Calanques

Our first stop on the climbing road-trip adventure was Calanques National Park on the Mediterranean coast of France. We started off strong with a pleasant hike into a small calanque which had a crag right on the beach. Our climbs were short but offered beautiful views of the turquoise water surrounded by limestone cliffs.

Our second day brought us to the town of Cassis, where we walked along a stunning red cliff overlooking the town and the sea. After sampling local wine at a cafe in town, we headed to the crag, which we had to ourselves! After a delicious dinner of van cooked Thai green curry, we slept early in anticipation of the following day of climbing.

After our earliest morning yet, we headed to Calanque Sormiou. Because of the crowds, the parking lot closes at 8 AM! A quick nap at the trailhead enabled us to set off on our mission for the day well rested and full of energy! Upon reaching the start of the climb, we both giggled and exclaimed “woah” repeatedly. The Calanques are known for traverses (or climbing across instead of up), and the first pitch of our 6 pitch adventure was a sweet traverse out onto the wall with nothing but the sparkling sea below us. Alan started climbing, and we swung leads as we started up the vertical part of the route. The climbing was fun and we were quick – passing another party and reaching the summit of the “beak” in a couple hours. We were rewarded with a spectacular view in every direction – a perfect lunch spot.

Our last full day in the park brought us to another beautiful calanque. “Day Four Bay Four” we repeated happily as we hiked in. The wall was in the sun, and we were grateful for a gentle breeze. On this wall we climbed two routes, (for a total of 7 pitches). The views kept improving as we got higher on the wall. After the second climb, we walked off the back of the cliff to a viewpoint frequented by day hikers.

Before heading out, we snuck in a couple final pitches close to the town of Cassis. The beautiful calanques between Marseille and Cassis make up an amazing area with thousands of climbs. We can strongly recommend the park for both climbing and for taking in the views! We know we’ll be back…