglia, across into Italy via Handegg and Val di Melo, the Dollies, then Croatia, Montegro (meant to be fantastic), Albania (huge potential) and N Greece for Meteora and Varasova. Jump across to Italy and back via S France. Of course there'll be a winter in there somewhere but the further S the better in that case! A friend did part of this in a van a couple of years' back, and although not climbing, came back raving about N Albania and Montenegro.