Yet another tortuous drive south leads from Kyparissi village up past the higher crags and over a coll at about 700m before winding through a couple of mountain villages until you arrive at Reichea. From here a signpost indicates Vlychada 8km and you impart on a dramatic series of switchbacks down to this isolated beach. The road must have cost millions and there’s absolutely nothing there, apart from an idyllic climbing spot…

Perfect “dark skies” venue, with zero light pollution, ideal for watching the Orionid meteor showers. 

We woke to complete a quick audit of the “perfect crag checklist” the next morning… 

Spectacular sunrise alarm call – tick

Beach Camping – tick

1 minute approach – tick

Fab climbing (from 4s to 7s!) – tick

Post-climb swim – tick

Carlsberg don’t make crags, but if they did…

Helen led the juggy steep corner of Get Into The Groove, 6a

And there was even a soft-touch 7a for me: Artemis (with a dozen or so 7a/+s so far in non-Kalymnos Greece this is probably the first one I’d put in that category). Great climbing though. Lulled into a false sense of security I then failed on a couple of 7a+s and the “musical note” 6c+ of Myrtoan (steep pulls on sharp two-finger pockets with poor footholds – a recipe for losing a finger!)

We were just about to finish off with the 3* 40m 6a+ of La Sabre when the heavens opened (for our first rain in almost a month). That’ll give us an excuse to come back!

One last look down at the beach

… and it was back over the hill (and actually the start of the long journey home – this is our most southerly excursion into the Peloponnese).