Billy...

The drive down was cool and wet, but as we reached our destination the clouds parted and we had, at last, found some ‘warm rock’! Varasova, Greece’s first sport climbing destination, was dominated by massive rock faces with a variety of routes from massive slabs to steep and overhanging walls. There was even some bouldering too! We managed to find a beautiful spot (see view from van below) about 2m from the sea. We discussed tides briefly and decided the van’s tyres should stay dry…

To our pleasant surprise the following day was warm and sunny. We spend the day practising our technique on some long slab routes. After a shakey start, things improved and we managed not to embarrass ourselves too much…!

The following night we stayed in the same beautiful spot. At 1am I was struggling to sleep (Claire wasn’t)… The van, in its rather exposed position, was being battered by gale force winds – I can best describe it as trying to sleep in a tumble dryer! I went outside, nearly got blown of my feet, got soaked by the (wind blown) spray, then realised it may be prudent to park somewhere else.
We spent the following day bouldering on (very sharp) limestone boulders.

That evening we made use of the local facilities and took a bracing shower on the local beach. It was then we realised that ‘Billy’, the baby goat, had got him/herself into a rather tight spot a few hundred feet up on the crag. It was a bit heartbreaking to hear his/her continuous cries, but there was little we could do…

We spent a final day climbing some of the steeper walls and then headed to another beach. Billy was still bleating – perhaps he/she eventually escaped, we like to think so…