By Jonathan. With temperatures plummeting to a mere 22 C we decided to explore the climbing at Hauteroche, near the medieval town of Flavigny. The crags at Hauteroche enjoy shade early in the day and the surrounding deciduous woodland shelter the base of many of the sectors through much of the day. With over 250 … Continue reading Hauteroche and The Grotte du Maquis Bernard
By Gaynor. I have visited and explored a lot of Roman ruins, not just on this trip, but whenever and wherever I get the opportunity. And I have to say that Ephesus (in western Turkey) is different to every other site I have visited. It is often mentioned alongside Pompeii as one of the most … Continue reading Exploring Ephesus
By Gaynor. Byzantine, Constantinople, Istanbul. One city, two continents, three names, and 15 million people. And what feels like an additional 15 million tourists! After arriving in the late afternoon and heading straight out onto the Galata bridge which crosses the Golden Horn, our first impressions of Istanbul were overwhelming. There was just so much … Continue reading Exploring Istanbul
By Gaynor. I had never heard of Pamukkale until we started planning for this trip. In fact. I knew very little about what there was in Turkey to see and do other than the main headline of Istanbul. But flicking through the guidebook one day I saw an incredible image of turquoise water cascading down … Continue reading Exploring Pamukkale
By: Gaynor After nearly 10 days of watching beautiful sunsets over the island of Telendos, just off the coast of Kalymnos, we decided it was time to investigate further. Part of the long distance Kalymnos Trail circles around the island in a 10km sector that takes the walker past some of the major climbing crags … Continue reading Surviving our Rest Day – the epic walk around Telendos
It's hot and the sun is beating down on me. The cool breeze does not penetrate into this place. A sulphurous smell permeates the air, and the dry, acrid rock fractures under my feet. Each crack reveals a layer of bright yellow rock, sulphur, crystallised from the steaming gasses. Small droplets of water are visible … Continue reading The Nisyros Volcano
I am sitting writing this in our latest port of call, Kyparissi, on the east coast of the Peloponnese. My main thought right now is that today is the halfway point in our trip. But I don't really want to think about that! We have certainly settled into a rhythm on this trip, even though … Continue reading Exploring the Peloponnese
After four days of climbing in Statte we needed a rest, or to be more specific, the skin on our fingers needed a rest. So we headed out to explore two unique towns in the Puglia region: Matera and Alberobello (more on Alberobello later). Matera is a town characterised by its cave dwellings. Caves which … Continue reading Exploring Caves in Matera
One of the anticipated highlights of this trip for me, was the chance to explore some active volcanoes. To get up close and personal, to peer inside the crater and to touch the rock that been thrown up from the depths of the earth. Our itinerary was designed to give me the chance to see … Continue reading Volcanic (Missed) Adventures
After 10 days of unpredictable and changeable weather our time in San Vito Lo Capo has come to an end. Despite several days of hanging around waiting for the weather to improve, the time passed very quickly, and I certainly, was not yet ready to move on. We had extended our stay by an extra … Continue reading San Vito to Ragusa, via Selinunte
Ordinary Climbers 