Climbers are an obsessed type of people. We’d climb every day if we could. Having a family pushes me into doing stuff that maybe I wouldn’t otherwise do, like holidays to places where there is no climbing.

This is no bad thing. There is way more to life than climbing, and actually I’d probably be rather sad if at the end of my days all I can see over my years is a load of crimps and slopers. Anyway, we need the odd rest too. So I was more than pleased to be heading off to Crete, a place I imagined as a tourist spot, where I’d probably have never gone. But the word filtered down that actually this island is stunning; unspoilt in most places, quiet and rich in culture. It is hugely mountainous and a walkers paradise. My interest picked up, so there was just time for a quick search…

The internet is a beautiful thing. ‘Crete-rock-climbing’ is all that is needed. This blog is really a public service announcement for all those that are after a certain combination of things from a holiday. My google search revealed a pristine looking wall, so despite the restful family holiday, my boots and kit somehow fell into the bag.

Maybe there is lots of climbing in Crete, it’s certainly very mountainous, and there is a lot of rock, but my quick search only found bouldering, and a single large wall near the town of Plakias which is on the South Coast. This is a small tourist town with a large beach. We stayed at nearby Frango Castello, which is super quiet and friendly and has the better beaches as well as being slightly more sheltered from the winds. It’s a great family place, with awesome walking right there if you need it.

But the wall is awesome, I could not have imagined better or asked for more. Varying between 20 and 35 metres it’s plum vertical and totally sheer. The definition of face climbing! Limestone of the highest calibre with occasional tufa systems. I have done a lot of climbing, but I’d rate this as some of the best of its type. Being on my own too, with just a Petzl microascender, vertical was what I needed, allowing me to blast along the routes in no time with the same feeling as leading. It’s all sport, with good bolts and lower-offs. Of this style I climbed a 7b and an 8a that are as good as any I’ve done in the world.

So, for those that are off on a family holiday and require the following; sun, warm sea, good walking, nice food then this is it. The perfect wall will provide about two days of interest for any grade team. I had two slots of three hours each, managing 6a,6c+,8a+,8a,8a,7c+,7c,7c,7b+,7a+. The wall gets sun from 4pm, allowing a stroll back to the beach and an ice cream on the sand. What more could a climber ask for?

 

http://www.climbincrete.com/en/Climbing/Plakias/