Annot has been a lovely place to relax and enjoy life but we have done all we can do climbing wise for the moment and the weather in France is about to change.
France has been a wonderful start to our adventure, now it's time to drive over the boarder to Italy.

We start our Italian adventure in Finale Ligure on the Mediterranean. It's a charming collection of towns one Finalborgo is a 15 century walled town with a small piazza with shops and cafes around it.
It definitely feels so different from the places we've been staying in France.
After securing a local guide book we head to a local campsite and settle into our new environment.

The next day we drive to find the Monte Cucco crag, another limestone area. I have to say the grading is all over the place. We do a 2 pitch route which should be a 5 but feels harder, a 6a also feels more difficult than it should.
We later find out the routes are graded differently than we were expecting .
Next to the crag there is an old free campsite, sounds great? No with the droning of motorway traffic in the distance, other taking advantage of it being free in an expensive area and church bells it doesn't turn into a peaceful nights rest.
The only consultation is we get to fire flies dancing around the night sky.
After the rather polished and wildly graded first crag we drive to one of Finales newer crags.
We drive up a winding road which turns into a dirt road and a rather dodgy looking bridge.
Parking beside the widest possible part of the quiet road we head up to the crag, it's another day of strangely set routes. With some rain we call it a day but stay in our quieter spot.

A little disappointed with Finale Ligure , the climbing isn't really what I'd expected. All the easier routes are either polished or the bolts are to old to use.

Stan the van looking proud in Ceresole Reale

We decide to drive to Valle dell Orco in the Gran Paradiso national park.
A beautiful alpine location with stunning views and masses of granite cliffs. In Ceresole Reale the lake fed from the surrounding mountains is a lovely shade of green.
We find a lovely spot to stay the night just outside Ceresole Reale next to one of the many alpine rivers.
The nearby bar charges 8 euro for the night, everything cost here even outside space but it's cheaper than a campsite.

Night time in Ceresole Reale

I have a restful night rest lulled to sleep by the river.
The next day we drive back towards Noasca in the mid valley to do Pesce D'Aprile a classic 170m multi- pitch on Torre di Aimonin.

Me climbing up a corner crack on Torre di Aimonin.

I haven't been doing much leading and only one trad climb in Annot but decide to do the first few easier pitches.
I nervously head off, the granite has lots of friction and it is easy to place gear. At one point I get in a small panic as I replace a cam and get it stuck. I usually retrieve the gear as a second so I feel I should do my best effort so Robin doesn't have to.
Robin makes short work of the more difficult pitches and it turns out to be a route we both enjoy.

The following day we go up to Sergent area and try a couple of crack climbs. On the way up we see a bemused looking mountain goat in its element delicately moving through the boulders.
A couple of cracks done and it's clear we need a lot more practice.
The next day is a slab multi- pitch Mi Dissocio, I lead a couple of pitches and get into the slab granite friction.
We spend a over a week enjoying the area and the granite climbing before the rain sets in and it's time to move onward again. Something tells me we'll be back to Valle dell'Orco and Ceresole Reale for some more crack and slab climbing on this superb granite. 

Working the slabs on Sergent

The views are beautiful

Preparing to climb the many cracks

Waiting out the rain...

Beautiful Annot

Enjoying a relaxed pace of life in Annot, Haute Provence France. It really is such a picturesque area surrounded by forests of pine trees.
A small friendly town which has all the amenities we need. Our night stay at the local campsite was also very pleasant. The campsite is by the river and is well cared for and maintained, I leave feeling refreshed and relaxed.
Climbing the sandstone of Annot brings its challenges whether it be on one of the huge blocks or on the cliffs.

Robin gearing up for then crack route ahead

Searching for routes in between the blocks

The cracks of the trad routes make us learn new skills, hand and foot jamming. With the blocks we have to delicately try to balance and smear while we reach the next pocket.
After the sharper feature of Limestone I feel like a novice again.

Taking a break from the slabs

Two months in and I'd like to say my climbing is stronger but the truth is I have a long way to go especially on leading.

Kayaking fun

Our detour to the Mediterranean is over after a few days.... We spend another day route climbing on granite but it gets impossibly hot to climb so I suggest hit the beach.
This time sea kayaking around the bay's around Agay, St Raphael in the beautiful blue of the Mediterranean Sea.

Robin kayaking while I take a dip in the sea.

It's such a relief to be in and on the water rather than climbing in such a hot day. After our rest bite we drive towards Nice and the crag of St Jeannet.
High above Nice the village of St Jeannet has a great view of the city below but the crag seems to have had its day.

Me climbing on the red granite

 Overgrown tracks and polished route we soon up, this perhaps was a poor choice.
So off we go again this time back to Haute Provence and the town of Annot.
Set in a gorge with the river Vaire and a hillside that sandstone blocks dominate.
Annot had been on Robins wish list a chance to do some traditional climbing rather than sport climbing.
After a slight hiccup... The climbing shop has closed down, we get the local guide book. It's in French and so confusing, Robin does his best to translate some of the information.
The next day set with all our climbing gear we spend a good couple of hours trying to work some sense of route directions. A trio also looking just as lost and confuses as we are with the same guide booklet. Eventually we bump into a couple from Sweden , Ronny and Kathy who after a few days of climbing in Annot have managed to find a few routes and point us in the right direction.
We catch up with the a little later and they share with us their wisdom of the climbing area.
Now with a little insight we start the following day with a few slabs on sport , with the tiny pockets and friction on sandstone.

River Argen at Chateauvert.

After spending most of May in Verdon I'm interested in moving on to another location.
Robin loves Verdon and I'm in ore of the place but it does take it's toll and can be quite harsh at times.
So we try out Châteauvert on the banks of the Argen river.
We swap the turquoise blue of Verdon for the clear green, peace and tranquillity of Chateauvert and the Argen river.
So serene and tranquil, forest of trees lovely bird songs with the gentle river flowing through it. Surrounded by acres of vineyards and the quaint village of Correns.


We stay four days and would've possibly stayed a few more days if we could find a decent spot for the night.
Camping by the river isn't allowed and the local campsites is such a rip off... Old outdated and unfriendly.
It really is a shame to leave such a beauty spot, hopefully in the future Correns and Châteauvert will sort out better options.

One of our more difficult routes 6c

Traffic jam on the way to the crag.

I can't bear another night somewhere slightly depressing and suggest we drive to Chateaubouble.
Another gorge about 1 hour away.
Chateaudouble ends up being a washout. A huge thunderstorm set in, last all afternoon and into the night.
The next day perdicts more for the afternoon so rather than sitting it out we decide to drive to St Raphael in the south of France to climb some granite sea cliffs.
Its so nice to be near the sea, the fresh sea air and the beautiful views out to the Mediterranean sea.
The first crag we try is Pilier de Soleil, we get a couple of routes done before we're rained off.

A cork tree at Pilier de Soleil.