Meteora is truly a magical place, one feels like being in another planet or in a Miyazaki movie. Multi-pitches routes go up some of the black conglomerate pillars. The views are fantastic from the summits, you can see monasteries on top of other pillars, and you can write your name in small books 😊 Meteora has the reputation to be quite airy when it comes to the bolting of the routes. It is true, but maybe less than what we expected: the routes we selected did not feel too bad regarding this aspect. I would recommend the routes “Corner of Madness” (some trad gear is needed though), and “Egg Dance” with a committing split/jump at the top (which can be aided).
How to get there
I started sailing mid-September from Marseille to Sicily, in a boat of the cooperative Bourlingue et Pacotilles, during two weeks. This joyful cooperative does transport of food by sailing boats in the Mediterranean Sea. I was part of a crew going to Sicily to get dry tomatoes, capers, and almonds growing there and to bring them to France. When arrived in Sicily, I stayed a few days to help loading the food and I started cycling with my bike (foldable), which I had brought in the boat (it was a special deal I had with Elodie, the captain). I went to Bari (helped with a flixbus between Palermo and Taranto), and from there took an 8 hours long ferry to Dubrovnik. After this I cycled to Meteora. (We haven't met other people that came there by fair means unfortunately, but I know that there is a train station in Kalampáka, and I would assume that trains connect this town and Athens.)
On my way home, I biked to Patras, took a 15 hours-long ferry to Bari (over the night), then a night train to Torino (I could bring the bike while being in a sleeping-wagon because I could fold it, but I have also heard that people having normal bike could take them in the train, not in a sleeping-wagon though). And then a flixbus from Torino to Chambery, and this is probably the crux of the trip, since it is always a bit spicy to bring bikes with flixbus.
Where to stay
I Meteora, we slept at the camping Vrachos Kastraki, quite cheap and with friendly owners.
How to reach the crag(s)
In Meteora, I would first take the bike (between 10min and 40min, depending on the crag) and then do the walking approach.
Tips
In Meteora, there are a few quite expensive but convenient grocery stores in the village (and with extremely friendly ladies/owners). Otherwise, bigger supermarkets in Kalampaka.
Besides Meteora, I visited Bovila Lake and Gjipe in Albania, and Leonidio in Greece. It has been a wonderful 10-weeks trip, with the aim to travel by fair means, mostly biking, in the Balkans and Greece and to discover climbing areas there (while the time to enjoy all the good things a biking trip can bring). I traveled a big part of the trip with two close Swedish friends - Sara and Vincent - having the same ambition, who started biking from their home country. I also randomly met other climbers traveling by bike - Marta and Alice – and cycled some stretches in their nice companies. Along the way, I stopped in 4 climbing locations and climbed with many new friends met during the journey. Here you find tips about other the climbing areas:
Leonidio (Greece): I probably do not need to describe this famous valley. There are so many routes and a most of them are of excellent quality. Some crags can be quite crowded (Mars for example), but they are worth to visit anyways (especially if you like tufa-style climbing). Honestly, I never thought that I would end up spending some time there, it felt too far and too big, but turns out I had an amazing time with old and new friends. We climbed one really nice multi-pitch route called Aramis. I was also biking to reach the beginning of the approach. I stayed at the camping Semeli for 2 weeks. It is basic with all you need, and located by the beach which is really nice. The owners are friendly! There are a few supermarkets, veggies/fruits shops, many restaurants and café in the village! There is also a small market once a week. I really liked to hang out in the Panjika cooperative café!
Bovila lake (Albania): We only stayed two days there. There is no supermarket up there, you have to plan in advance! There is a restaurant though. We camped on terraces under the restaurant, with a beautiful view over the lake. There are so many camping spots, it is quite popular to camp here. We asked at the restaurant and they had a guidebook (a bit destroyed and with some missing pages but still good to check). There are a few different crags with different orientations, so it is always possible to find sun or shadow. We climbed in Gold Mine sector: quite short routes but with nice tufas and Lake view sector: more vertical style with a splendid view! We walked to the crags at Bovila lake, the crags were close by. Info also found in 27 crags or here.
Gjipe (Albania): We were there 4 days, and attended the Albanian Climbing Festival! There is a gorge with beautiful limestone red rock and loads of good-quality routes, just 5 minutes from the beach. We all camped at the beach (it was low-season!). The campsite is closed. We often ate at the first restaurant on the left when arriving: the owners are very sweet, good food, and they gave us some water/we could use toilets. We walked to the crags at Gjipe, the crags were close by. You also have to plan in advance for food since there are no market/supermarket there. There are a few restaurants though, and we heard that the first of them is open all year long. There is some deep-water soloing there. I would recommend bringing snorkeling gear too 😊
How to book the trip
In Albania, Montenegro and In Greece, the best is to book transport tickets at the train or bus central stations. Websites are usually messy. I booked the Bari-Torino train ticket on the Trenitalia website. If you do not necessarily want to book your ticket in advance and have a bike, it can be nice to book at the train stations, so that you have all the info. To book the ferries going through the Adriatic sea, I used Direct Ferries.
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