The remarkable geography around this attractive coastal town once made it the base for the most powerful pirates in the Mediterranean. Backed by high mountains, and with a natural rock barrier facing the sea only breached by the canyon of the Cetina river, it must have been the perfect haven from which to launch raids on the unsuspecting Adriatic shipping.

Eight hundred years later, the same geography attracts a different set of colourfully clad invaders – climbers from all over Europe and beyond flock to enjoy the easy-access crags; excellent climate and seaside apres-climb. We’ve spotted the following number plates: D, A, SLO, H, CZ, E, PL, I, along with the HR locals, as well as bumping into a Canadian couple (Lee and Hema) on a fly-drive visit.

Despite it being mid-November, the town is also pleasantly bustling with general tourist trade – much more buzzing than an equivalent Spanish resort might be. Bars and restaurants are open and there’s a smattering of vans in the two campsites – we started off with a couple of nights in the Lisičina, near the middle of town and surrounded by towering rocks.

Once it became clear that the heatwave was going to continue we bagged a beachfront spot at Kamp Galeb, to continue our SUP apprenticeship and make the most of the glorious sunsets!

Anyway, enough of that, this is RockAroundTheWorld, not (yet) SUPAroundTheWorld. You want some climbing action! Omis offers a dozen sectors of a great diversity, mostly single pitch but with a few mult pitch adventures (and scope for many more!); tufas, walls and slabs; and importantly, even some climbing in the shade (a rare commodity in Croatia and not one we were expecting to value so highly in November!)

Planovo – this is sector sunshine, clearly visible in the first shot at the top of the post, and a magnet for families with tiny tots (some of whom, probably the Slovenians, climb pretty well!) We managed one early morning visit, before the sun was fully on it, and soon fled for shadier options! Nede, a 40m 6a, is well worth doing, though some of the other routes on this sector are starting to polish up from heavy traffic and numerous tiny scrabbling Scarpas.

Babina Bara, Visoke Pole and Vojan – this trio of roadside sectors lie on the landward side of the rock-wall that is the backdrop to the town, alongside the Cetina river, and crucially they face west and north, which means blessed SHADE!

Babina Bara is mostly slabby, steepening as you head leftwards.

Mama Mira, a 30m 6b, is outstanding, and Krv u mozdane, 7a, is an absolute belter (candidate for my route of the trip so far, and not just because it’s the hardest). A bouldery start is followed by improbable thin moves between barely enough holds, interspersed with “rests” on just off-vertical terrain.

Visoke Pole is a microcosm of tufa fun, fairly rare along this coast.

Here’s Helen on Twist Off, 5c

Routes range from 5c to 8b but the sweet spot is probably 6c-7b, exemplified by Kastracija ili Masturbacija (don’t blame me for the name) 6c+/7a which is Croatia’s answer to Tube Nurale at Seynes – two converging tufa pipes providing a wonderfully varied overhanging chimney tussle. Here’s a couple of shots of Lee making easy work of it, and me scraping my way up with the benefit of his clips in.

I also managed Trnoruzica, to open my 7a account for the trip, a steep, bouldery start yielding to drop-knee cunning rather than brute power. Here’s a local lass climbing it.

Vojan is different again, with the centrepiece being a 30m tapering tower with some great 6a-6cs on it, of which Plaurita, 6a+, would be the stand-out recommendation.

Stomorica is the huge wall above the coast to the north west of town and immediately above Kamp-Galeb, best viewed from a SUP

Despite the acres of rock, there are only a couple of dozen routes. We’d waited a few days for a visit to coincide with a forecasted dull day. The cloud cover failed to materialise, but despite the sweltering heat Helen managed Kapljica, 6a, before we escaped back to the coolth.

Fab views down to the town centre and harbour

Mile Gojsakic – high up on the hillside, set back from the sea, another sector offering welcome shade (at least in the afternoon) – great recommendation from our Canadian friends.

Another contrasting style, with numerous churt incursions giving an almost conglomerate feel in places, and with many of the routes following crozzly cracks. Here’s Helen on Prasina, 6a+

I had a go at a couple of 7a+s that flank the crag near either end. Porodica Zlikovsky, steep tufa and sharp pockets; and Pipa in America gently overhanging wall to a roof crack. Both fun but a bit too burly. Zagomilje, a 30m 6b, was a nice consolation / warm down and a fitting end to this visit to Omis.

Rain forecasted for tomorrow so I’ll leave you with a couple more sunset shots. Doviđenja!