Albarracin

When I started I planned for this to be a blog of loads of amazing places to climb. Giving you details of the place, accommodation, food and pretty much everything you needed to know. I never really got around to creating that. But I still want to give people that glimpse of where they can go and what they can do. So I’m just going to shorten it. Expect a couple of photos and a few lines, hopefully enough to persuade you to visit some of these amazing places I’ve been.

First up Albarracin; set in the Sierra de Cuenca, these sandstone boulders offer some of the best bouldering in Spain. The climbing is generally very dynamic, often on roofs and overhangs and often involves heinous topouts! The landings are usually very good. BlocHeart have a topo out, although this does have many mistakes and doesn’t include all the areas. Hopefully the locals will produce a complete topo soon.
Sick Topouts

We stayed in the car park in our van, but tents are not allowed here. There is a campsite in the town and also many hotels. Albarracin is one of the most amazing places I’ve climbed and I really recommend it for everyone as there are problems for all.
A Perfect Boulder in a Perfect Forest

Antalya

Overview

Antalya in Turkey has been sold as the new Kalymnos. It offers all styles of climbing, although mainly steep Tufa routes and has some of the best lines I have ever seen at a sports climbing destination. Although smaller in scale that Kalymnos the accommodation is situated with a minute’s walk of the nearest crag and 20minutes of the furthest with you frequently being the only climbers at the crag. Hire cars are only required if you want to sample the crags of Olympos an hour’s drive down the road.

JoSiTo campsite will arrange everything from your evening meal for 8 Euro to your pick up and drop off at the airport for 40 Euro and even hire you a stove for one Euro a day if you fancy doing your own cooking.

Beside the climbing there is little else to do, walks can take you up the wooded gorges, the Sunday market is lively and interesting and the local village provides your basic food needs. Trips into central Antalya take around an hour by hitching and bus and hire cars are needed to visit the many ancient ruins.

The author in Antalya

Guide Book

A rock Climbing Guide to Antalya (2007), Ozturk Kayikci

Available from the campsite

Routes of Distinction

Turkish Standard 6b+

Pusht Bush 7b+

Jaja City 7a+

Bizon 6a+

Saxafon 6b+

In Ordan 6c+

Hayat Cok Uzun 7a+

Power Slave 7a

Fire Spire 7a

Dragonfly 7a

Takoz 6b+

Hart Aber Herzlich 6a+

Zauberflote 6a

Lucky Punch 6b+

Piano Hands 5c+