Leonidio Destination Guide
Greek Climbing Paradise
Leonidio is a small town of about 6000 residents, sitting on the eastern side of the Peloponnese of Greece. It is famous for its bounteous sweet fruit and vegetables that are grown in the valley of the Dafnon River, particularly its aubergines and satsumas.
As a climber though the first thing that will strike you are the impressive red and orange cliffs that border and overshadow it and the crystal blue waters of the Aegean sea that Leonidio opens up to.
The climbing
The climbing on offer there is predominantly single pitch sport climbing on the many small cliffs that surround the enormous faces of the Kokkinovrachos. The style of climbing varies between grey slabby routes on small sharp crimpy edges to more vertical overhanging orange rock with black dripping tufa everywhere. A sight to behold and a style that takes some getting used to coming from the UK. There is also plenty of multipitch on offer too for someone seeking more adventure. Me and my climbing partner did one of the easier muti pitch routes on offer, Mignonette 5c+, in 2.5hrs car to car.
The grades pretty much start at 6a and are reminiscent of North Wales grading as a reference. If 6a is above your ability at the moment and you’re looking for a relaxed time then you may find you will have a hard time finding your flow. Although if you’re wanting to push your grade then Leonidio is a great place to do that with friendly bolting and a good mix of grades from 6a upwards at the majority of crags for mixed ability groups.
When to go
As is typical with a southern European destination the best times of year are in the Spring and Autumn. The weather is still warm but not too warm and for the most part dry. A summer trip would be torturously hot.
In our time there as mentioned we had a mix of unseasonably hot weather, a day of wetness and storms and a cooler, cloudier weather. Day to day an early start and finish is well rewarded in Leonidio.
We arrived on the 30th October 2022. It seemed to be a bumper year and climbers were everywhere, this probably wasn’t helped as a few days after we arrived the first Leonidio climbing festival held since pre covid was just around the corner.
The weather was an unseasonable 28c. This was a lovely change to the dark grey cold days that were rapidly rolling in in the UK, immediately giving off holiday vibes.
Admittedly though it wasn’t ideal climbing conditions for a Brit and the shaded crags such as Sabaton, King of Thrones, Mars and Aresos were all packed out with climbers from around the world. This made for a great vibe but did result in some route queuing and tightly packed belay stances.
In the second half of the trip a after a large storm rolled through the conditions cooled and made for quieter crags as people took advantage and spread out to some of the sun trap crags.
How to get there
We flew direct Manchester to Athens. Being an international airport, flights are very regular from most major UK airports.
We then hired a car from Alamo for £150ish and drove the 3.5hr journey down south. This trip is half on highways with a few tolls along the way, the other half being on well tarmacked single lane roads which wind their way down the coast with stunning views stretching along the sea and pretty ports.
This trip can be done by bus but a hire car is highly recommended, not only for the length of the journey getting there but also for getting around when in Leonidio. Most of the crags are out of town and require at least a 10 minute drive to get there, without access to a car you’ll be very limited for choice of crags.
Provisions
The first week we stayed at Anna’s house on Air BnB which was a lovely small flat for 3 people right in the heart of Leonidio and directly opposite the Red Rock bar and Italian restaurant (both very nice). This gave good access to a few crags right from the front door and also to the town square and high street bars and markets. It was however very noisy late on and early in the morning with small mopeds and bin lorries whizzing by right outside.
The second week we moved to Ariadne’s Garden in Poulithra, about a 15 minute drive south of Leonidio. This was a welcome change and the house itself was very comfortable and had views to die for. A good destination for a large group of people. The town of Poulithra itself was very quiet and felt very private. Although a little separated from the main town and the climbing near Leonidio it gave closer access to some of the crags further south in the direction of Kyparissi.
Grocery shopping in Leonidio is very good in terms of what you can get and there is plenty of choice of stores but is fairly expensive compared to other places I’ve been in Greece. A large general shop at Lidl on the way is recommended to cut some costs. For less general products and to take advantage of the local produce there are a few veg market style shops who all have a great choice of fruit and veg and would often give us a free bag of extra veg each time we shopped.
I also have to make special mention of a must visit shop which we named the ‘Local Shop’. A very small place opposite a large clothes store on the Leonidio high street selling amazing locally made wines, oils, jams, honey’s, nuts and dried fruits, even climbing hand balm. This place kept us coming back time and time again as the produce was delicious, great for crag snacks. The owner was very pleasant and generous giving us free samples of a range of different things and even a free bottle of liqueur.
Eating out is simple and all very good with a mix of Greek, Italian and English cuisines on offer to be enjoyed with a beer and sharing climbing stories with friends and others in large squares outside the restaurant. Good holiday vibes.
Rest Days
There are plenty of picturesque quiet beaches and port villages dotted along the coastline boasting warm opal blue seas and beachside bars and restaurants.
Lots of surrounding areas have remnants of ancient Greek culture and civilisation for the culture and history buffs. This is where westernism as we know it was created.
Recommended Crags and Routes
Aresos
A good introductory crag to get a feel for the place without much commitment. Engaging climbing on long grey slab and vert routes.
Protocollon- 6b
Sabaton
A popular (busy) crag. Roadside, short routes, great views, Olive trees on large flat belay platforms. Plenty of good routes to go at from 6b upwards.
Born to be Precious- 6c+
Freedom- 6b
Attero Dominatus- 7a
Theos- Lovers Ledge
Vertical and crimpy. A bit like Masson Lees except dryer, with solid rock, consistent bolting, and better views…the approach is harder though.
All of them on the orange coloured rock, they’re all superb.
Hideout
One of the few crags with accessible low grade tufa climbing on massive tufas with fun indoors style movement. An hours drive south and a spicy via ferrata approach to a coastal cliff face. The belay ledge is narrow but with anchors to secure yourself.
Tufa Column extension- 7a
Pelops- 6c
Wings of Desire- 6c
