UKC

Planning a first trip to the Frankenjura at the beginning of June, expect to get sandbagged so even though I should be climbing 7a on Peak limestone, I'm sure i will have to drop a few grades. Wondering if people have suggestions for a first trip and must visit crags!

What type of accomodation will you be looking for, and how will you travel? The area is actually quite small, so if you have a car I would stay elsewhere than if e.g. traveling by bike.

CB

Small is relative, the Frankenjura is five times the size of the Peak District National Park.

I can drive from Amberg to Weismain in less time than it would take me to drive from Matlock to Marsden

A few that occur to me off the top of my head:

Grüne Hölle, Diebesloch (upper): super fun overhanging jug thugging in the 6c/7a range. GH is mozzie hell on warm, still afternoons, but remains somewhat climbable in the rain

Rote Wand: directly across the river from Diebesloch. Impressive lines, but some rather runout bolting even by normal Fj standards

Roter Fels, Weissenstein: polished-but-still-great classics, hideously overrun at weekends. Go midweek

That might be because the Peak has crap roads, that Amberg is in the middle of the Frankenjura might also be a factor. From Neuburg an der Donau is probably another matter!

Oh come on, you're just being a pedantic know-all for the sake of it. You know as well as I do that no Brit visitor regards the "Südlicher Frankenjura" down as far as the Danube as part of the Frankenjura proper. Nor do I for that matter.

Amberg is quite a bit East, and Weismain NW of the main area. If you place yorself near Pottenstein or Pegnitz you can be at most crags within 20min by car. No car and camping I would probably go for Betzenstein, easy access both West towards Trubach valley and East towards Veldensteiner forest.

As for my favourite area, it has to be Trubachtal. After all that is where I learned climbing, as it is cycling distance from my parents' place. Also, clearly the best beer and the most traditional climbers' cafe!

CB

Me neither, and I come from the Erlangen/Forchheim area!

CB

Agree with this, it's also by far the nicest of the little towns - far more so than overly touristy Gößweinstein & Pottenstein

Jerry Moffat seemed to have another view!

So do you have any constructive suggestions for the person who asked the original question, or are you just here to engage in petty point scoring over people who are trying to he helpful?

Strangely I always found Weissenstein busier mid week - perhaps too many people took your advice at the weekend

Anyway,  Reichelsmühler Wand would be a good day - start at one side, move along the obvious set of mid-6s, everything was good and about 6b+-ish...

Down south Dohlenfels, Prunn, Essling and the Donaudurchbruch, if he likes crowds then Schönhofen! Up north he'll go to the usual worn-out vistors crags anyway so none of my haunts would be of interest.

If you have any German at all,

https://www.frankenjura.com/klettern

has a database of most routes. There is a free version, but for topos of most routes you would have to subscribe, which is why I prefer the books. There are many printed guides, I like the panico ones, but tastes differ.

CB

We’ll be traveling by car but would don’t want to be spending loads of time driving around, would be good to stay in a place that has some crags on the doorstep!

Thanks Alan, sounds good, I’ve heard about the run outs in the frankenjura!

Thanks, appreciate the advice, will have to do some map plotting with these places and crags!

And neither would any of the myriad Germans I've climbed with in the Frankenjura over the last 30 years.

I suggest you get the ulrich&harald rocker Franken 1 or Franken 2 guide.

"Franken. / Franken 1 von Ulrich Röker; Harald Röker portofrei bei bücher.de bestellen" https://www.buecher.de/shop/deutschland/franken-franken-1/roeker-ulrich-roe...

You need the English translations otherwise you won't know what you are getting into. 500 crags in each book. Every route has a topo and every bolt is marked. This is important. Lots of crags are super well bolted. Some crags are 'dangerous'. One or two bolts only. Some routes are really well bolted in the lower half then nothing but they are the exception. The guide has lists of crags showing grade range, level of bolting and aspect. Take a sling or two and a few wires for easier routes. Always single bolt lower offs. On one trip i left uk onsighting 7a reasonably regularly and found 6b equivalents there that i literally couldn't get off the floor on.

But it is fantastic. Did anyone mention the cake.or the best beer in the world. Enjoy.