UKC

Hello all,

I'm off to the dolomites soon and instead of doing the entire drive in one push, this year I plan to stop half way or just over, (8 hours from Calais), and it would be great if there was a bit of climbing to do in the evening / morning before setting off again. Ideally a good sports venue with grades 5-6b or Trad up to VS that can be climbed in an evening with little walk in, not bouldering though... Preferably this wouldn't be too far off route and not force a drive through the Mt Blanc tunnel and / or on any expensive toll roads the following day.

Any good suggestions?

Cheers

In reply to BStar:
No idea about accommodation/camping etc, but somewhere like Konstein in the Altmuhltal/Southern Frankenjura south of Nuremberg might fit the bill; it's not far off the Frankfurt-Munich-Innsbruck route. There's a lot more there than the UKC database lists, obviously.

Konstein

Actually, this is the area I was thinking of and have visited, a similar distance east of the main Nuremberg-Munich route. You can see that there are several alternatives scattered about the area; I expect many would be suitable.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=19055#overview

In reply to BStar: yup, that would get you to around Nuremberg.

In reply to BStar:

There's some sandstone crags in the Pfalz between Pirmasens and Karlsruhe that are on the ukc crag map, we drove past some of them last month when we drove down to Otztal from Calais. That was the AA recommended Toll free route and took us 12 hours or so.

In reply to BStar:

Some really nice granite and sandstone sport cragging in Alsace - Martinswand, Gueberschwir etc. A slight detour, but well worth a visit.

In reply to BStar:

http://www.escalade-alsace.com/falaise/intro-falaise.php
and particularly Windstein http://www.escalade-alsace.com/bddpv/bddpv_falaise.php?fid=2
Both towers have books on top to sign

In reply to BStar:

For the southern German stuff it depends on whether you choose the Stuttgart route or Nuremberg (I drive over via Stuttgart normally but there isn´ t a great deal in it). On the Stuttgart-Munich route there´ s some good climbing in the Blautal/Lenninger Alb and a few other of the local crags I´ ve forgotten the names of all before Ulm but camping I´ ve no idea. The crags are closer to the motorway than;-
Southern Frankenjura- Konstein is a good call, you can camp directly under the cliff or at the pub down the road who also do accomodation https://www.gasthaus-klettergarten.de/
and the routes are mostly pretty good, bit away from the motorway though and the same goes for the Altmuhtal, both are 3/4hr of wiggly roads. Konstein is the better bet for the casual visitor and there are topos on the notice board at the car park below the main cliff (Dohlenfels). Grading a bit old-school!

In reply to BStar:
You'll be driving directly through the Swabian Alps if you come via Stuttgart. There's some great climbing in Lenningen and Donautal, for example.

I think you'd have a hard time finding the crags in the Jura without spending lots of money on the guidebook (€38)

In reply to all:

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate the forum for knowledge like this!

Cheers

In reply to MischaHY:

just go to:-
http://felsinfo.alpenverein.de/index.php?mapId=82#scale=9244648&centerX...
and start clicking on the map, whether you actually find the cliff will depend on ones German skill probably!

In reply to fuzzysheep01:

We stopped at Martinswand a few years ago on the way South to the Dollies and it worked well for us, a good crag and plenty more in the surrounding area. UKC article here http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=216

In reply to BStar:

If you do go via the Vosges and Martinswand you are welcome to borrow the guidebook, drop me a PM and I could post it to you, it's already a bit battered, so no need to keep pristine and happy for you to post back after your trip. Martinswand certainly fulfils the grade range/quality and short walk in criteria and with some creative navigation can avoid the most punishing tolls. If you arc round via Luxembourg as we did you can take advantage of the cheap fuel there too.

In reply to BStar:

If you're going through Switzerland and need something less hot and a little higher up, you might give Gastlosen a try. Well bolted single & multipitch of all grades.

In reply to jimtitt:


Just as well for me at the moment, since the guidebook is out of print & I lost mine. Left it in a hire car while my car was in the garage, didn't realise until too much later.

I would add that the climbing style at Konstein (and Prunn by reputation, I've never been there) tends to be a lot more slabby & technical than the steep pocket pulling the the "main" Frankenjura a bit further north is known for. Otoh Konstein a compact area, easier for the casual visitor on a short visit to navigate without a guidebook. And the Dohlenfels is one of the more "normal" sectors in terms of limestone climbing style, i.e. steep with holds.