Greece

The bright red walls of Arginonta contain many outstanding climbs that are spoilt only by the popularity of the crag. With so many classic lines in the 6a to 6c range, it is perhaps no surprise that so many people flock to this climbing mecca. The arrival of the sun after midday on the right hand side forces everyone into the little space on the left hand side, making it feel crowded and detracting from the high quality of the routes. The message is clear. Arrive early and leave early.

With fantastic views over Arginonta bay, a sense of loneliness, and some quality rock and routes to match, the Arginonta skyline is well worth the longer walk. Maybe even the walk is one of the attractions.  The skyline consists of 6 separate sectors, each offering something different. Kryptos and Haute Gorge face east and do not get the shade until mid afternoon. The other sectors face SW and get the sun around midday. 

Arginonta valley is a set of 3 cliffs just a few miinutes walk from the parking in Arginonta village With it's well bolted, mid grade routes, on good rock, that are in the shade when most crags are in the sun, it is perhaps inevitable that the crags are popular, sometimes too popular. Most of the route names are written at the foot of the climbs, making route finding easy.

Arhi is an excellent and popular crag, and has a bit of everything. The left hand side has mostly steep wall climbs, the cave some of the hardest routes and projects on the island, and the right hand side is often busy.

Atlantis and Utopia are a set of recently developed crags (2017 / 2018) up and to the right of Ghost Kitchen. The Atlantis sector offers excellent middle grade slab climbing on gouttes d'eau, and the neighbouring sector Utopia, has many hard steep tufa and wall climbs. The rock is sharp and still brittle in places but with time should produce many classic routes. Sector Atlantis is in the shade until 1pm, the cave until 5pm and the rest of Utopia gets the sun at about 2pm.

Excellent tufa climbing in the caves above Arhi. The rock is sometimes sharp and crumbly, although with traffic this has improved a lot.

Solid climbing on rough rock with good holds in a beautiful location. Shade after midday

Excellent wall climbing on good pockets and gouttes d'eau. Some of the routes are 2 or more pitches, the 2nd pitches of which are excellent.

Cave is so called because of, you guessed it, a cave. Not the cave on the crag, but the cave under the crag which is accessed via an iron gate and a ladder and is well worth exploring, it is huge. The cave on the crag is also pretty big and offers a few hard tufa climbs. Either side of this are some pleasant easier slab and wall climbs, all very enjoyable. The cave under the ground never gets the sun, the cave on the crag gets it after 2pm and the rest of the cliff after 1pm.

E.T. is so called because of it's resemblance to the alien in the Spielberg film. The cave forming the left eye has hard tufa cimbing up its overhanging walls, whilst the main buttress, between the eyes, has several long middle grade routes from 6a to 6c. A lot further left (facing in) is the Koukouvas buttress with some more middle grade wall climbs. The crag has the advantage in hot weather of being in the shade for most of the day, and the disadvantage that this sometimes means you have to wear warm clothes, especially if it is windy.

A quiet cliff with three distinct sectors. Reservoir Dogs is the nearest to the road and has a handful of long wall climbs on rough rock. The Calcite Cave is a mini Grande Grotte with a number of excellent steep tufa climbs, and a few easier routes to either side. Black Forest is a small crag with a few pleasant, albeit sharp, climbs. The sun reaches the Calcite Cave between 12 and 1pm, the other two crags a bit earlier, around 10.30am. In the warmer months it is worth the effort of an early start. 

Gerakios Left has two cliffs, Rainbow Wall and the Upper Cave. Both are excellent, with routes mostly in the 7s and 8s, although there are a few easier ones. The rock is rough, often with good pockets, and the cliff is usually quieter than the more popular lower cliffs. Partly due to the difficulty and partly due to the longer walk in. It gets the sun after about 12.30

Gerakios has two distinct sectors. The left hand side containing the more difficult routes on Rainbow Wall and the Upper Cave, and the right hand side including Main Wall and Trois Ilots. The right hand side, described here, has many excellent mid grade routes on walls and slabs with rough rock and good incut holds. It gets the sun after about 12.30. Mot of the route names are written at the foot of the climbs.

An excellent and popular crag with a wide variety of routes, from pleasant slabs to incredible tufas on a gently overhanging wall. There are 4 sectors. The sun hits the left hand side after about 13.00, A little later for each of the other sectors.

Big roofs ! The showpiece of Kalymnos is understandably very popular, and queueing for routes is not uncommon. Lots of stamina and technique required  giving inspiring, exposed and often 3D climbing. Gets the sun early afternoon in the Spring and Autumn, later in the summer

A small goat's cave up the gorge from Sea Breeze, Great Canyon has a few slabs and some steeper cave routes that stay in the shade most of the day

A nice crag high up above Emporios Bay with wonderful views and some excellent short routes

Iannis is a the large stalactite cave at the left hand end of Poets, flanked by steep orange walls containing many steep classic tufa lines. Included also are the grey and white slabs a bit further right containing many excellent easier routes. The slabs get the sun after 1pm, the cave itself stays in the shade until 3pm. It's accessibility, the quality of climbing and late shade make it a popular destination. 

Iliada is overshadowed by Odyssey, but perhaps should not be. It is less polished, has some excellent routes, and for a few minutes extra walk is a lot less crowded. It gets the sun relatively early, between 11am and 1pm according to the sector, so an early start is recommended in the hotter months. The routes vary from slabs to middle grade walls, steep overhanging walls and tufas, plus a few hard cave routes.

Situated just off the Arginonta, Vathy road just after the col, Je t'aime has a varied selection of routes, from hard overhanging walls to easy slabs. There are several good lines that were cleaned in 2023, and the main crag, Arena gets the shade in the afternoon

A scenic walk to an excellent crag that is usually far from the madding crowds. It has two sides, the left hand is a steep wall with lots of big pockets, the right hand is overhanging with a large cave, that is also peppered with large pockets and holds.

Big steep orange walls with technical climbing on pockets and crimps. Excellent. Gets the sun after about 14.00, although the right hand parts can be climbed until 16.00

Kastri is an archeological site, which is interesting to visit in its own right. The climbing is in 3 sectors. The left hand sector, Kreissaal, is mostly slabs. The middle and main section has an ancient fortress dating back to the 4th century BC. It contains many excellent routes, both slabs and steep walls. The right hand section, Sophie, is less interesting, but nevertheless has a dozen or so routes, of varying quality. The sun reaches most of the sectors between 11.00 and 12.00, although one or two of the steep walls stay in the shade a little longer.