Another couple of drive-by crags discovered on the way home, either side of the famed ancient city of Corinth.
Heraion Lake is a beautiful lagoon on the Perachora peninsula with a tiny opening to the sea making for an idyllic holiday spot: sun, sand and sea have been complemented by sports climbing in the last few years with a couple of newly developed crags. There’s only a couple of dozen routes but a simply lovely setting.
https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/greece/area/5681630013
The Elephant sector overlooks the lake, immediately above a taverna (which allows overnight parking for customers). A dozen routes from 5c to 6c+ and up to 30m
Here’s Helen on Ypanema, 6a
… and Lido Beach, 6a+
I did The Lake (the 30m 6c+) and found it much easier than the 6a+ that I’d fought my way up the previous day. So much for the random numbers such are grades! Fun though!
Heading around the lake to investigate the Lighthouse sector there are magnificent vistas
… and an impressive archeological site of the sanctuary to the goddess Hera dating back to 600BC (about time we had a bit of culture, I hear you say!)
Not a bad view from the bedroom window…
… over the Gulf of Corinth to snow-capped peaks of the Kyllini / Ziria mountains which dominate the skyline above Corinth, rising to a height of over 2,300m and even featuring a ski slope.
Frygani – Sector Astra For our final day’s climbing we decided to investigate one of the recently developed crags near Frygani – Sector Astra.
Fine views back to the Perachora peninsula, with the Lighthouse just visible, as you head down the coast.
You can download a free mini-guide covering the original Frygani Crag and the new sectors here:
Astra faces West, getting the sun from about 2pm. This didn’t seem likely to be a problem as I’d been toasted to a crisp the previous day, but I’d reckoned without the altitude, the biting wind and the inconvenient clouds which boiled up off Mount Ziria (yup – ironically we’d been staring across at the crag from 50miles away across the Gulf of Corinth). Shorts and shirtless to double duvets in the space of 24hrs.
You can’t complain about the access – you could almost belay from the bumper (handy to nip in for a warming brew at lunchtime!)
Contrasting rock to the main Frygani crags – more pockets than pebble-pulling, vaguely reminiscent of the Frankenjura. We did Interstellar, 6a, and Sputnik, 6a+, on the right hand side of the crag, and then Gagarin, 5b, on the left…
Worth coming back to on a warmer day – there are a few trickier routes on the far left, including Hyperion, 7a, which would merit the return visit, but might take a while to dry out. Still in the shade as we left around 4ish.
Back on the Patras-Ancona Ferry and then only the small matter of a thousand miles home. No weather or time for cragging, but we did manage to stop by Ayinger Brewery. The excellent zwickel (unfiltered) beer only comes in two litres flagons…
Who said that RockAroundTheWorld only drinks IPA?
… and a bier-amisu to finish off the evening.
Just as well they welcome overnight van parking outside!
RockAroundTheWorld 