Arcadia

For years, whenever we drove to Leonidio from the north, our eyes landed on a compact grey cliff opposite a campsite built on a beach just 30 minutes before Leonidio. Because the cliff is so solid and the location near-perfect for a climbing holiday, we kept it in mind as a future project and pictured all the potential routes that could be bolted. Well, the future finally arrived and the bolts were placed. Meet __Arcadia__. The northeast-facing cliff is compact and excellent, though still a bit sharp. Its 42 well-bolted mid-grade routes enjoy long hours of shade. Combine climbing at Agios Andreas (morning) and Arcadia (afternoon) for day-long shade only 30–40 driving minutes from Leonidio. The campsite across the road, REPODINA (or REMPONDINA), has a restaurant and a beach bar, and typically only operates in the summer, but our hope is that the new sector encourages an extension of the season. We believe Arcadia has everything it takes to become a very popular sector. The local community was instrumental in bringing sector Arcadia to fruition. The project was funded mainly by the local municipality and prefecture, and the owners of the olive grove around the cliff graciously permitted us to bolt. Routes were equipped in autumn 2020 by the following CLIMB GREECE team: Aris Theodoropoulos, Claude Idoux, Dimitris Titopoulos, Dimitra Klaoudatou, Kostas Grafanakis, Tiia Porri, and Chris Ziavras. More routes will be added in the near future. __Climbing__ On 42 technical routes from 5a–7a+ and up to 42m long, on excellent, Verdon-style vertical grey/orange rock full of small pockets and footholds. The rock is very compact, though still sharp at parts and sometimes lightly covered with lichen. Most grades range from 6a to 6c+. As with most new sectors, routes will benefit from traffic. The bolting is user-friendly, keeping the needs of the average climber in mind. __Gear__ A single 80m rope + 22 QDs. On the extensions, avoid rope drag by removing some of the quickdraws from beneath you after clipping the bolt in front of you. __Conditions__ Good for year-round climbing: afternoon climbing in hot months (though it can be stuffy on very hot days with no wind), morning climbing in colder weather. __Shade (Exposure: NE)__ After 13:30. (The last four routes on the right have shade all day.) For day-long shade, combine Agios Andreas (morning) and Arcadia (afternoon). __Kids__ Very good, but as always, kids should never be near or under any climbers.