Climbing

Climbing in Datça: A Turkish Delight

TheCragJournal3 Comments

Datça is a beautiful seaside town in the South-West of Turkey, on a large peninsular of the same name. Situated in the Aegean Sea, Datça is only a stones throw away from the Greek island Kalymnos, which is famous worldwide for its climbing. We spent three months of 2021 climbing in Geyikbayiri, Turkey’s most famous climbing area. We regretted not visiting Datça, but we are fortunate enough to make the return to Turkey and spend some time in this wonderful place.

The crown jewel of Datça

The location of Datça is perfect, the area is quiet with lots of untouched, pristine coastline and beautiful forests. The area is renowned for pine honey, which is delicious and testament to the quality of the forests in the area. You are never far from the sea and there’s always a quiet, secluded spot to swim and enjoy the clear water. The supply of rock is seemingly endless and hints at how big the area will be in the future.

The official guidebook has been made free to download as PDF, which you can find on ‘theCrag’ here.

Continue reading →

Northern Italy Climbing Road Trip

TheCragJournal4 Comments

Sometimes climbing trips are about adventure, the unknown and pushing yourself to your limit. However, it can be nice to have a trip when you know exactly what you’re getting. Guaranteed good climbing, nice weather and delicious food. Northern Italy is a perfect choice for either sort of climbing trip, with everything from Dolomite and alpine adventures to coastal cragging and relaxing in the sun. This article is going to focus on the fantastic sport climbing on offer in Northern Italy, perfect as a trip in its own right or as part of a bigger road trip, leading on perfectly to countries like of Slovenia and Croatia.

Large limestone cliff with a blue lake in front which mirrors the cliff on.
The beautiful Lago di Cavedine
Continue reading →

Climbing in Serbia: The Heart of the Balkans

TheCragJournal5 Comments

Serbia is right in the heart of the Balkans, but sadly it is not on the radar for most climbers and tourists. For example, Spain receives around 120 times more tourists per year than Serbia. Those who make the effort to go will be rewarded with stunning mountains, rivers and serene forests that can be enjoyed in solitude. For climbers, there are already several great crags to choose from, but like most of the Balkans there is the potential for much more development in the future.

Craggy hillside on the other side of the wide Danube river. The banks of the river forested sides on either side. The river cuts through the valley which forms the border between Romania and Serbia.
The impressive Danube boilers, forming Serbias eastern border with Romania
Continue reading →

Unique Rock and Stunning Scenery: Climbing in Slovakia

TheCragJournal2 Comments

Although Slovakia borders some frequently visited countries like Austria, relatively few people visit for tourism. Anybody that does visit Slovakia will be pleasantly surprised as the country has lots of beautiful nature, impressive medieval castles and many interesting places to visit. For climbing, Slovakia has several well established and good quality venues and surely much more areas that haven’t been developed yet.

Outlook over the limestone outcrops and crags with dense forest and grass fields in-between.
The view from the Súlovsky Hrad Castle
Continue reading →

A Brief Insight and Tips for Climbing in Frankenjura

TheCragJournal1 Comment

Frankenjura is a well known climbing destination, although perhaps it is less popular now than areas like Kalymnos or El Chorro. The routes are old school, often being sportingly graded and sportingly bolted. Needless to say any route you climb near your limit, you will feel you’ve earned. Don’t be discouraged by this, endless amounts of quality rock make Frankenjura a really special place.

Smooth grey limestone crag filled with chalk pockets.
The quality shaded sector Reichelsmühler Wand
Continue reading →

Sport Climbing and Bouldering in Bosnia and Herzegovina

TheCragJournal4 Comments

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a beautiful country, with relatively few tourists compared to nearby Croatia. Sadly, when some people think about Bosnia and Herzegovina, the war is what comes to mind. What most people don’t think about is gorgeous mountains, crags and crystal clear rivers. So we don’t want to talk about the war, which so many already know of, we want to talk about all the great things on offer for climbers and tourists today.

Large waterfall
Vodopad Blihe
Continue reading →

Climbing, Coast and Adventures in Albania

TheCragJournal1 Comment

Albania is a beautiful country, often overlooked and underestimated. The landscape has everything from dramatic mountains to white sandy beaches. Albania has a fascinating history and rich culture, there is a lot to love about this country. Anyone visiting, for climbing or otherwise, has a lot to look forward to.

White sandy beaches with the clear sea lapping on it it. There is a crag right on Gjipe Beach.
Gjipe Beach: a Gorgeous Place to Climb
Continue reading →

Sport Climbing in North Macedonia

TheCragJournal3 Comments

After our bouldering trip to Prilep, we decided to spend the rest of our time in North Macedonia sampling the sport climbing. We bought a small information booklet about the sport climbing along with our bouldering guidebook from Hristo, in Prilep. This guide had the same information as this website. We found that it was easy enough to match the list of route names and grades, from the website, to the ones written under the routes.

Continue reading →

Bouldering in Prilep, North Macedonia: Europe’s Lesser Known Block Heaven

TheCragJournal3 Comments

Arriving in North Macedonia, we were dropped off in Skopje with only our bags, no Macedonian dinar and in search of where on earth our rental car company was. With no guidebook but a name of a city and a Petzl RockTrip video from 2014 we set off on our journey.

Two bouldering pads strapped together looking out towards a boulder field. The city of Prilep is in the background.
Pad hauling, looking out towards Prilep from sector Kamena Baba.
Continue reading →

Scenic Sport Climbing in Montenegro

TheCragJournal1 Comment

Montenegro is a small and interesting country, popular with tourists for the beautiful coast. As well as the coast, Montenegro has lots of beautiful mountains, valleys, lakes and rivers. This makes it a great choice of destination for outdoor enthusiasts. There is plenty of great climbing developed in the country already, with the potential for much more.

Beautiful nature in Montenegro
Continue reading →